The best thing on TV since Broadchurch, and it may even have the edge. Sarah Lancashire's performance is the glue that holds the whole story together, but every character is painted in broad strokes without a cliché among them.
Everyone is flawed and for that reason human. Brilliant writing and acting brings them to life. Sgt Catherine Cawood is a character for our time, struggling to fight off the kind of crime that becomes rife when times are bad. Criminals don't pay tax and don't use banks so even though crime is not supposed to pay, with cuts in the police service, it does.
*spoiler alert* Catherine is fighting her own demons, guilt over her daughter's suicide and an ill-advised affair with her ex is preying on her mind. Episode 5 was a touch of genius, showing how this strong woman could be destroyed not just by a violent attack but by the sheer feeling of futility in its aftermath.
By the end of the episode she is finding her way back and I for one can't wait for the final episode. For anyone who says there is no good writing for female actors, then this is the series that will change your mind.
The men are great too, btw. James Norton as the sociopath Tommy Lee Royce could have played him completely black and white, but there is a huge amount of grey in him. The small scenes where he skips along the wall of his mum's house harks at a childhood missed and attempts to recapture it. And he also says a lot with facial expressions, just as Lancashire can say more with a loaded glance than a whole monologue.
Brilliant piece of TV. Can you tell I like it? Catch it if you can, but try to get the whole series on iPlayer. It is a real builder of suspense and worth the time investment.
Everyone is flawed and for that reason human. Brilliant writing and acting brings them to life. Sgt Catherine Cawood is a character for our time, struggling to fight off the kind of crime that becomes rife when times are bad. Criminals don't pay tax and don't use banks so even though crime is not supposed to pay, with cuts in the police service, it does.
*spoiler alert* Catherine is fighting her own demons, guilt over her daughter's suicide and an ill-advised affair with her ex is preying on her mind. Episode 5 was a touch of genius, showing how this strong woman could be destroyed not just by a violent attack but by the sheer feeling of futility in its aftermath.
By the end of the episode she is finding her way back and I for one can't wait for the final episode. For anyone who says there is no good writing for female actors, then this is the series that will change your mind.
The men are great too, btw. James Norton as the sociopath Tommy Lee Royce could have played him completely black and white, but there is a huge amount of grey in him. The small scenes where he skips along the wall of his mum's house harks at a childhood missed and attempts to recapture it. And he also says a lot with facial expressions, just as Lancashire can say more with a loaded glance than a whole monologue.
Brilliant piece of TV. Can you tell I like it? Catch it if you can, but try to get the whole series on iPlayer. It is a real builder of suspense and worth the time investment.