This is one the most compelling crime shows I have seen in
long time. This is a pretty realistic show that has two parallel plot lines of
good and evil.
On the good side is Stella Gibson a senior investigating officer
tasked to investigate a murder, she's an incredibly capable officer, on the
other hand she’s a pretty cold character, lives alone and sleeps with her
colleagues without the care if they’re married or not.
On the bad side is Paul
Spector a serial killer targeting young professional brunette women and poses
their bodies sexily, on the flip side he's a devoted family man with a wife
and two children and works as a grievance councillor.
The way these two
characters contrast each other is perfect, the differences stand out but it’s their
similarities you feel; they are hunters and they are obsessive. They are rarely onscreen together which doesn’t matter because their obsession to learn
about each other is fascinating that when they are finally onscreen together it
feels well earned. Gibson and Spector are like the real-life version of the
yin-yang, the black and white circle that represents two sides of a whole with
a dot on each side that represent that each side has a little of each other in
them.
The theme is established in the first bits of dialogue comes
from one Paul’s victims where she talks about the differences between needs and
desires. Like food, water and air is what we need but love, recognition and
praise is what we desire. When she’s asked if sex is a need or a desire, she
says “Well, both if you’re doing right”. The show essentially explores the main
characters desires that they don’t distinguish it from needs, especially their
personal sexual desires; Stella desires to sleep with her colleagues and seeing a case to the end and Paul killing the women with
the ritual he applies is his sexual desire.
Gillian Anderson is excellent as Stella, very convincing as a
high-powered London detective, it’s very easy to forget that she’s actually
American. Since her character is usually stone-faced and cold, the role
requires her to give a subdued performance yet she has a lot of expression in
her eyes. Jamie Dornan is fantastic as Paul, very subtle and unpredictable that
a lot times makes the audience feel very unease watching him. For those who
watched those dreadful 50 Shades films and think he’s a bad actor need to watch
to this to see what real talent he is. Other stand-out cast and characters
include John Lynch as Stella’s self destructive superior Jim, Bronagh Waugh as
Paul’s unsuspecting wife Sally, Aisling Franciosi as Katie a teenage girl
obsessed with Paul, Colin Morgan as Tom a young detective whom sleeps with
Stella, Archie Panjabi as pathologist Tanya, Valene Kane as Rose an
ex-girlfriend of Paul, Niamh McGrady as Danielle a devoted PC and more.
The show is slow paced but is mesmorising and disturbing,
which relies more on atmosphere and psychology than violence or gore. The
violence is there and at times is very difficult to watch, it’s the build up to
it though that keeps you on edge. Scenes where characters are looking around a
room or looking at the computer for example all take time but keep with you
invested with a haunting musical score.
Unlike a lot of TV series’ where each season typically has a
different story arc, this however has the one arc that flows from beginning to
end making all three seasons feel like one long season. The ending to the series
does wrap up story, however doesn’t end in a particularly satisfying way, which
is fitting though for the tone of the show. There may be some things that were
left unresolved but as one of the closing lines say, “That’s Disney, this is
the real story”.
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