As we hit the halfway point of the series, The Smoke has explored its characters, but left more than enough room to grow. Focus on undeveloped characters and a subtle awareness of continuing plot threads provides some fantastic drama in this fourth episode, albeit one arguably littered with a little too much unnecessary humour. Technically, … >
Be careful what you wish for. Ever since the first episode of Inside No. 9, the latest comedy series from one half of The League Of Gentlemen, there has been an unholy chorus of voices demanding a return to the darker, more gothic tones that were scattered across Royston Vasey. You know, the early, scary … >
Last year 3D TVs were all the rage. This year it’s concave 4K OLEDs. Next year your TV will probably be so advanced it’ll be too busy cooking your dinner for you to watch it. But still TV manufacturers are behind the times, because they haven’t yet managed to construct a set that can fully … >
This week’s Silk episode dealt with the highly sensitive subject of assisted suicide. A mother was accused of murdering her severely disabled daughter in a case that pitted friends/lovers Martha and Clive against each other. Despite the tragic case, there was the sense that this was more about Martha and Clive’s rivalry than anything else. … >
Having Harry omitted from last week’s events meant that the episode he returned in was always going to be fraught with tension. It stands to reason that he is the primary focus of tonight’s episode. However, in doing so, many other worthy storylines are left virtually untouched, perhaps only referenced in passing comment. Given that … >
‘That doesn’t make sense, even for the Musketeers.’ Like your friendships, it’s best not to examine Musketeers‘ plots too closely. The fun to be had is more character based, or possibly historical if you’re intrigued by the period setting. This week, it was fairly obvious – even to your tired and inebriated reviewer – that … >
Jonathan Creek used to be an outsider. An enigma wrapped in a duffel coat wrapped in a windmill. Everything about him was an act of non-conformation against the sweaty ‘90s urgency to be cool, and that in itself was cool. But on screen it was always the world around Creek that was painted as even … >
Having drawn us in with both the characters and drama of the show, The Smoke’s third episode feels a lot more confident. This week’s instalment manages to weave more of the characters into the episode and, through a clever narrative structure, pushes their stories forward in a really interesting way. The episode features the characters … >
It can be a risky business, actors making up plays about actors. There’s every chance of so-called “civilians” being left cold by all the in-jokes and references to uniquely theatrical devices in the pursuit of a self-pleasuring gag. Thankfully, that doesn’t happen in tonight’s episode, although it could have been a very close call: this … >
Lately, among newspaper columnists and keyboard jockeys in the Fourth Estate gallop, there’s a tendency to shoehorn in a mention of a popular show that they’re also totes into too, honest, in an attempt to let you know they’re relevant. Popular namedrops include True Detective, Borgen, House of Cards and, yes, they’re good shows. But … >