I found moments of it a bit dull but overall think it has potential and I will return for the next episode. It looks as though the relationship between Ben Whishaw's and Dominic West's character will be interesting. I like the sub-story of the investigation into the murdered academic's demise.
I'm a fountain of bloodshare
In the shape of a girl
I really enjoyed it even though I don't usually go for this style of drama. I think it's quite subtley played and the intrigue is slow-building but very well paced. I can see why it might seem slow to start with and there were some parts I thought slightly over-written (they really hammered home that she's in a man's world - how many scenes did they need to make that point in a one hour drama!?)
Anyway, other than that, I especially thought the lead actors kept me interested so I'll certainly watch the next one. It reminds me of a good old fashioned Hitchcock story but not quite as dark. Elements of Fleming as well and even David Lynch. Some sequences are just plain surreal (the wife of the anchorman for The Hour and the way she was saying how handsome he looked and rubbed his back - that was strange).
Compared to the Jeanette Winterton thing that was on the other night (Night Watch), this is miles better.
It reminds me of a good old fashioned Hitchcock story but not quite as dark. Elements of Fleming as well and even David Lynch.I'm intrigued especially by the Lynch - care to say more?
I'm a fountain of bloodshare
In the shape of a girl
Didn't mind Night Watch, just felt it needn't have squashed such an epic story into such a short timeframe. Also, my hubby kept interrupting my viewing of it which didn't help.
As for Lynch, I think it's the era more than anything and the quite distinctive looking actors in the lead roles. They are sort of weirdly beautiful people. In Blue Velvet, the lead actors (Laura Dern and Kyle Maclachlan) are always in such wonderfully lit scenes, it's almost as though love/good shines all the way through them and I felt exactly the same with the male/female leads in this. Good people are light/innocent looking - almost childlike. I love the way they tell each other how what they really admire about each other, with no self-consciousness.
It's a very modern film-noire so I am looking forward to the next episode.
I love the way they tell each other how what they really admire about each other, with no self-consciousness.I know! That's so true. Thanks for saying more. Yes it does feel, with the story about the murdered academic, noir-ish.
I'm a fountain of bloodshare
In the shape of a girl
Just to clarify - you mean Jeanette Winterson not Winterton and The Night Watch was actually written by Sarah Waters :-)
shareI felt it was compelling pretty much all the way through and I'll tune in next week.
'Better that we die on our feet than live on our knees'-Magneto
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Not bad - Romola looks gorgeous. That's the main reason for watching it.Well doesn't she always?? Her and Wishaw are in a different class and it's nice to see them paired.
I can see this being more of a cult series than a mainstream one - it was a slow starter, and I think a few people might get put off by it. I was kept interested though, and I personally love the atmosphere, being a retro and jazz aficionado. I think it will definitely get more thrilling and the first episode was promising
Let's go inconspicuously...through the window.
I think it was gripping, very well acted and beautiful to look at, so I'm definitely going to watch the series. I don't mind that there is a thriller element to this story, it certainly works; it should be compared to State of Play, not bloody Mad Men.
There were too many moments, however, where the audience were being told "THIS is sexist, THIS is what the 50s were like, aren't we so much better today?".Aside from those drops into earnestness, the writing was good, and really heightened by the cast.
Though I have to say, I do want to sit Freddie down and shout at him. Thankfully, Morgan has made him very earnest without forcing the audience to like him, well at least, I don't. I'm far too much of an establishment stooge to empathise with such a tearaway.
For a UK series set in the 1950s, it was rather colourful although I did find it rather stodgy in places.
Its that man again!!
Though I have to say, I do want to sit Freddie down and shout at him. Thankfully, Morgan has made him very earnest without forcing the audience to like him, well at least, I don't. I'm far too much of an establishment stooge to empathise with such a tearaway.I'm a bit of an establishment stooge too but my heart is a tearaway, so he appeals to me! I can't work out his relationship with Romola's character (forgot her name immediately) but the rivalry between the two male leads looks like it will be entertaining.
I'm a fountain of bloodshare
In the shape of a girl
Rom's character is called Bel Rowley. Freddie is hopelessly in love with her, seems like he has been since they both started working together, from the days of 'the manifesto'. He said something along the lines of him only ever loving her when they were leaving their dark, dank office. But, he's too much of a drip for her, unlike West's character, who certainly isn't a drip, despite being an arse.
He may turn out to be a bit less of an arse than advertised. He played the introduction to Bel rather well.
shareStuff her! As it were; what about Anna Chancellor?
Mind you I missed it due to a surfeit of Point Blank and Funeral in Berlin.
Marlon, Claudia and Dimby the cats 1989-2005, 2007 and 2010.
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Very slow to get going, which seems to be quite fashionable at the moment... I really wonder how many people gave up after 20 minutes, as I was tempted to do... None of the characters is fully engaging my interest just yet... And, at the moment, the conspiracy theory story and the story of setting up a new news programme don't seem to sit entirely comfortably together... Having said all that, it finally started to interest me in the last 20 minutes or so and I'll certainly be giving episode two a watch... It looks wonderful - the '50s really are rather neglected, sandwiched as they were between WW2 and the supposedly more exciting '60s - and the acting is fab.
shareThat's a good review post badgerking and expresses well some of the things I was struggling with when I made my first post. Yes the last part started to interest me enough to want to return next week and I enjoyed seeing in the preview for next week Whishaw's character baiting West's. I do hope this works as a series.
I'm a fountain of bloodshare
In the shape of a girl
I thought it was well acted (Ben whishaw & Romola Garai had really good chemistry) but it didn't blow me away. I don't think the direction was as snappy as it should have. I will keep watching though.
Poor.
Marlon, Claudia and Dimby the cats 1989-2005, 2007 and 2010.
I wanted to like this. I still do and if I watch episode 2 it will be for that reason and to give it a fair chance, certainly not because episode 1 was much good.
Sometimes when a Briton plays an American, or vice versa, he or she concentrates so hard on getting the accent right that the acting falls by the wayside. Similarly here, so much effort went in to trying to get a 50s BBC atmosphere - the committed communist, the lounge lizard, the old school tie connections, everyone smoking - that nothing was left over for really quite important things like an interesting plot or establishing engaging characters.
Like I wrote, poor. I'll give it another chance too (because Anna Chancellor's in it).
Marlon, Claudia and Dimby the cats 1989-2005, 2007 and 2010.
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