User Reviews

At a Turkish baths a young man is killed, arrested is a former Soldier Scott Tanner, initially it was thought the two men were having a sexual encounter, but there's a lot more to it.

The story is brilliant, I love the ideas, I've recently watched something where LSD was used as a medical tool, as opposed to a recreational drug. It's a fascinating concept, and here we're at the height of the cold war. It deals with some very bleak themes, I wonder if such things did happen, a thrilling ending.

William Ash is brilliant as the accused's brother, he always seems to pop up as an Officer. Jemma Redgrave is terrific, Daniel Lapaine didn't get enough screen time.

Rachel is excellent as the WPC, she does a good job dealing with the constant put downs from her supposed colleague. Bacchus is at his most loathsome and annoying here, at times you hope a criminal gives him a right hook, Ingleby does a terrific job. 9/10

I've always liked the George Gently series but the earlier episodes laid on the moralist message a bit thick. I had no problem with the theme and the moral but it often felt very preachy. Moreover, the message sometimes seemed to be more important than the mystery, to the detriment of the plot.

With the latest Gently episodes, however, the moralising is less preachy. Here we have homophobia and the poor treatment of gay people and rather than having speeches about it, we have a plot that gently shows the stupidity of bigotry.

The mystery is very good too.

As a huge fan of detective/crime/mystery series, there is the admission that it took me a while to start watching 'Inspector George Gently', worrying as to whether it would appeal to me for "can't put my finger on it" reasons other than being young at the time and not being as knowledgeable of the period. Getting into the show eight years ago and continuing to watch it without fail, it turned out to be simply wonderful and actually became a favourite.

After a very solid, if still settling, start in "Gently Go Man", it felt like 'Inspector George Gently' started to hit its stride with "The Burning Man" and that continued with "Bomber's Moon". The show hit a high point with "Gently with the Innocents" and the high point standards applies here again in "Gently with Honour". There is a lot here that is particularly good about 'Inspector George Gently' and it shows that it is not at all hard to see why the show appeals to many.

"Gently with Honour" shows 'Inspector George Gently' still delivering on a consistent level, no bad episodes up to this point. It is indicative that the show has found its feet and hit its stride. It doesn't quite have the emotional impact of other episodes that tackled daring themes, yet there is the tension and tautness that the previous episode "Blue for Bluebird" didn't quite have.

However, "Gently with Honour", like the rest of the show, looks great, often beautiful. It is strikingly filmed and the scenery and period detail are atmospheric, handsome and evocative, a lot of work and care went into re-creating the period and it definitely shows loud and clear. The music is stirring and haunting, dynamic with what's going on and never intrusive.

The writing has a lot of thought-provoking intelligence and balances subtle humour and drama very well and executing both individually just as well. The direction is alert and accommodating and the story is easy to follow and absorbing with a good deal of suspense. "Gently with Honour", and 'Inspector Gently' in general, is very interesting for how British law was like in the 60s and how much it's changed and come on compared to now.

Love the chemistry between Gently and Bacchus, one of the most interesting and well-contrasted detective/crime/mystery drama pairings (perhaps the most interesting since Morse and Lewis). The two couldn't have more different personalities and how they gel and clash entertains and intrigues. Both are fascinating characters, and became even more fascinating as the show progressed.

Can't fault the acting, the continually brilliant performances from Martin Shaw and Lee Ingleby here and throughout the show are career highs for both actors. All the support is good.

Overall, brilliant. 10/10 Bethany Cox