I also binged the season recently, and loved it. I was not familiar with Bertie Carvel but he is really stellar. As you say we don’t learn explicitly about all the character’s losses until later, but somehow we do know as soon as we meet him.
On Sat, 7 May 2022 at 5:09 PM Diner <[email protected]> wrote: > Xfinity is having a "free movie" week, which allowed me to check out Acorn > TV and the first season of "Dalgliesh." > > I was familiar with P.D. James' character of Detective Chief Inspector > Adam Dalgliesh from the Roy Marsden-starring adaptations that ran on PBS' > "Mystery!" in the 80s and 90s. I also saw one of the later adaptations > starring Martin Shaw. (I think the only James novel I've read was "An > Unsuitable Job for a Woman," which did not feature the Dalgliesh character. > And I've also listened to a few of the BBC Radio dramatizations.) > > The Marsden series were told in a leisurely fashion - my recollection is > that each novel was dramatized over six one-hour episodes. This time > around, each novel gets two 45-minute episodes (the season is three stories > told over six episodes). But the stories move briskly, and you won't feel > like you're missing anything. And the production values are much higher > this time around - the Marsden series were shot on videotape. > > The cases are complex and challenging - you have to pay close attention, > and not just because of the British and Irish accents. (The show is set in > England but filmed in Northern Ireland.) And Bertie Carvel's subtle, > restrained take on the title role is perfectly suited to the material. > > Two things struck me while watching this that I didn't remember from the > last time around. One is that Dalgliesh is an example of the "Crusading > Widower" trope - when we meet him, his wife and child have died recently of > unstated causes. But since the character first appeared in print in 1962, > this could be seen as an early example. And the stories do not go overboard > in using it to establish pathos - we don't find out about the son's death > until about halfway through the second story, for example. > > Another is the subtle way that this version of Dalgliesh strikes blows for > feminism, and against racism, as the series progresses. The series is set > in 1975 (which explains the sideburns, smoking, and lack of seat belts). In > the first story, Dalgliesh's assistant Charles Masterson (Jeremy Irvine) is > a jerk who seems more concerned with screwing a nubile suspect than finding > the killer. The second story, "The Black Tower," is set in the Dorset > countryside, and Dalgliesh gets help from highly competent local sergeant > Kate Miskin (Carlyss Peer). By the third story, "A Taste for Death," Miskin > has moved to London and joined the team - and her solid professionalism > leads to Masterson's jealousy, sexism and racism bubbling to the surface. > Casting a POC as Miskin for the first time really pays off, and moving the > stories to the 1970s places Masterson's behavior in a different context > than it would have if it were set in the present day. These are smart moves > by the producers, and things you'd miss if you stop watching before the > season ends. > > Anyway, it's an absorbing, entertaining series that is worth watching > closely. > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "TVorNotTV" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion on the web visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/cebae77b-52c5-4904-82ec-1df10a1e4f2dn%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/cebae77b-52c5-4904-82ec-1df10a1e4f2dn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- Sent from Gmail Mobile -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "TVorNotTV" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/tvornottv/CAKGtkYKVrvjE_3oXowEvnuLG%3DrayWbR5h%2BaFT%2Bo1Pnwj0uTqRw%40mail.gmail.com.
