Having had no exposure to this series prior to the release
of each season on disc I never knew what to expect when putting the first one
on. I’ve grown to love it since and find it one of the best made series around.
My guess is that after watching it you will as well. Now with series 3
available the only thing that bothers me is wondering if a fourth, fifth and
sixth will follow.
The series revolves around the officers of the Friday Street
police station, a division of the Manchester Metropolitan Police (a fictional
group but based on real life). While bureaucrats may come and go in the series
it is the rank and file, the combination of detectives and officers, who solve
the mysteries involved. Those include DI Vivian Deering (Joanna Scanlon) who
oversees the group, troubled detective DI Dinah Kowalska (Elaine Cassidy) her
top detective, DC Spike Tanner (Will Mellor) who has issues of his own and DS
Joy Freers (Alexandra Roach) a young and somewhat naïve supervisor coming into
he own. Each character brings a different essence into the cast and make it
more well-rounded than most.
I’ll let you know it’s spoiler time for those haven’t seen
the first two series so go watch those and then come back. Okay? Here we go.
Series three opens with an attack on a local politician running for mayor named
Caroline McCoy (Lisa McGrillis) at a rally. It may be the work of a radical
group that was protesting out front but as the police chase the killer they
lose one of their own, DS Joy Freers. This is a shock to the system for fans as
Freers was one of the most innocent of characters in the series. It immediately
sets us fans up for seeking vengeance.
But things progress to more issues from there. The killer is
on the run and continues a reign of terror. He calls in and claims to have
poisoned a load of Halal meat, meat food blessed and allowable for Muslims in
the community. All of this is because the current mayor is a Muslim (perhaps a
nod to the current mayor of London?). This sets the team trying to find the
tainted meat before a mass murder occurs.
Along the way more problems arise in the form of someone
blocking the team from getting to the root of the problems from above. Just who
and why isn’t clear until the end. At one point their top supervisor takes a
bullet for the team, protecting them but losing her position at the same time.
She’s replaced by a bumbling fool who has no clue what is going on, but who
fortunately has a connection in his past with Spike. This allows Spike to keep
an eye on him while the team solves the mystery.
Eventually we learn that not all is as it seems and trusted
allies turn out to be devious enemies. I’m not sure about all viewers but I saw
this coming early on. It didn’t ruin the show for me but instead increased my
interest as I waited to see not only when the team would realize this but how
they would handle it as well.
Not only that the series takes a topical issue with the
concerns of immigrants in England and never treats it as a good or bad thing,
not taking one side or the other in telling the story. It treats individuals as
good or bad guys rather than label an entire group. The closest it comes to
that is a white supremacist group and even members of that are shown to be
human as well rather than depicted as cartoon like villains.
One of the things that make this series work well is the
cast. To being with Vivian as played by Scanlon is an amazing character. She’s
not this thin model in an acting role but a larger woman with a domineering
presence who still has a softer side. Most shows avoid larger actresses like
the plague unless they’re playing grandmother roles. It’s wonderful to see
Scanlon here as the center of the stories being told, a character who in the
first series you start by hating and come to love by the end. Kudos to the
makers of this show for bypassing the norm. The rest of the cast surrounding
her is amazing as Scanlon is. Each of them brings to their characters enough
enthusiasm for their jobs as well as the home lives that affect them as
officers as well. It brings a more thought out group together than most shows
do.
With just six episodes to this series it can easily be binge
watched in a weekend. The only problem that you will have is finding yourself
anxious for the next one to arrive and watch. It truly is one of the best
things out there and a shame more people aren’t aware. If they were odds are
you’d be seeing an Americanized version of it within the year. Instead enjoy
this one over and over again and wait for word on series 4.
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