Accents

As you're an "active birdwatcher and friend of the Chesapeake Bay." maybe I can safely assume you're American. So your lack of understanding of Scottish accents is ... understandable. Don't worry. I'm sure there are many Brits from other parts of the UK who don't understand them either. :-)

That's why I use closed captioning and then google unfamiliar words or phrases.

Along those lines, what does SARC stand for. Is it a police or Scottish acronym?

Just be thankful they didn't use a real Glasgow accent for the likes of McCall and others in Glasgow - you really would be having a problem. In fact, the accents in the far north of Scotland (including the Shetlands) are actually less pronounced than Glasgow or Aberdeen, for example.

Hardly any of the characters actually sound lkke they are from Shetland. They could have at least hired a decent dialect coach.

--
It's not "Sci-Fi", it's "SF"!

"Calvinism is a very liberal religious ethos." - Truekiwijoker

I agree with you. Butafter I turned on the "close caption" on my TV, I enjoyed the series more.

Any American (or other nationalities) watching programmes based in regional UK areas must realise that we in the UK sometimes have similar difficulties watching American etc programmes. I borrowed an audiobook from the library the other day. The story was based in the American Deep South, from where the narrator was also based. I couldn't understand a word of what he was saying, and had to return it.

Irish accents are similarly dififficult and different, as this short video illustrates:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee_N3g4ORLk

For Americans watching it, Belfast is the capital of Northern Ireland, not Dublin.