If Daniel Radcliffe’s face had not been emblazoned throughout the playhouse, I wouldn’t have recognized him as the eponymous handicap in The Cripple of Inishmaan; his performance was a clear step from out from under the overhanging shadow of Harry Potter.
Like a Kryptonian prison ship on the horizon, you can spot a Hans Zimmer track a mile off. Or rather, hear it a mile off.
Judging by the enthusiastic tweets and reviews, the nation has taken The Returned to its heart in a way we Brits tend not to usually do when it comes to things en Français.
After a slow-paced first half, Skins Pure continues to dawdle into its concluding hour. It becomes apparent it has no intention of picking up the pace and this might be the whole point.
Cassie’s neutral, cynical persona ensures that the same numbing melancholia of Part 1 transfers over into this second part. However, the beauty in the isolation remains just as effective, particularly the shots of windswept Welsh beaches and the derelict beach house.
There’s no escape this week. None whatsoever. And if you’ve followed The Returned this far, chances are you’re stuck too, just like us – unable to leave this show until you get to the bottom of what’s going on. Well, get comfy friends, because if writer Fabrice Gobert gets his wish we’re probably going to be here a couple of years yet.
Although this episode ostensibly concerns the hunt for Twitter-savvy, scumbag-executing vigilante Callum Marwood, it’s also about the enduring bond between DCI Luther (Idris Elba) and DS Ripley (Warren Brown).
Skins fans who are expecting a Cassie episode of daydreaming, drugs and quirkiness could spend the entire hour waiting for a “wow!” or to hear some reference of Sid, but neither transpire. 2013’s Cassie is something of a surprise, and the drastic development of the character will certainly divide fans.
Fans of French drama will be aware that there’s not been a great deal of sex in The Returned – far less than in your usual Gallic goings on – but that’s changed this week.
‘The Festival of Death’ is a highly ambitious tale for the Fourth Doctor and represents Tom Baker’s take on the Time Lord for BBC Books’ 50th Anniversary Collection.
Defiance’s feature-length opening episode starts promisingly. It looks great. The money is on screen and put to good storytelling use. The CG from here-on in is variable in quality though.