rashbre central: watching the detectives non procedurally, with a king in yellow

Sunday 2 March 2014

watching the detectives non procedurally, with a king in yellow


I've been watching Line of Duty on catch-up.

I'm not sure if its because I've been away from home, but it's a Wednesday evening "don't miss" type of programme, whilst tucked in my temporary room. Good enough that I watched it again when I got back home this weekend.

I already know I'll miss the next episode because of a business dinner somewhere. It's like the old days of television where you have to be there at the right time. I guess I'll find it on iPlayer afterwards if I'm still away.

The underlying plot involves a deadly witness protection car ambush with Detective Lindsay Denton in charge of the convoy and now the chief suspect.

There's conspiracies, twists and a bit of potential corruption, with other important players not surviving into the second reel.

No need for subtitles from Nordic. Some would call it a police procedural, but I'll call it a proper drama.

I've also just watched the cinematic first episode of the Matthew McConaughey/Woody Harrelson True Detective series set in a moodily drawn Louisiana. It started deceptively grounded in procedure - a murder, ritual, scenes at the morgue but simmering underneath is a kind of Lovecraftian/Edgar Allen Poe mysticism. There's various bumps and screams under the surface which I assume will reveal over the coming weeks.

McConaughey's character frequently trips off on little speeches about existence, “This place is like someone’s memory of a town and that memory’s faded,” he says. “Stop saying stuff like that,” comes Harrelson's more grounded retort. I'm guessing the rather skewed camera angle on the scene above isn't an accident. Look how everything else in the scene is so well arranged.

There's also various occult artefacts. A kind of devil's trap made of twigs. I remember seeing some of these eerily hanging in a wood in Canada once. More work to make than a circle of salt or a pentagram? And possibly a mandrake wrapped in the centre of the trap? Don't they scream and try to kill whoever pulls them from the ground?

I'm expecting this show to go weirder and already have the second episode ready to watch when I get a moment.

3 comments:

OldLady Of The Hills said...

Not familiar with the first one you mentioned--i don't think it's come across the pond yet....BUT, I have been watching TRUE DETECTIVE and we have two more episodes to go--including tonight.(I think)
A fascinating series, and I think both actors are WONDERFUL! In fact, everyone in it is wonderful.
We'll talk after it's over for---both of us....lol!

Pat said...

I'm gripped by 'Line of Duty' and full of admiration for the unglammed heroine.
I'm watching an episode nightly on my computer of 'The Wire' and learning the odd phrase like 'Most Def' and ' Adjourn your asses' - so useful for closing a meeting.

rashbre said...

Naomi Great idea, when we've finally caught up with you at the end of the first series!

Pat I keep meaning to start 'The Wire' which I've somehow missed completely when it was originally screened. I see you are getting into the street talk too!