[Closed] Luther

Yep, excellent telly.

Agreed. Can't wait for next weeks.

pretty good starter

A bit cr@p really I thought.

Plot ropey, technically poor also with shocking continuity (shots of actors with mouths closed when they were supposed to be talking). And they'd nicked* an actress from The Shadow Line + one of the seedy locations also.

Hopefully will get better, thought the last series was good.

* OK, so there's only a "talent" pool so deep I guess.

Yeah, good to have something decent on telly for once. It's been crap recently

it's good stuff, i like it.

felt the continuation from last series to this was a bit of a cop out though. everything just forgotten, all friends now.

Enjoyed it, but have to agree with previous comments regarding continuation from last series, plot being a bit thin - how did he get the pass-card for the insitution to chuck over the wall, and how did Punch get in the back of the car without anyone noticing?

I also had trouble hearing what he was saying for the first 5 minutes or so... 😕

Can some one fill me on the back story. I didn't see the last series.

What happened to Luther's missus?

Who is the woman in the psychiatric unit and why did he slip her what looked like a keycard in the apple? Assume its for her to break out but why would he be helping her to break out?

What jimster and allthepies said.
But as long as there's plenty of Alice I'll be happy 🙂

Can some one fill me on the back story. I didn't see the last series

Um - its a long story. However I think theres an allowance for people having not seen the first one, anything that needs filling in will be as it plays out

It was OK - bit to comic horror for me.

Not really progressed from the first series (or do we call them "seasons" now?), whereas other TV shows have.

Think I'll stick to the Shadow Line. Far superior, just a shame it is coming to an end this week as it has been superb throughout.

Aye. The shadowline has been fantastic!

Better than Case Histories?

They filmed a couple of scenes in the street out the back of our office in Hoxton. Idris Elba is big handsome fella, girls in the office were having kittens.

I never watch cops n robbers (on British TV), should I be watching this?

Think I'll stick to the Shadow Line. Far superior

Yep. It's moved on British crime TV. I know it's so self consciously stylised, but I like that - and the noir-ish clipped and purposed dialogue - a great deal. Plot is sort of secondary.

[i]Better than Case Histories?[/i]
God Yes!
Well, having said that I only managed about half an episode of case histories before having enough of all the cliches. But it might have picked up since then.

Case Histories?

Christ, I'd rather watch the Teletubbies than that shit. One of the worst crime dramas in recent years IMO (and on the Beeb too)!

+1 Shadow Line: excellent throughout, albeit last week's deaths were possibly a bit contrived.

hmm, that shadowline looks worth a watch, may start watching that tonight

Case Histories suffers a bit from the fact that the books are written with a wonderfully light touch, wit and darkness combined. Rather like a dramatisation of Jane Austen, all you're left with is the plot, which without the authorial voice can be a bit thin.

Mind you, I loved it! It's not supposed to be a straight cops'n'robbers show.

Cooroo +1

'twas a bit odd being set in Edinburgh with such a paucity of Scottish accents though.

'twas a bit odd being set in Edinburgh with such a paucity of Scottish accents though.

Why would there be many scottish accents in Edinburgh? 😉

Yeah, good to have something decent on telly for once. It's been crap since about 1982

Fixed

Spiral was good too.

Spiral was totally ace. Just watched series 1 and 2 on DVD. Riveting!!!

only caught up with spiral at series 3. would like to see 1 & 2.

bit like watching the sweeney 8)

You can't compare Case Histories to Luther, they are both very different, Case Histories is quite funny I think and take it as it's meant, light hearted.

Luther was good, didn't even know there had been a first series, only watched it tonight so glad I didn't read this thread earlier. Hate that whole sitting on each of seat though I'm rubbish!!!

We watched season 3 and then 1 + 2, awesome!

You taling about The Wire there Bushwacked? MMMM Elba in Season 1 of The Wire .. HOT or WHAT!

Nah, spiral. But the wire is awesome too. Not sure which is more awesome though

I've worked with him, and he is a hunk (even though he was made up to look like he'd fallen into a threshing machine most of the time). Seriously method though. I didn't see him out of character for the best part of 4 weeks. A few months later we met a party, and it was weird, he knew me but I didn't feel like I'd met him before

What is Spiral? Never heard of it, sounds like something I should have though! They were saying that even producers etc of The Wire didn't know he was British until after they had selected him as he spoke throughout in his Baltimore accent! Impressive.

Seriously method though. I didn't see him out of character for the best part of 4 weeks.

Bet you're glad you didn't work on the Wire!

another reason for watching
[img] [/img]

Okay so tonights episode was a bit crazy and off the wall, that much so that I found it just a bit annoying! Anyone else?

nail through the hand, ouch

i was lost all the way through yes good telly but even the wife was lost

Started off okay but become too contrived. I fear they might try and stretch the level of dramatism in the remaining episodes in an attempt to upstage themselves and the competition.

I thought Stringer Bell was a fascinating character in The Wire and thought he should have his own series. Not seen Luther yet, but I've set my parents sky+ to record it as I have only pleb TV. I imagine Luther to be a nice suited, well respected, silent but deadly character, living outside or on the edge of the law, running on his own intuition and experience, all shades of grey, etc, etc...

Was a bit poo really wasn't it.

Spacemonkey very much agree with it, pushing the boundaries of what a copper will do .. yes but that is ridiculous. Pleb TV isn't that just normal BBC!? In which case I have pleb TV and no recording method, iplayer for me! Twas good but not sure how much longer I would be able to watch it.

I do think Idris Elba is a phenomenal actor but I still think he was better in The Wire (plus hotter but as already said that was 8 years ago!).

Idris was immense in The Wire. And he's good in Luther, but IMO he has to keep bigging up his maverick attitude and ends up doing stuff that's either OTT or just unlikely.

Just another cop show where the threads and ending are hammed together.

EDIT: And I remember seeing him interviewed a year or two ago and IMO he came across as an arrogant prick. I don't think that's the real 'him' though.

Really like Luther. Yes its a bit OTT and that Pycho bird stretches credibility but all good to me.

The wire is one of the best shows that I've seen. Awesome!

TV doesn't have to be realistic to be good TV. I thought it was very entertaining and brings some great characters and set pieces. The overlapping story lines are complex but the sum of the parts is greater.

i've missed a step. who are the prostitute and her mother and how do they relate to the murderer ?

i've missed a step. who are the prostitute and her mother and how do they relate to the murderer ?

They don't. They're a "side" story to the plot of the first 2 episodes. And they look like being the plot in the second 2.

TBH I'm a bit meh about it. Elba's got great presence, for sure, but the writing is a bit weak and I don't care much for comic horror.

I think Crowley's character, Schenk, is more interesting.

i've missed a step. who are the prostitute and her mother and how do they relate to the murderer ?

They don't - its a separate story line

EDIT - beaten to it

I'm not as keen on this series so far, I think the first series was a much better performance, but its still very nice viewing. Given the massive swerve the last series took I'm quite keen to see where this one goes

I agree, last night's was a slip in quality, let's hope it was just a blip.

The 'black hole' monologue concluding in him working out it was the kiddies was a bit too preposterous.

(Mr MC posting)

too tall, it doesnt have to be realistic -I am quite willing to suspend disbelief and go along for the ride, but if the character youre following does something or reacts in a way that doesnt fit with their character, it's jarring and makes me "drop out" of following it. The whole scene with the nail (wont say more for iplayerists but someone has mentioned it) was ridiculous as Luther is not a character that follows convention or rules, so the idea he would be open to manipulation by not being able to act conventionally and arrest the protagonists was farcical.

And as headfirst says, some of his deductions that lead to him figuring out the next step smack of lazy writing, "we need to get from point A to point C and can't come up with B so we'll skip it".
I didnt mind the OTT horror of the first villian, and thought they could have expanded on and made more of his fragility, rather than tying everything up in 20 minutes.

I doubt I'll be watching the next 2 as these protagonists appear to take centre stage. Like the theme tunes though (massive attack).

Will have to look out for shadow line and spiral both of which passed me by.

hmm, I enjoyed last night. but it seemed rushed, probably to fit in the other story line over the next two weeks. would of much prefered one storyline over the four weeks. the wire did it for 10 episode seasons, so why can't UK TV?

Speaking of the wire, just re watched it all for the second time. I love how Marlo has an air of menace about him in season 4 and 5, but never gets angry, then he does this (NSFW and a bit of a spoiler!):

British TV could use some help with creating really realistic and evil characters!

easy warton I'm only on season 2!!!

only watch for the strangely sexy Ruth Wlson

A 4 episode series?????

I didn't watch the first series and have quite enjoyed this, apart from the fact that Luther seems to be able to know exactly what the crims are up to, but 4 episodes is a bit lame, doesn't give much opportunity to link to the previous series does it.

Ho hum.

Better the boringly pretentious Shadow Line. So there. 😛

the wire did it for 10 episode seasons, so why can't UK TV?

Money, I expect.