Vera Series 8 - Home - Review

 My review of the previous episode: Black Ice. 

Elliot discovers his mum's body in the backyard. There'd been trouble the night before. A panning shot showed a series of domestic scenes glimpsed through windows, the final one of Elliot's mother and sister screaming at each other, before the sister, Molly, storms out.

Endeavour Series 5 U.K. Air Date Revealed + First Look

We've finally gotten confirmation of when the fifth series of Endeavour will air in the U.K.

Inspector George Gently - Series 8 - Gently and the New Age

My review of the previous episode: Gently Liberated.

[Spoilers ahead]

As a mystery, Inspector George Gently is hard to assign a genre. It's more violent than cozies like Foyle's War, but hasn't abandoned its whodunnit roots for the high-octane pulp of Luther. Its violence is anchored by the moral code of its protagonist. Noir? Gritty mystery? In any case, both its morality and its darkness come together for one last showdown in Gently and the New Age.  

It's a nice thing to see a show go out on top. Many drag it out, watering down the substance till they've become a self-parody. Inspector George Gently doesn't do that, giving us a final episode true to the integrity of the series and the character, though probably not the story we expected. It might not be the best episode the show has ever produced, but it's a strong ending and that's quite an achievement for a show that's been running for over a decade.

Vera Series 8 - Black Ice - Episode Review

My review of the previous episode: Blood and Bone.

Faye Wakeland is driving along when another car slams into her back bumper, forcing her off the road. She's found the next day by some passing equestrians, clinging to life. Her unborn child died.

Vera Series 8 - Blood and Bone - Episode Review

My review of the previous season finale: The Blanket Mire.

Vera series 8 starts off with a rather lukewarm installment, at least compared to the shot across the bow that was the premiere to series 6. Oh wait, this is series 8? I remember nothing about the entire last season. This isn't starting well.

In an opening that had me sneak-googling the word abattoir, a body is discovered in the furnace of a slaughterhouse. A fortunate power outage meant that the body - a gruesome sight - was found before it had disintegrated completely. It's soon identified as D.C. Harry Fenton, a local copper on the verge of retirement.

Inspector George Gently - Series 8 - Gently Liberated

My review of the previous episode, Son of a Gun.

I haven't watched any George Gently in a long time. As reentry episodes go, this is a good one, if just because it has everything that has defined the show for the last ten years. There's George - stolid, reliable, a lion for justice. Bacchus - smarmy, unreliable, a jackal who wants to be a lion. There's corruption in high places and '60s fashion and mistreatment of minorities. We've seen all of this before, but the knowledge that this is the show's final season gives it an edge that lifts it above a somewhat basic plot.

Upcoming Detective Shows in 2018 - Vera, Endeavour, Luther...

Coming soon (Vera, Endeavour):

It's been a while, but I've finally found the time to write up another of these updates. I've managed to miss a few series (Brokenwood 4 has come and gone, and Father Brown 6 is airing now), so the list is a bit more spare than usual, but here goes.

Doctor Who - Twice Upon a Time - A Mess of Sentiment and Self-Indulgence

[SPOILERS]

My review of the previous episode: The Doctor Falls.

I feel like if you looked up the definition of placeholder in the dictionary, this episode would be right there.

That's not entirely anyone's fault. Steven Moffat always intended Peter Capaldi to regenerate at the end of series 10, but when incoming showrunner Chris Chibnall refused to start off on a Christmas episode, it was left to Moffat to come up with some reason for Peter Capaldi to stick around for an episode.

As it is, he pulls a few good moments together and coats the rest in sentimentality and a boatload of nostalgia. That's always an enjoyable experience, I guess, if you shut your brain off. If there's anything clear at the end, it's that Doctor Who is desperately in need of new ideas, and Steven Moffat is out of gas.