I slowly watched my way through season one of Luther (over a period of months). On reflection, I found it rather intense and disturbing at first, which is not surprising for something written by Neil Cross. That coupled with the fact that Indira Varma’s character (Luther’s wife) was a bit irritating, meant that I’d had the DVD almost a year before I finished the first season. But something happened when I hit S1 finale though, and I watched S2 in a week.

Ruth Wilson’s character (crazy Alice) was wonderful all the way through, and the inclusion in S2 of a new story line and fresh actors (mainly Aimee-Ffion Edwards as Jenny) totally hooked me. The dynamic between her and Luther seemed to be portrayed far more realistically than his obsessive passion for his ex-wife (although I concede that the build up from S1 made S2 work so well.)

Having only seen Idris Elba in The Wire, I was impressed with how he handled this persona. He had the same intense broodiness as Stringer Bell but an added dose of crazy and some personal convictions that lead him to make dubious decisions. He’s a beautifully flawed and fascinating character.

I truly hope they get around to making S3, as I think Luther really has the legs to go further.

As you know I love my TV series, and have started giving regular recommendations. So here is the latest.

I’ve stumbled on another Canadian TV show called Intelligence, which was pretty exyy but thanks to a lovely JBHIFI gift voucher (winks at Paula), I didn’t feel too guilty buying it. It’s set in Vancouver and follows two main characters; a mobster and an intelligence officer as they navigate the hazards and politics of their respective worlds, on occasions working together.

I’d have to say, without a doubt, it’s the mostly tightly plotted show I’ve ever watched and the characters were thoroughly convincing. I’m close to giving it a 9/10 (which puts it up there on my scale with Saving Grace, and it is, in some ways, better). WIKI suggests it might have been cancelled after season 2 because:

There were various rumors surrounding the cancellation of the series. Kevin Baker from The National Post alleged: “There’s a theory afloat that CBC Television cancelled the unusually good drama Intelligence in fear of upsetting Canada’s New Government, which is thought to be slavering for an excuse to junk the nation’s public broadcaster and sell off the parts.”^[3]

Interesting, because similar rumours existed around the cancelling of The Border, another Canadian TV show that was not favourable in its slant on US intelligence agencies.

Anyhoo, it is quite brilliant, and I’m so glad I found it. I think its an absolute gem, and I’ll be stalking the writers to see what else they do. Matt Frewer is creepy and disgusting, and Ian Tracey, Klea Scott and John Cassini are brilliant with a strong supporting cast.

I’m just ordering season 2 from Amazon and will give you an update on that.

Zen

Most of you know that I do rather like my TV these days. It’s taken over what used to be a passion for film. So I thought I’d share some of my latest favourites with you and say why they appeal. Then it’s your turn!

Spirited: an Aussie series about a middle-aged female dentist who can see ghosts, and falls in love with one. This appeals to me on a number of levels. There’s the romantic comedy hook, but for me its largely the dialogue which I think is brilliant – so authentic and not at all cliched. Some excellent characters, especially Suzie’s sister, Jonquil, and her ex hubby, Steve. Occasionally an episode will get a bit slow, but usually something nasty will usually happen to shake it up, soon after. This is some of Claudia Karvan’s best work. I’ve always found her quite ‘cool’ (as in cold) on screen and Suzie’s character fits her really well. Matt King is also a perfect dead rocker.

Zen: a three part cop series based on Michael Dibin’s Aurelio Zen novels set in Italy. Love, love, loved this one! So sad they’ve only made 3 episodes. The political machinations and the corrupt pollice are beautifully counterbalanced by Zen’s (Rupert Sewell) quiet but devilish humour as he walks a tightrope trying to keep his job and reputation in tact. Location filming is sensational, theme music not so. Caterina Murino is both beautiful, sexy, confused and selfish all at once. Great acting on the part of both main characters, I thought.

Luther: Am only two episodes into this series penned by Neil Cross. Idris Elba (The Wire) is a strong and charismatic actor and the stories are suitably twisted. The dialogue gets a little clever for itself sometimes, and Idris is altogether too brilliant at joining the dots on crimes, but I like its energy and Luther’s tortured character.

True Blood: what can I say that millions of fans haven’t? Nothing really, other than to add … if Joss is Boss then Ball is Better … ok, maybe not better, but certainly as good. Thumbs up for casting Alex Skarsgaard too. This is backwoods melodrama at its most vulgar and raunchy with some sly social commentary thrown in.

Fringe: I love Fringe but sometimes it bothers me because none of the concepts are particularly fresh to this SF writer (me). When I get past that though, I love the characterisation – I mean, you’d have to be comatose not to appreciate the talent of John Noble, Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson. Leonard Nimoy, however, doesn’t really work so well.

Leverage: The stories are cute and the chemistry among the team is really fantastic. Who wouldn’t want to be Parker? I once saw an interview with Beth Riesgraf and Aldis Hodge (Hardison). They were asked who, out of all of them, was most like their portrayed character. They agreed instantly that it was Christian Kane. How cool – Eliot rules!