Bang (S4C) Episode Five Review

The past is staring to catch up with Gina, mostly because she chooses to seek it out. She requests the twenty year old files of the investigation into her father’s death only to find out about his vast array of criminal records. All the Cautions, suspended sentences, trespassing, fraud and handling of stolen goods charges paint a picture of the man that’s totally different to the one that’s been hung up in her mind all this time. Her present too is is proving complicated. Sam knows about her fling with Carl and it looks a matter of time that proof in the theory about mixing business with pleasure comes true.

As for Sam, despite his early visit to the police station, things are weirdly looking up. Turns out they just wanted to know more about Cai so he walks free into the arms (or rather a jacket) of a lady and now the gun isn’t the only object of his desire. Ela, however, is a bad influence and if there’s one thing this “sad, beautiful boy” doesn’t need right now it’s someone taking him down even darker paths. Not only that, but he gets one up over Ray after spying weaknesses under that surly exterior. Sam is allowed to stay in the home as a method to keep him onside but suspicions between the two aren’t a one way street. Clearly convinced his stepson played a role the robbery, Ray scouts around the house looking for evidence.

Where Bang excels most, other than it’s beautiful, subtle direction is in the performances. Especially by the two leads, Catrin Stewart and Jacob Ifan. Nothing is overblown or too stagey. They keep the story grounded and real. Sam is going off the rails with an almost calm sense of invincibility but the portrayal is no grand Hollywood statement. He steals money from under a workmate’s nose and in a drugs induced state robs cash from till of a club and yet his plight still elicits sympathy rather than judgement. We end with him cornered, gun in hand and on a close up of his face, caught in two minds about pulling the trigger. What follows is set to be a showdown of recriminations and extreme family politics. 8/10

Bullet points:

• Are there any links between the death of Sam and Gina’s dad and the Stevie Rose murder?
• Why would Patricia order a private detective to follow Gina? Seems extreme to say the least. Is it because of her family links?
• Even now he’s getting his end away, Sam can still barely break into a smile, bless him.
• Will Sam’s involvement with the gun end his sister’s career?
• Will he be charged with the murder of Stevie Rose as well as the actual crimes he has committed?

Liar (Episode 5 Review)

While last week’s effort was in no way mediocre there was a worry that exposing the liar at the halfway stage left the story with very little life left. With hindsight, the trip to Scotland was used as a measure of Laura’s last attempts to get justice through honest means. So far things have had at least two feet set in reality, concentrating on emotions and personal politics first and foremost. Episode five ups the heightened drama element it has mostly avoided. This is not meant as an insult or an implication that what happens in the closing stages couldn’t occur in real life, it’s just the foot has well and truly been put on the pedal.

Everything about the penultimate showing is exaggerated from what has gone before. When the music isn’t even more tense, it’s soaringly beautiful. As for the direction, the claustrophobic intensity grows. The camera lurks in even more distant places. Spying on proceedings from around further flung corners, windows and tables. It’s like they want you to feel like you’re spying in on conversations you shouldn’t be. A voyeur on other people’s misery. It works in a forty five minutes that surprises.

Who knew that an umbrella could cause so much distress? Due to Katy leaving one in Tom’s car and their stories not matching, Laura is told about the affair. It’s something that was expected to be said next week but like Scotland trip, the betrayal of a sister and an ex-boyfriend is used as an explanation for the actions Laura undertakes. The GHB  in Tom’s hand last week proves to be a red herring. rather than going ahead with the plan to plant the drug in Andrew’s locker, Laura resorts to the bottle. Earlham continues his charm offensive, with emphasis on the word offensive. Like everything else, his darkness takes a new level as we discover he has films of all his crimes. What’s the betting some viewers will still inexplicably think he’s innocent?

DI Harmon discovers there are abrasions at a baby scan (‘Abrasions At A Baby Scan’ sound like a long lost Smiths song title but let’s not get distracted) and asks to be tested for any GHB in her system. Despite it not showing up Vanessa knows exactly what has happened to her and who the man responsible is. It’s a chain of events that results in permission to track Andrew’s car being granted. Let’s overlook the logistics and go with the flow because it’s worth it.

This is where a psychological drama turns to an almost Michael Jackson level of thriller. OK, so there are no dancing zombies but Laura has a nefarious master plan. She tricks Andrew into a drink and while he’s unguarded slips GHB into the man’s bloodstream, bundles him into his car and takes him down to the baron marshes. The justification being that she will lie to make sure her attacker is sent down. She will claim he kidnapped her. Why? Because telling the truth got her nowhere. It’s a twist curvier than Kim Kardashian’s backside and in a tale that has already preached of the injustices in a system designed to make victims suffer more, makes complete sense. The tone may have changed but the elements of the message remain the same.

The stand off at the marshes (this has turned into a Morrissey lyric generator) between Andrew and his most recent targets should, in theory, be the moment he is arrested. Having stated that he’s been drugged to the DI, he claims that he can’t be arrested with the GHB in his system. While this may be factually correct, how would one person’s word be construed as fact, especially when faced with the law? Surely anyone could claim that. Robbed a bank? “Sorry guys, there’s still a bit of GHB in my system.. laters”. As we know only too well, the law is an ass and so is Andrew, who walks away without denying his crimes and one hundred percent confident he will evade punishment.  His SD cards might prove to be his downfall but with limited time left, Liar has cliffhanger and a two year wait written all over it. 8/10

 

 

 

 

Doctor Foster (Series 2, Episode 5 Review)

One near attempt at murder, two attempts at suicide (one of those assisted), a kidnap and a child running away. That’s an impressive CV of a finale which will likely disappoint many for the sole reason that everybody gets out alive. As far as we know. Those gearing up for a fatal battle royale between Gemma and Simon were ignoring the heart of what made series two tick. Tom was the epicentre of the storm and by running off, the adverse weather has moved direction.

Simon wasn’t run over which is just as well because Gemma’s, let’s say, pyrrhic victory would have been for nothing. If there is a next series it’d be based in the courtroom and no one wants that. With incredibly fast feet Simon dons Gemma’s stalking capabilities from three episodes back by showing up at the hotel, the house and then a restaurant where his estranged wife and son are eating.  The language is violent and contradictory. There is talk of stabbings and choking one moment and reconciliation the next. Simon’s grovelling is desperate and Bertie Carvel uses it to perfection. You never quite know how much of it is genuine regret or how much is still the mind games of a man who can’t stop lying.

As for the mind, it can do funny things. We get lots of flashbacks to supposed happier times between the Fosters though it’s not stated if this was while he was seeing Kate. The purpose of this is not quite clear. Is it to set up a potential reunion in a severe case of better the devil you know? Is it better to live with the lies than be without them?

In a masterfully shot scene, Simon plays with the traffic but as mother, father and son stand by the road it’s a lottery as to who will get out alive. Gemma wrestles with him by the road and for one moment it looks like Tom wants to run in front of a car to stop all the nonsense. You wouldn’t blame the kid. An agreement is reached, which is potentially the first time that can be said about these two. Gemma agrees to leave drugs in the hotel room for her nemesis to end his life. More impending dread of courtroom scenes flash before us as Gemma’s fingerprints would have been all over the offending stuff AND she left a note of instructions. Talk about leaving a trace.

While trying to kill off her ex-husband there’s a fantastically awkward breakfast where Tom, never one to mince his words says “we’re all just sitting here feeling like shit”. The poor waitress perseveres and at the very least deserved a tip for her troubles. Tears over bacon aside, Simon’s split personality is still in action as truths come out. We get the big reveal of what exactly he told Tom to turn him against his mother. In fact, it’s not a big reveal at all. After all the hype it’s simply mentioned in passing and is an example of how the show balances the epic and the mundane well.

It subverts how you expect everything to play out. The different levels are part of what makes Doctor Foster tick. One moment Gemma is saving Simon from the traffic, next she’s assisting in his suicide and then ultimately talking him out of the suicide she agreed to lend a hand in. It’s bluff after bluff and this shit just got real. The running agenda in this series has been the consequences of actions and the fallout is finally upon us. As a lesson learnt it’s the ultimate act of cruelty writer Mike Bartlett has dished out.

There is a truce of sorts but the great tragedy is that it comes literally minutes too late. As Mr and Mrs Foster leave things on fairly amicable terms (both alive and not swearing at each other) Tom is roaming free having done a runner from the car park. Again, there’s the dread he’s thrown himself onto the road as if taking inspiration from his dad but it’s another false alarm. He leaves a phone message about living his own life: “You’ll never see me again” he promises, “I hate myself”. Words uttered not long before by Simon. Like father like son. Narrating the closing seconds, Gemma states “whatever fight you thought was important now looks so naive” as weeks and months go by without any trace of her son. She even breaks the fourth wall and talks directly to the camera which is disconcerting at the least and takes the viewer out of what is a deeply emotional moment. You don’t need to worry about Suranne Jones seeing you eat Pot Noodle while sat in your pants.

It is both a satisfactory end to Doctor Foster and a hint to what’s next. Should there be another series there would need to be a good twist on the standard missing child programmes we’ve had so much of lately. If any show is capable of breathing fresh and somewhat bizarre life into old topics then it’s this one. 9/10

Doctor’s notes:

• At no stage must the two of them get back together romantically. If there is a future for Doctor Foster then there can’t be a future with them as a couple. An uneasy alliance would work though.
• Sian wasn’t a bad sort in the end though it’s always difficult to trust overly smiley people.
• James. Poor James. The glutton for punishment got dumped and should probably count his blessings
• Is Tom at Anna’s new home? Or at least in touch with Anna?
• Will Tom come back to Parminster in two years time with a wife and kid and set about on a vengeful mission to oust his mother from town? If so, does that mean Parminster is stuck in a never ending time loop of insanity? It would explain a lot.

 

 

TV Review: Line Of Duty, Series 3.5 (BBC2)

Breathing is the most natural thing on earth, so much so that we don’t know we’re doing it most of the time. Tonight’s penultimate episode was such a masterclass in tense wonder that many times I realised I was not breathing due to the sheer quality of drama on offer. Not breathing is a dangerous thing to do which is apt because pretty much everything in Line Of Duty is dangerous too.

Performance wise, everyone brought their A game here. Adrian Dunbar’s face sold a million words and his words cut all around to size. From his upset at having to suspend Arnott and the shock at the Fairbank revelations to the venom in which he accused Gill. Though flawed he may be, Ted stands above everyone else in the show as the high point of morality even if there’s not much competion in that area. Then we have Martin Comptson’s paranoia seeping into upset as Arnott sheds tears in the meeting room. Craig Parkinson plays his dodgiest cards yet as Dot holds it together by spreading idle gossip while squrming as his cover is quickly slipping. Then of course there’s Keeley Hawes once again cutting through the atmosphere with biligerence and cunning. There’s so much to admire.

In True LOD style it was the showdowns that formed the most spectactular set pieces. Arnott’s disbelief and anger at being served a ‘Regulation 15’ and hitting out at Cottan who shrugged and smirked his way out of the room was the masterful moment Steve finally clicked that Dot was a wrong ‘un. Then our recently suspended hero soon meets up with his recently freed from prison nemesis. Lindsay spits “I want justice and I don’t care how unjustly I get it”. She is using Arnott to prove her innocence and he is using her to solve his case. As ever, there’s more agendas going on than a twenty four hour long episode of Question Time. Back in the offices, Fairbank was a stuttering blind man leading himself a pack of lies during a less than fruitful interview. It was another mesmerising scene. He feigned complete ignorance and forgetfulness to the growing frustration of Fleming and Hastings but one senses his selective non memory might get a lightbulb hovering above it soon. Ted was incredulous and we couldn’t take our eyes off him during his diatribe against bent politicians and celebrities with loose morals.

Speaking of which, peadophile rings are not a new subject mater in TV dramas but never has a story cut so raw to the bone or so uncomfortably close to reality. Not only content with referencing members of parliment, there is a surprise moment where an image surfaces of Roach and Fairbank posing with Jimmy Saville. Ficton has been photoshopped in to reality to make a very brave statement, especially so considering this is a BBC programme. It is a jaw dropping moment and may prove controversial to some. If it was done simply for shock value in the name of entertainmemt then it would be questionable but this is about the wider picture and that is being sensitively handled. We’ve seen the affects of the abuse on Danny Waldron and we see it tonight as another victim throws up at just the sight of Fairbank in a photo. It’s highlighting the wheels within wheels behind those who abuse their power and the suffering of people who get dragged into its slipstream. There is also the direct comparision to the workings of AC-12 itself at play here. The villians are hiding in plain sight. The politicains and celebrities were working from inside the system just as Dot is doing and of course there’s the not very small matter that he’s the major linchpin between it all.

The closing stages ratchet up the unbearable sense of impending doom further and from the moment Dot took it on himself to follow Denton’s footsteps it felt like the grim reaper was lurking in her shadows and so it proved. No matter how much we will miss the mad adventures of Lindsay (and we really will) we must not forget that she went out a hero of sorts. In not accepting another bribe and forwarding ‘the list’ to AC-12 with her last text and testament she proved all her cynics wrong. She said she’d never go to jail again and sadly that’s beyond doubt now. We bid farewell but don’t be sad her story’s over – be happy that the mighty combination of Mercurio’s writing and Hawes’ portrayal happened. Denton will rightly become known as a classic character of our time. As for Dot, he may have swapped some registration plates over but there’s the small issue of his fingerprints all over the car. And the issue of the envelope. And the.. oh you get the idea. Surely he’s cornered himself into oblivion now? Come out with your slippery hands up.

For next week’s finale we have an extra thirty minutes because obviously our nerves aren’t shredded enough are they? We already know series four has been commissioned so its guaranteed there will be plenty of loose ends left dangling seductively for the next two years. We are all rooting for Arnott to be vindicated and for Dot to get the comeuppance that has been three series in the making but will he get away with it again? If so, surely we will have to rename the show ‘Carry On Caddy’?  Whatever is in store expect shocks by the gun barrel load.  You’ve got a week to calm you nerves and stock up on inhalers. Exhilarating, gripping and many more words ending with ing, Line Of Duty continues to astound without resorting to cheap tricks.  This is event television at its creative best. 10/10

REDACTED FILES

• Kate pulling back from Dot’s “affections” suggest she might be on to him. Is she investigating both Cottan and Arnott with much more grace than she did the firing squad?
• So all that was on the audio was “a little fumble?” Disappointing
• Maneet was back. Thank goodness. Just a stomach bug. Nothing to worry about everybody. False alarm.
• Will Dot get to the email before anyone else? Let’s hope not.
• Hopefully after being told of the Fairbank information, Hasting understands Arnott isn’t the bad guy afterall and if the Superintendent follows last week’s character profile his gaze should now turn to the real villian.
• Worst case scenario: Steve goes down for Dot’s transgressions.
• Who else thought for a fleeting moment that Dot was going to shoot himself?
• Would it be weird to hold a candlelight vigil in honour of Lindsay Denton? Asking for a friend.

 

TV Review: Thirteen, Episode 5 (BBC3)

If you go down to Cabot Circus today you’ll be sure of a big surprise and it’s not that Next have an up to 50% sale on. The scene is set for the most action packed minutes of what has been a steadily paced series. Ivy, in a bid to save Phoebe Tarl has been summoned to meet her kidnapper in this most public of places. The police are hiding in the shadows keeping a watchful eye on events, well maybe watchful isn’t the word as she gets lost in the crowds before our villain of the peace shows up in a photobooth with Phoebe on his lap. He whispers something into Ivy’s ear, presumably that he will set the girl free if she goes with him and this is where shit gets real. He removes her earpiece, puts Phoebe into a lift and takes off with Ivy. It’s an intersting juxtaposition to the CCTV footage we had at another shopping centre earlier in the series, this time Ivy is reluctant and internally fighting rather than emotionally attached to him. They flee in a van with, as chances would have it, only Elliott and Lisa is the way. Mark White puts his foot to the peddle and DC Carne puts his on the brake in the middle of the road, a one car roadblock. Our favourite incompetent officers are flipped over in the collison and White speeds free. It’s a heart skipping opening that almost feels lifted from another kind of show but it works brilliantly all the same.

In White’s new home a fascinating exchange of mind control versus maniplulation takes place. Ivy thinking on her feet, her freedom having given her some confidence convinces him she didn’t escape, that she went to look for him and the police chanced upon her. She also gets him to free her from her ropes. It’s great that White wasn’t played as typical madman or butch alpha male, he is a standard looking guy with Russell Howard’s accent but not his lazy eye. He is quietly spoken and not at all physically imposing but the threat is always bubbling under the calm exterior. The tension becomes almost unbearable as events turn darker. There’s an attempted murder, a head smashed against a wall and arson to finish things off. Not forgetting the creepy need to dress Ivy up in a granny dress. Does he have some sort of mummy issues? In a poetic shot she flees the house seconds before it explodes and the emergency services show up with the Moxam family in a moment of perfect synchronicity. A soulful version of Royal Blood’s ‘Out Of The Black’ kicks in and the emotion flows. She has burnt her bridges and left a rather scolded Mark White in the rubble.

Elliott and Lisa spend most of the episode led on thier backs – and not in a fun way. Following the accident they are hospitalised but Carne, ever the stubborn mule limps out and back into work. As usual with this programme there are severe questions that need to be asked of the police. Why didn’t they put a tracker on Ivy just in case? White didn’t check for one and how on Earth did their target elude them when they supposedly had the building surrounded? Quite frankly all the police on this case need to be put on gardening leave with immediate effect. These can be overlooked because it is a drama and if everybody did their jobs properly there’d be no fun in that. Elliott did finally come good when he noticed that what looked like a badly drawn  picture of a ladder was actually a local landmark tower, resulting in the discovery of Mark’s whereabouts. Not that it mattered in the end as he was already charcoal by then.

The real downfall of this series finale is the avalanche of unanswered questions it leaves in its wake. Never should a TV show give you everything on a plate but keeping a lot of the ingredients locked in the cupboard after all the intricate build up is a travesty. While it’s true the story we’ve been told until now has been removed from Ivy’s perspective, there is a slight flip reverse as soon as she enters White’s home. For the first time we see their relationship from her viewpoint and what follows is a wasted opportunity to provide answers. We do learn two things: That Ivy was pregnant but lost the baby and that for the last year of her captivity White allowed her more freedom, even creating a “homely” bedroom for her. However too many pieces of the puzzle are lost – what happened for the first twelve years? There is no backstory at all. Why did he choose Ivy? What was all that stuff about him working at the school for? Why the pseudonyms Alison and Leonard? Most importantly, there is no hint of any motive. Writer Marnie Dickens has stated that putting the villain to the foreground takes away from the victim’s story. Surely even some hint of answers in the finale would not be putting him centre. Ivy’s story feels somewhat diminished by the lack of any hard facts. Even now we don’t really know what she went through or why and this lack of information is what takes away from her tale. Nothing else.

And so to the supporting characters, who added to a web of intrigue finely spun, only to be sucked into the hoover of script confusion (there is no such thing as a hoover of script confusion).

• Mr Headmaster man’s relevance faded more and more each week. So much so that he didn’t even turn up here.  Did it matter that White worked at his school in the end? Nope. He was a bit part player in the reunion of Christina and Angus at most.
• Tim. Oh, Timmy Tim Tim. He had so much to say to Ivy and ended up saying nothing. Which is a fitting statement for the minor cast in general. Did he realise he wasn’t in love with Ivy? Who knows? Do we care? Still, he and Yazz are all good again so you could say the only way is up from here. Yes, second week in a row for that joke and not even sorry.
• All Craig’s hints of control issues just came to nothing as he briefly showed up to reunite with Emma and all was forgotten Literally.
• Eliose proved perfunctory TO EVERYTHING.
• At least Elliott and Lisa look set to be together, once she’s forgiven him for nearly putting her in a coma and/or nearly giving her brain damage. It’s difficulties like these all strong relationships need to get through.

Harsh maybe, but it’s also a compliment that the build up was so finely worked that it in terms of arc it fell at the final hurdle. That should not take away from an exceptional portrayal by Jodie Comer throughout and she was backed by a strong cast too. Thirteen has proved intriguing , suspenseful, thrilling and a little bit frustrating in the same way someone you care about has annoying quirks but you forgive them all the same.  As a series conclusion it is deeply unsatisfying but as an hour of television this was drama played with maximum tension and plenty of class. 8/10