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Silent Witness: History - Part Six (2022)
A Wasted Opportunity
If Silent Witness continues, it needs to either reinvent itself entirely with a new group of writers able to write complex storylines or to return to its corpse-of-the-week two-parters, which is its greatest strength. No more longer ongoing storylines, they're just not good at this. (I repeat - whatever happened to Nikki's American boyfriend?)
Anyway, more to the point: this would have worked much better as a two-part story, by removing all the unnecessary subplots or the slow, unnecessary scenes filling up time. It feels as if they were offered a six-episode story, then realised they didn't know what to do with the format. A wasted opportunity.
Other shows have excelled with this format. For Torchwood, after some pretty average seasons, they produced the brilliant six-parter Children of Earth. Even the most recent mediocre Doctor Who got much better with the six-parter Flux.
I mention sci-fi series here because one of the curious things about this season is how it almost ventured into science fiction (DNA manipulation/fabrication?). But Doctor Who is also a good example on how to do an anniversary: a story that is larger than life, with many classic characters returning to contribute to the plot. In the case of SW, that could have been an unusually complex case that requires the help of Sam Ryan, Clarissa, Tom, etc. Or a copycat killer reproducing crimes previously dealt with at the Lyell, having some kind of obsession with the institute's history. Or something like that.
None of this materialised here. We got a typical SW story (and we've seen more gripping ones) stretched across six episodes, slowed down, interspersed with other cases and subplots that just didn't fit together. Plus, it seems like Simone is leaving the show as well, after only a few cases, right after the previous guy (name?), who left after two stories?
I don't know, it was nice seeing the characters back onscreen again, but they need to either revert to traditional, conservative SW storytelling or really work harder when trying new formats.
Silent Witness: History - Part Five (2022)
Underwhelming
This was a better episode than the last two, in the sense that it returned to the main storyline but, overall, the story is just not gripping enough. We've watched many more exciting two-parters over the last 25 years. And, in general, this season just doesn't have any '25-year-old-anniversary-special' feel to it in the least.
I would have expected a long, complex storyline that for some reason involves either revisiting old cases or the brief return of classic characters. But none of that. Instead, we have a story that, so far, seems as if it could have been much more concise in a two-parter. Which shows, as I've written before, the inability of the writers to work effectively on long-term storylines (e.g. Main characters' backstories are often weak or inconsistent). Here, we have scenes that look like fillers-in or new subplots in episodes that put the main storyline in the background. Killing time, really.
It's quite disappointing that Sam Ryan has turned out to be, not someone who would work with The Lyell to solve an unusually challenging case, but just another suspect, like the ones the main characters are dealing with in every case. Her screen time has been regretfully little.
One more episode left of this, and I hold no high hopes, despite my best wishes for the contrary.
Silent Witness: History - Part Four (2022)
Hoping for something better
Having binge-watched Silent Witness a couple of months ago, I found the strongest part of the show are the individual, corpse-of-the-week, stories. SW was always weak in long-term backstories. So I was quite intrigued when I found out this season would one story running across six episodes.
It's unfortunate to see I was not proven wrong. The season started really well, but already by episode 3, they start introducing other subplots (as that week's main plot) and the main storyline is moved to the background. So, when you had two episodes for the main story in previous seasons, the last two episodes you have only one episode, plus the main storyline progresses slower than usual.
Amanda Burton was amazing the first episode or two but by now she's been moved back to the background, with only a couple of scenes per episode. I would have liked to have seen more of the Nikki/Sam dynamic introduced in episode 1, but so far this has not materialised enough.
The Nikki/Jack story is cringeworthy, they couldn't have come up with a more predictable, generic plot there, even if it's not clear why they've been so hesitant taking this forward, seeing as they're not early teenagers (whatever happened to Nikki's American boyfriend? He somehow disappeared just like that - what I mean re the weak backstories in SW).
I'll keep watching and hope it takes off in the last two episodes. Make the most of Amanda Burton please!
Prime Suspect: The Last Witness (2003)
Eight Years Later
Doing a Prime Suspect marathon and you can tell how production values have been raised in this later instalment. It is typical Prime Suspect material, very well done - there are some twists and turns but it seems to be the premise of the show that they reveal who the culprits are fairly early on and the plot is all about finding ways to prove it in order to arrest and convict. Mirren is, as always, excellent and this was a thoroughly enjoyable watch.
I do shrug when they make the story international and include trips abroad to make the story feel more epic. They've done it quite a few times in Silent Witness (most episodes were average) and they did it at the second season of the Danish The Killing. Here it seems to have been handled quite well though. Travelling to Bosnia makes you wonder how they justify their expenses...
There are some clumsy moments - the hospital scene at the end of the first part was silly, all those police officers trying to find the cleaner when they could have used CCTV camera? As they did in the beginning of the second part? I wish we'd also see the repercussions on Tennison for her disregard of very senior government officials.....
Prime Suspect 5: Errors of Judgement: Part 2 (1996)
Back on Form
I had been a bit disappointed by the previous season of Prime Suspect as I wasn't that keen on the new format they adopted - three long (yet shorter) episodes, a different story each. I had been used to those mammoth two-parters that were lasting for ever but allowed for a really immersive experience in the story of each season and those of season 4 felt underdeveloped in comparison. (The third one was better but that was because they returned to the original story of season 1 and expanded it in interesting ways).
So I was glad to see here a return to the previous format and a return to form. This is Prime Suspect at its best, very similar to the first season in a sense, as we know who the culprit is from early on and it's only a matter of trying to find evidence to convict them. Again in typical PS fashion, the unravelling of the main plot is acompanied by an engagement with issues of institutional discrimination and prejudice (not only gender here but also race - this would have been filmed under the shadow of the Stephen Lawrence murder - and the experience of being an outsider transferred from London).
The writing does get clumsy at times, but no-one is perfect: so how is it that a witness to a crime runs hiding yet they floorboard their flat opposite the scene of the crime? Could anyone make it more obvious to everyone else that they've left? Or the cliffhanger of part 1 *SEMI-SPOILER HERE* why shoot the person shot rather than turn around and shoot the person right next to you? *END OF SEMI-SPOILER*
Mirren is excellent here as always, and there's a couple of great actors who unfortunately seem to have had a rather brief career, like Julia Lane as DI Devanney and John Brobbey as Henry. David O'Hara is very good too as DS Rankine but the show is literally stolen by Steven Mackintosh who is simply superb as The Street, the character and actor whose presence really defines the entire story.
Silent Witness: Matters of Life and Death: Part 2 (2021)
An all-time lowest but there is hope...
Not sure what happened to this show, I'd be curious to find out backstage politics in the studio because there must be some reasons why this season was a real car crash. First it starts with only with Nikki and Jack, then they are joined by a third guy, very promising, who is then killed off in the next story, then they add a new colleague in such a poorly written episode that it was clear they were ticking boxes in their Equality & Diversity policies. Then this utter mess of an storyline, full of unrealistic plot developments and inconsistent characterisation (yes, the Nikki thing). Making Nikki and Jack a couple is naff and the writers have never been that great with long-term backstories, the case of the week was always their strength.
I'm very excited to see Amanda Burton onscreen though and I see that the next season is a six-parter, which is what I always wanted them to do. I thought they would do that for the 20th anniversary, it seems like they're doing it for the 25th. Could it be that it is a way for them to wrap up? Maybe it is time indeed....
Silent Witness: Brother's Keeper: Part 2 (2021)
Disappointing - but not because it's 'woke' (stop saying that word!)
The main crime storyline was not that interesting and well-written. I did like Lorraine Ashbourne on this a lot though. More emphasis was given in the regular characters' backstories. Quite unusual for SW, in fact it's always been the case that the writers are better at the week's case than ongoing character storylines (whatever happened to Nikki's PTSD? Why is the American boyfriend now somehow hardly every mentioned? *Why no single mention of Adam?* And so on). So an episode focusing on this aspect of the show is bound to be weak.
I like Simone and yes it seems like SW has finally decided to address the fact that its team was always white privileged characters (unthinkable in a city like London). I don't like it when this happens in a rather forced way (Netflix does it all the time), but it hasn't bothered me here. It's just a pity they didn't keep Adam.
Nikki Alexander singing at the end of the episode was just cringey. The fact that it seems they'll make them a couple with Jack is just naff.
Silent Witness: Reputations: Part 2 (2021)
Unfair Low Rates
I'm surprised to see such low rates and so many people saying this story was 'predictable'. Yes, the final culprit may have been the easy guess, but the journey getting there was full of twists and turns that I, a devout crime drama watcher, could not see coming'
Adam started developing great as a character and the actor did a great job. At last we see a member of the team whose ethics and professionalism may be rather dubious - SW had never done this before and, well, you know, such people do exist?
But the ending was an utter shock! I wonder if this is why people rate the episode so low. Why did they kill the character off so quickly? Something must have happened behind the scenes, it didn't seem as if they were planning to get rid of him so soon. A real pity!
Silent Witness: The Greater Good: Part 2 (2020)
Second Outstanding Story in a Row
After a pretty medicore start of the season, and even if the last two-three seasons have not been the best, SW gave us two of their best stories ever, one after the other. After 'Hope', 'The Greater Good' was superb, more epic and action-packed. How will this imagery have seemed to audiences watching this live at the start of the pandemic.
In a way, again, you could see that coming - show someone's birthday, happy scene with daugher flying the kite: you know something bad's on the way. But quite frankly for a short while I thought they were getting rid of all regular characters, start with a clean slate. But unfortunately Nikki Alexander survived again. I'm sorry to see Clarissa go, I thought the fact that she announced her departure at the beginning of the two-parter meant that her experience of the story will make her reconsider, but it doesn't seem to have been the case.
Silent Witness: Seven Times: Part 2 (2020)
Worse thant the first part
It's interesting that this episode got such low ratings, for many for being 'woke' - I hate the word. It seems to have been disliked by male and female vieweers for different reasons. It is indeed weak and problematic.
A major issues for me is that it was poor storytelling, even worse than the prevoius episode. At times it was forgotten completely that this is a forensic crime drama and more a story about social issues. In this way, it all seems a bit forced, even patronising, as if it is telling you and explaining to you rather than showing you.
More to the point, it was - like the previous epiisode - quite rushed in its resolution.
Another issue: this must be the first time that I recall that we see gay people on SW, in all these years. And the underlying assumption is quite problematic - 'yes, men do that, but you see? Women do that too?' (black women for that...)
I've seen in imdb that Amanda Burton is returning to the show and I can't wait to see that! Nikki Alexander is the most privileged white middle-class pathologist I've watched for a while....
Silent Witness: Seven Times: Part 1 (2020)
Relevant but predictable
Here is another episode on identity politics and current issues such as the #metoo movement, but unfortunately such an important topic is not dealt with in a very original and engaging manner. The pacing is quite slow, it becomes quite predictable and it is full of cliches. There are countless films and TV episodes that engage with this topic in a more subtle and powerful manner.
It just felt as if first they decided what the episode would be about, what hte social issue in question would be and then they wrote a crime story around it. It should be a finer balance between great storytelling and engagement with social issues.
Silent Witness: Deadhead: Part 2 (2020)
Takes an interesting turn
Assuming that people still watch Silent Witness, it means that they have accepted the (il)logic of the show whereby anyone can take on any role - Nikki can be pathologist, investigator, judge, jury, etc. Clarissa does blood tests, flight simulations, magically cracks VPN encryption, etc.
Once you get past this, this is an enjoyable story particularly for the way it develops rather unexpectedly. I always likee Adjoah Andoh and she's brillant on this one.
Silent Witness: Deathmaker: Part 2 (2019)
Alright
It wasn't bad but nothing too exciting either. What is it with Silent Witness and Northern Ireland? Jack's backstory starts being too similar to Sam Ryan's.....
Silent Witness: Lift Up Your Hearts: Part 2 (2019)
Better than other similar SW stories, but still....
I've written before that when it comes to representing ethnic minorit groups, Silent Witness often resorts to crude stereotypes and the series has never addressed its 'white saviour' problem when it comes to the regualr cast. This story is a bit better than usual, in the sense that we see something that does not appear often onscreen: black middle-class characters. Usually story about black people tend to focus on working-class or underclass people (let's call this the 'Top Boy Syndrome'), but this story was successful in providing a much more complex and nuanced portrayal of this community. Some superb performances by Jo Martin, as often, and, well above everyone else, Colin Salmon, who really raises the bar with some very powerful moments and indeed quite emotional.
Alas, there's quite a few issues with the plot and the writing. At times, it's too predictable - when you see daughter being successful at entering a prestigious college, you *know* something bad's about to happen. On the other hand, other developments simply don't make sense. Why did. Ramush strange Pamela? If anything, this kind of guys are expert at keeping themselves invisible and would never try to have one more unecessay murder on them. Which is why the scene when he just rushes to the bar and beats the black guy to death in front of witnesses and cameras is laughable (as it was literally a joke how he started beating. Rudi in the car when the two kids didn't bring them all the money). In a similar vein, what was the point of the subplot with the stalker-y DI towards Jack? When she mentioned complaining about sexua harassment, it seemed as if stuff would hit the fan and it would all get creepty, but all this was just brushed aside after that scene....
Dialogue can be quite cranky, particularly when it's written in order for the show to make a case for legalising marijuna or whether people dying from drugs bring it on themselves. We can do without sermonising SW, thank you.
Nevertheless, not the worst episode I've watched, but it could have been much better.
Silent Witness: To Brighton, To Brighton: Part 2 (2019)
Brighton Corpse
As someone who has lived in Brighton for almost a decade, I enjoy seeing the city onscreen - one of the scenes was filmed just around the corner from my first flat. It's a pity though that they didn't make the most of it, as there are areas that would work very well as scenes in crime drama. Also, the city has more to it than the way it's portrayed here: sunny, tourstic exotic. It's also quite bizarre that they chose to write a story involving members of the Japanese culture, because the city is, let's face it, very white...
Overall, not the best of stories. The pacing was slow and not very engaging, I got bored at times during the two-parter - something you wouldn't expect in one of the most gruesome and graphic episodes ever. And that's the thing - it's never made very clear why the murder is so brutal in the first place? Or that the pathologists couldn't tell earlier on that one body was amputated by a person and the other by the recyclign machine? And, as someone else has said, (and first thing I said when I saw this), so Mick is struggling financially but can afford a house with panoramic sea views in Roedean? Really?
It's not clear how Nikki's pregnancy subplot related to all this and it seemed like they were filling time. As for Clarissa, I've written before how this character has been written very well in terms of representations of disability onscreen but this is beginning to change. Approaches such as this one: 'look at her, she's disabled but she's so good!' may lead to positive representation and good role model, but they may also be seen as patronising. Hopefully this was down to a poorly-written script in all the other ways outlined here and it won't get any worse.
Silent Witness: Two Spirits: Part 1 (2019)
Transphobic Audiences Need Not Review
It's a good effort to engage with trans representation onscreen. There's an argument to be made about trans people being portrayed as merely victims but I think it's all well-intended
Audiences voting the episode down because it's about trans people need to get over their transphobia...
Silent Witness: Family: Part 2 (2018)
At least it's no Afghanistan/Mexico/South Africa
Well, at least we didn't have the standard finale where white middle-class privileged scientists travel abroad to save the day to those 'exotic', 'primitive' cultures, as they act also as police, judge, jury, executioner etc., oh and they die or almost die because, you know, it's foreign, it's dangerous.
Anyway, that was rather poor, unlike the brilliant previous story. A lot of inconsistencies and weak plotting. I could see it coming who the killer was as well. Also, rather surprising it's a Christmas episode as it seems to have been broadcast in February, was it meant to be a Christmas special but was delayed for some reason? Who knows.
Silent Witness: One Day: Part 2 (2018)
One for Clarissa and a great one at that
One of the best things about SW of the last few years has been Clarissa's character, because it's always a great risk how you represent people like her - there's always risk of resorting to stereotypes or make all their scenes about their condition, or in an overly sympathetic way that ends up being patronising. But SW has avoided all this so far and she was just oen character among others with her own needs but still very efficient. The only awkward scene was when Thomas first met her, which seemed a bit off-key as a scene anyway and rather unlike his character, as would be later developed. But, on the other hand, they couldn't avoid touching upon her condition at some point in the series, or it would be like the elephant in the room. This two-parter does that and rather brilliantly. A great story, very subtle in its approach, great performances and uncomfortable viewing but great storytelling and thought-provoking drama. One of the best stories in quite a while.
Silent Witness: Awakening: Part 2 (2017)
Very disappointing finale, story, season, anniversary
Following from my review of the previous episode...
...on the one hand, this was better as there were some really intense moments and, for a while, I thought we were finally getting rid of Nikki Alexander...
On the other hand, this was so unbelievable that it was insulting to the intelligence of the average viewer - i.e. How long the phone battery lasted, etc. The way she escaped in the end at the last minute was so easy and lazy storytelling, it's cheating the audience, it's not right.
I'm fed up with Silent Witness, I may persevere and watch the rest few seasons but Nikki Alexander has to go. (Hasn't anyone told the actress it's not a good idea to play the same role for 20 years:?)
More generally, this was a rathe weak season, one of the weakest, considering it's the 20th-year anniversary. You would have thought that for such an anniversary, they'd have produced something special (a complex storyline expanding across all eight episodes? Older characters returning? Previous classic cases referenced or even revisited?) Instead, we just saw for a few seconds a title card in large bold Arial font saying 'thank you for 20 years of watching' - something you'd expect in a B movie really. What to say....
Silent Witness: Awakening: Part 1 (2017)
Really?
Come on, Silent Witness!
Yet another episode clearly designed to be 'epic seasone finale', which, in the minds of the producers, must mean let's transfer the action somewhere abroad, where it's, of course, dangerous and our white middle-class heroes will save the day.
Why cast white British actors in Mexican roles? It's 2017 for God's sake. Raquel Cassidy - a brilliant actress in many other ways - hardly makes an effort to pick up an accent and Elena Saurel's accent is not Mexican but Spanish....
As for the Mexican stereotypes the white saviour pattern (again), waht can one say. Awful, patronising stuff. I'll finish my SW marathon as it's a couple of seasons left only, but no more. The series has gone downhill big time.
Silent Witness: Identity: Part 2 (2017)
Whatever....
I've said this before, Silent Witness is at its best when dealing with domestic issues, but when it comes to minority cultures, it often resorts to cliches and stereotypes. So here's, yet another story about dodgy Muslims. In 2017....
But hey ho, let's have one of our characters show that they *know* the culture and that they 'explain' it to other characters. And of course may this be Clarissa. The tokenism is nauseating.
This is only one cringeworhty aspect in one of the weakest scripts of SW, with scenes where characters 'explain' the issue to us or to another character. The scene where Nikki and Thomas debate on immigration while examining a dead body is one of the worst in this respect. Other lines randomly thrown such as 'Look at those men who think they know us' by Clarissa sound only off-key in the context of that scene and the story - and especially when such lines are addressed to a lead character (Nikki) who is far from a feminist role model - how many times had she been told off by Harry and she was just standing there, wide-eyed, saying nothing?
The village idiot in all this is, again, Nikki Alexander who, steeped in her white middle-class privilege, seems utterly ignorant of the complexities of the issues in question and yet, as in the Afghanistan episode, she has stubborn strong views on these issues and even ends up breaking the law here, but, as others have commented, doesn't seem to face any repercussions for it. One plothole after anohter, including the chance encounter in a city as vast as London towards the end of the story, which other reviewers have pointed out too.
It's unfortunate that so far, this 'generation' of supporting characters have not had particularly strong backstories developed, at least so far, as previous ones had - Leo may have been the one with the most detailed storyline and, of course, Sam Ryan - I was thinking the other day, even if Emilia Fox has undoubtedly become the queen of SW, she never surpassed the gravitas of Amanda Burton, who I wish had stayed on the show for many more seasons.
Silent Witness: In Plain Sight: Part 2 (2016)
Engaging but a bit predictable
A good two-part story, nice to see the area in London I lived (and loved) for more than a decade onscreen (Green Lanes). It did get a bit predictable towards the end in the sense that you could tell who the culprit would be by elimination. (Shallow comment incoming: Phil Rowson is so handsome and looks good in a uniform, which helped...)
Prime Suspect: Price to Pay: Part 2 (1991)
A Milestone
A very important two-part story in the history of crime drama, not least for establishing the character of the female detective who has to work on the case, her male colleagues and the pressures the work inflicts on her personal life. This story set the scene for characters like Dana Scully, Nikki Alexander, Sara Lund, and many others. Note this was broadcast the same year as Silence of the Lambs, with Clarice Starling another important character.
Watching in 2022, clearly it looks dated in many ways - cinematography, directing, everyone smoking everywhere. It's also interesting to consider how much television storytelling has matured by now, as at times it does drag on and could probably have been at least 1/3 shorter than it is. Some clumsy plot developments - the male officers seem to change their heart about her a bit too easily halfway through episode 2, if only lad culture would change so easily....
Regardless, it's still thoroughly enjoyable and a gripping watch, Mirren is of course brilliant and so are many other actors, in a great ensemble. Thoroughly recommended.
Silent Witness: Flight: Part 2 (2016)
Lazy, Predictable and Curiously Dated
I'm still liking the show but this must have been one of its weakest episodes.
For one thing, it's looks really out of sync, it's like a story that could have been written a decade earlier on - it's no surprise that a character mentions 7/7 in this context
Then the dialogue, the plot development, the characterisation - it's all predictable and clumsy
I'm hoping this season is getting better as it goes along.
Silent Witness: Falling Angels: Part 2 (2015)
Cheating the Audience
Unlike others, I found this one of the weakest episodes to date. Plot development and character motivation is rather clumsy and for the sake of dramatic twists rather than conistency in storytelling. So we are told that the first guy who was pushed off the tube platform was 'muscle' for her but in what way? And why did she push him? There's some other details that don't make sense - since when do people arrange to meet in a tube platform, like Niki and the Scottish guy do? Halfway through episode 2, it all turns into a rather clumsy North London Bonnie & Clyde.
What bothers me mostly is when writers are cheating the audience. There are long scenes in episode 1 that are clealry filmed to portray her as the person in danger and him the dangerous guy. The way they are filmed, the framing, point of view, etc. All point to that direction. The twist in the end cancels all this out. This is just lazy and cheap storytelling that is cheating and insulting the audience. Pity because last week's story was one of the best.