TV (mostly the Shadow Line)
May. 30th, 2011 08:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
redfiona99I'm finally caught up with the TV, which means The Shadow Line and Dr. Who.
This post is my Shadow Line thoughts because my Dr. Who thoughts are still percolating.
Gatehouse is every bit as creepy sinister as we expected (and murderously efficient). I'm still trying to work out who he's working for, because I don't think it's Bob Harris, in that, given what Gatehouse's instructions to Andy Dixon were, it looks like he's trying to start a gang war. Unless it's Gatehouse trying to wipe out any trace of whatever it was that Wratten knew that lead to him getting the pardon.
I like that Gatehouse isn't frightened of Jay Wratten, but is suitably aware of how dangerous he is.
Despite it being a departure from the show's noir hyper-realism, I did like the big fight, mostly for Honey kicking tush semi-realistically, in that it's not by strength but by guile and advanced anything goes.
I'm intrigued by who they've cast as the drugs/fraud/whatever he is officer because the actor tends to play either totally shady characters or disreputable types with a heart of gold. This character appears to tend towards the latter, or at least is a mostly uncorrupt police officer, which is about as good as you're going to get in this.
I really wish I could get a read on what Gabriel's boss is up to. Is he corrupt, under orders to whitewash the whole thing or just slimy?
Holy sudden character reveal, Batman! re: Gabriel's spare family. I see that they're trying to lay on the drama since Gabriel's major redeeming feature was his relationship with his wife.
No spoilers, but I think Sgt. Honey may well be my favourite thing about this.
Why hello there gleefully cynical rent boy. It's a mark of the show's atmosphere that I immediately assume he's been sent by someone to take Bob Harris down, I have no idea which someone. It's a show with lots of possible someones.
The next scene was interesting, I mean Robert Pugh, much though I think he's a brilliant actor, is not someone I'd ever expect to see naked bar his y-fronts, but it was one of those horribly plausible scenes with Harris scratching his belly and picking at his belly button fluff. I also liked that while he was being pawed at, the rent boy said 'if you want exclusive rights, you pay for a flat'. Boy's got brains.
I wonder who the mole is in Harris's gang. I mean, I have my suspicions (is Gatehouse being employed by the Turks) but I have no idea if I'm right.
It says something about Bede that he's managed to convince Jay Wratten, not the most convinceable of people, to go along with his plan.
The characterisation of Bede's wife does keep threatening to tumble over into magical crazy person (demented variant) but that's about the only thing I dislike about the Shadow Line. Well, that and occasionally I could do with the characters speaking more clearly, but that's one of those things.
Gatehouse continues to be unspeakably scary, but I'm almost tempted to say that killing Ross makes up for it despite knowing how bad that sounds. Unfortunately, Ross really did suffer from the everyone in this show is an arsehole nature of the characterisation. It's not that he was wrong with what he did, it was that, even within the feel of the show, he was the most obnoxious character.
It does look like we might finally get to meet Glickman. At least, I assume that was who Glickman's son was callng. Which leads to further mystery about who Gatehouse is working for. Not that I believe him when he says he knew Glickman, but I don't entirely disbelieve him either.
This post is my Shadow Line thoughts because my Dr. Who thoughts are still percolating.
Gatehouse is every bit as creepy sinister as we expected (and murderously efficient). I'm still trying to work out who he's working for, because I don't think it's Bob Harris, in that, given what Gatehouse's instructions to Andy Dixon were, it looks like he's trying to start a gang war. Unless it's Gatehouse trying to wipe out any trace of whatever it was that Wratten knew that lead to him getting the pardon.
I like that Gatehouse isn't frightened of Jay Wratten, but is suitably aware of how dangerous he is.
Despite it being a departure from the show's noir hyper-realism, I did like the big fight, mostly for Honey kicking tush semi-realistically, in that it's not by strength but by guile and advanced anything goes.
I'm intrigued by who they've cast as the drugs/fraud/whatever he is officer because the actor tends to play either totally shady characters or disreputable types with a heart of gold. This character appears to tend towards the latter, or at least is a mostly uncorrupt police officer, which is about as good as you're going to get in this.
I really wish I could get a read on what Gabriel's boss is up to. Is he corrupt, under orders to whitewash the whole thing or just slimy?
Holy sudden character reveal, Batman! re: Gabriel's spare family. I see that they're trying to lay on the drama since Gabriel's major redeeming feature was his relationship with his wife.
No spoilers, but I think Sgt. Honey may well be my favourite thing about this.
Why hello there gleefully cynical rent boy. It's a mark of the show's atmosphere that I immediately assume he's been sent by someone to take Bob Harris down, I have no idea which someone. It's a show with lots of possible someones.
The next scene was interesting, I mean Robert Pugh, much though I think he's a brilliant actor, is not someone I'd ever expect to see naked bar his y-fronts, but it was one of those horribly plausible scenes with Harris scratching his belly and picking at his belly button fluff. I also liked that while he was being pawed at, the rent boy said 'if you want exclusive rights, you pay for a flat'. Boy's got brains.
I wonder who the mole is in Harris's gang. I mean, I have my suspicions (is Gatehouse being employed by the Turks) but I have no idea if I'm right.
It says something about Bede that he's managed to convince Jay Wratten, not the most convinceable of people, to go along with his plan.
The characterisation of Bede's wife does keep threatening to tumble over into magical crazy person (demented variant) but that's about the only thing I dislike about the Shadow Line. Well, that and occasionally I could do with the characters speaking more clearly, but that's one of those things.
Gatehouse continues to be unspeakably scary, but I'm almost tempted to say that killing Ross makes up for it despite knowing how bad that sounds. Unfortunately, Ross really did suffer from the everyone in this show is an arsehole nature of the characterisation. It's not that he was wrong with what he did, it was that, even within the feel of the show, he was the most obnoxious character.
It does look like we might finally get to meet Glickman. At least, I assume that was who Glickman's son was callng. Which leads to further mystery about who Gatehouse is working for. Not that I believe him when he says he knew Glickman, but I don't entirely disbelieve him either.
