Taggart (TV Series) For Their Sins (1999) User Reviews

Taggart does drugs.

[bethwilliam · 7/10 · 13 March 2008]

This is actually a very well written episode of Taggart.

Paddy Lapsley is found dead on the stairs of a tenement building, the victim of a drug overdoes. Dr. Stephen Andrews determines the victim was murdered. Suspicion falls on Sean Boyle who has taken over the projects as the local distributer.

When he is murdered in a similar way Rosie Lewis makes a name for herself as the vigilante mother. DS Jackie Reid discovers she made several threats after her daughter died of an overdose after being molested by the local pedophile.

The case becomes complicated when a third body is discovered under the floor boards. It turns out to be Angus McNickal, the sex offender. Meanwhile Robert and Michael Kinsella, 2 local businessmen, have a falling out which causes grief for Michael Jardine.

This episode has several subplots which make for brilliant viewing. Jardine has to face the demons of his past over a suspect who bribed his sergeant when he was starting out. There is his bias against the projects. Judith Sweeney, who plays the vigilante mum is absolutely brilliant. Hopefully we will see more of her in the future.

A welcome return to form for this long running program.

Dealing murder

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 3 February 2019]

My love for detective/mystery dramas/shows has been nearly lifelong, and have always admired that a wide range of tones are encompassed, from light-hearted to quite brutal. 'Taggart' was in its prime one of the finer examples of the grittier kind, and although it has been one of my most regularly watched shows settling down in the evenings, that is not to say that it isn't immune from criticism.

Have said quite a few times about preferring the early/mid-run 'Taggart' episodes, so the consistently solid Mark McManus/Taggart period, which there were a fair share of great episodes with even some interesting early appearances from some guest actors, and most of the James MacPherson/Jardine episodes (with a few exceptions like the bizarre "Apocalypse"). Was less taken with the later Burke episodes, although it was the Burke episodes that introduced me to 'Taggart', with its regular runs on ITV some years ago, the episodes generally aren't as good where they suffered from the shorter lengths as well as not being gritty enough and running out of ideas and surprises.

"For Their Sins" is one of the Jardine episodes and for me it is one of the better later Jardine episodes and even overall.

It may not offer an awful lot new story-wise and it at times gets a little convoluted later on when more is revealed, but really on the most part it is a very good episode with a lot of great qualities.

As always for 'Taggart', "For Their Sins" looks great visually. have always loved the gritty, like-a-character-of-its-own Scottish setting, the moody colour pallette that adds to the grit and the slick photography. The music fits well and doesn't intrude or feel dull, while the theme song is not one to forget and the episode is solidly directed. The acting is without fault, with MacPherson and Blythe Duff being very strong, as is their chemistry, while Robert Robertson is ever the scene stealer. Particularly brilliant though agreed Judy Sweeney.

The writing intrigues and is thought-provoking, with the odd bit of welcome levity that doesn't jar. The story is deliberate but never dull or too cluttered, despite a good deal being revealed. It always compels and has lots of twists and turns (not all surprising mind but it's not a predictable episode by all means), with an ending that is not only unexpected but also both tense and sad. Do like how the team work, their rapport and how they go about solving the case, that has always been one of the key reasons as to why prime-'Taggart' works so well.

Summarising, very good. 8/10 Bethany Cox