I admired and appreciated this memorable series more than I enjoyed it. The power and control of the lead male detective Dan Hegarty and his veteran cohorts - all (not coincidentally) older white males - to bend the law, exert their biases, intimidate colleagues and shape events and outcomes to their liking was chilling.
Veteran DCI Hegarty (a frightening Peter Capaldi) and younger colleague June Lenker (the phenomenal Cush Jumbo) clash over her questioning of an old murder conviction Hegarty and cohorts obtained against Errol Mathis, a black man.
The main plot plays against a myriad of personal and family problems afflicting all characters. Some scenes are stressful to watch, and Capaldi's character by the third episode made my stomach tighten with every appearance.
The script is unflinching, the acting is first-rate and the bigger-picture story of unequal justice is memorably driven home. But if it's escapist entertainment you seek, look elsewhere.
Veteran DCI Hegarty (a frightening Peter Capaldi) and younger colleague June Lenker (the phenomenal Cush Jumbo) clash over her questioning of an old murder conviction Hegarty and cohorts obtained against Errol Mathis, a black man.
The main plot plays against a myriad of personal and family problems afflicting all characters. Some scenes are stressful to watch, and Capaldi's character by the third episode made my stomach tighten with every appearance.
The script is unflinching, the acting is first-rate and the bigger-picture story of unequal justice is memorably driven home. But if it's escapist entertainment you seek, look elsewhere.