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Ron Miller's DARK CORRIDORS VOL. 5, No. 28 |
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On Television |
(check local listings for times in your area) |
Another crackerjack BBC
mystery in 'Messiah'
By DONNA J. PLESH
of TheColumnists.com
I keep wondering why British mysteries and cop shows
have such a great appeal to me ... and to many other viewers
as well. And the obvious is that they are so well written. But
even more so, the protaganists are always flawed in some way
that plays out in the story (at least most of the time).
Jane Tennison of "Prime Suspect," "Inspector Morse,"
Tommy Murphy in "Murphy's Law," and Inspector Pat Chappel
in "The Vice." Each flawed, each troubled, each
very good at his or her job.
Nowhere is that flawed persona more on display than in the character
of Detective Chief Inspector Red Metcalfe, a tough, driven, cop
bedeviled by events from his past. Metcalfe (played by
Ken Stott who also starred in "The Vice") is leading
the
investigation into a string of bizarre murders of men in BBC-America's
brilliant new two-part Mystery Monday presentation "Messiah."
Right up front, be warned that viewer discretion is advised.
The murders involved are gruesome--a hanging, a skinning alive,
a decapitation--and there are numerous scenes of bodies and blood.
This is not a series for the faint of heart. But it is a series
for everyone interested in a crackerjack thriller with a knockout
ending.
Stott's team is called in when the first murder is discovered.
A chef is found hanging in his home. Over the next few months
more murders occur: a bishop is bludgeoned to death; a soldier
is decapitated; a tanner is skinned alive; and a civil servant
is slain with a machete. All have had their tongues removed,
and all are found with silver
spoons in their mouths.
The investigators begin looking for any clues that might
link the victims to each other. None are found--until it is discoverd
that some of the victims were gay. This news is leaked to the
press, who feed off it voraciously, hampering the investigation.
The investigation continues. Leads go nowhere. None of the victims
knew each other. The killings all seem to be random. But Red
knows there has to be some kind of a link, and he's determined
to find it.
Meanwhile Red is having his own problems. His brother is recently
paroled from prison after serving a term for murder. Red
tries to meet and talk with him, but to no avail. His brother
can't forgive him. Why? Because Red turned him in to police for
the murder.
Back on the investigation, Red finds out that inside information
on the case has been leaked to the press by one of his investigators.
But who, and why?
Things aren't much better at home where Red can't seem to confide
his deepest fears to his wife, the deaf Susan (Michelle Forbes).
And, as if all this isn't enough, Red's continuing fears (near
panic attacks) about driving in the rain seem to be getting worse.
Red is driving, it's pouring rain, a soccer ball bounces out
into the rain-slickened street in front of his car. A screach
of brakes and ....
If you are a fan of good drama, good mysteries, good thrillers,
watch this show. You will not be disappointed. It's like a great
book--once you're hooked you will stay up all night to see how
it ends. And the ending is a humdinger!
TV Notes: And speaking of great mysteries. BBC-America will
encore several parts of the "Prime Suspect" series
beginning Aug. 3 with "Prime Suspect 3." "Prime
Suspect 4: The Lost Child" airs Aug. 23, "Inner Circles"
on Aug. 30, and "The Scent of Darkness" on Sept. 6.
"Prime Suspect 5," the Emmy winner for outstanding
miniseries, airs Sept. 13 and Sept. 20.
©2004 by Donna J. Plesh. The photo is courtesy the
BBC America website.
You
can comment on this column online. Please address your message
to either "The Editors" or Donna J. Plesh. To send
an email, click here: talkback@thecolumnists.com
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