I've just seen my first -- and the first -- episode of George Gently, titled "Gently Go Man." The series takes place in the '60s. Inspector George Gently is devastated by the death of his wife Isabella, whom he met in Italy during the war. He thinks about retiring, but when a hit and run driver also kills a member of a biker gang, George goes back to work. He has heard that a man, whom he believes killed his wife, is in the area.
Gently is teamed up with an ambitious young man, John Bacchus. Bacchus is the chief constable's son-in-law, very rough around the edges, and quite aggressive. Gently is determined to get rid of corrupt police officers, and he believes that the local inspector, Setters, is corrupt and involved in the murder of an informant.
Working out this crime won't be easy. There is a gay subplot, a revenge motive, secrets, and lies.
On the surface, there's nothing new here -- an older, world-weary, intelligent officer paired with a younger, angrier one. This show is interesting because of the changes in British law since the '60s, demonstrated by the series. England had the death penalty, homosexuality was illegal, and there were no modern companions to crime-solving like DNA and computers. There were also no cell phones.
I'm on the fence and will have to see more episodes before I decide to continue with this series. Martin Shaw and Lee Ingleby are both excellent, but there's something off-putting about both of them.
I have to say, given today's sensibility, the passionate reactions against homosexuality were very strong. The best was when someone assumed that Bacchus was gay and he yells, "I'm not like that. I'm married!" And it's quite a show where a waiter is an acting standout.
I'm going to try it again. It was a solid story with excellent performances. So many of these British crime shows have such an aura of pervasive sadness in the plot and/or in the characters. I think of American shows like The Closer and NCIS -- somehow they're less gritty.