TV REVIEW- Ripper Street - A Man of My Company

Pumicing my feet. Painting my toe-nails. Tidying my room. These are just a few of the lovely things I managed to accomplish whilst watching last week’s Ripper Street, all of which proved an infinitely more valuable use of my time than the programme itself.

On the distinct off chance that any of you do still actually care, here’s a brief summary of the episode’s events. ‘A Man of my Company’ finally cleared up for us the mystery surrounding Long Susan, or Sporadically-Thrown-Into-An-Episode-Every-Now-And-Again-As-A-Token-Feisty-Female-Character-And-An-Attempt-To-Elicit-Something-Resembling-Intrigue Susan, as I like to call her, and Captain Jackson. I know, hurrah indeed. I won’t give it away here for those of you yet to watch it on iplayer, but it’s a humdinger! (It’s not). Meanwhile, the murder of a shipping engineer set to transform the fortunes of his company, before his premature death, obviously, keeps the ever-eager Detective Reid and his trusty sidekick Bennet busy, neither batting an eyelid when Jackson acts even more oddly than usual, almost literally morphing into Captain Jack Sparrow before our very eyes. There’s an interesting storyline afoot with the deceased engineer’s wife, played by the wonderful Shauna Macdonald, also of previous Spooks fame, although as has become the all too frequent case with Ripper Street it’s never really enough to hang your hat on.

Again, we’re thrown random references to the elusive Pinkertons, again without any real explanation as to WHO ON EARTH THEY ACTUALLY ARE. I’d like to know, really I would. (Although I admit I could have missed that when rummaging around my dressing table for a nail file). For me, half the fun of period dramas is the easy, uncomplicated glimpse into the characters’ social context and contemporary issues. History with an emphasis on the story part, I suppose. Ripper Street, however, seems to only get so far with this before losing faith in the intelligence of its Sunday night audience and chucking us back in the direction of Really-Not-In-It-Very-Much-Apart-From-As-A-Useful-Hanger-For-Some-Lovely-Dresses Susan. Don’t get me wrong, as an actress I’ve grown rather fond of MyAnna Buring, I just wish they’d give her a bit more to do. Credit where credit’s due, though- there are some lovely set pieces, and the production values remain high as ever. The final showdown between Jackson and his Pinkerton pals is well shot and well scripted, with his London loyalty throughout actually coming across as quite touching in a show that gives rather a bleak outlook on the morality of the nation’s capital, save for the godlike Reid, of course.

What the show is missing, and missing in a big way, are its overall character and narrative arcs. They are there, after all, we’ve seen them! They’ve been like shadows in the corner of your eye when you’re half asleep – but they’ve been there! They’re the alarming scars peeking out from under Matthew Macfadyen’s shirt, Detective Abberline’s teeny tiny obsession with catching the Ripper, or indeed anyone who could possibly have spoken to/seen/brushed past the Ripper once in the street after an evening of one too many ales. Reid’s wife, Emily, even, picked up for an episode or two and then dropped as quickly as that orphanage keeper lady Reid kissed that one time and then never mentioned again, ever, could even contribute to something in the way of an overall plot, if they’d only use her. Indeed, Jerome Flynn’s Bennet Drake is the only character to really show any signs of development, and even that storyline is only given airtime of approximately twelve seconds.

There’s so much there to work with, I’ve said that all along. It’s just that it seems to be perpetually abandoned in favour of a nice shot of some cobbles or YET ANOTHER be-corseted prostitute. Which would be appropriate, welcome, even, if the show itself made even the slightest nod to its namesake, which since the first episode, it has resolutely avoided.

This being my last turn at reviewing Ripper Street, I will not be covering next week’s episode. However from the preview, it appears that maybe, just maybe, Reid and Abberline are going to have another crack at catching Jack. Or something. And maybe, just maybe, all those mysterious little plot threads that have so far only been snatched at like wispy bits of Victorian cobweb will actually be wrapped up, and we’ll all feel delightfully satisfied that we invested so much of our time and energy in this show.

It will be up to my esteemed co-editor to tell you whether or not that has been the case, but I really, really hope it is. Although I suppose I could always use the hour to read a book or do some stretches if not.

Jen

Ripper Street is next on tonight, BBC 1, 9pm.

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TV REVIEW: Ripper Street - The King Came Calling

 

Despite beginning to wonder if the world at large is actually even aware of the BBC’s Ripper Street, it being not so much under the radar as not even in range, we at Assorted Buffery are soldiering on with it. My esteemed co-writer has been less than thrilled with it so far, see here. I, on the other hand, rather liked Episode 1 'I Need Light' , Particularly enjoying the subtle historical references, which were tastefully alluded to without being shoved down your throat.

So what did Episode Three, ‘The King Came Calling’ have to offer?

Well the ‘King’ of the title is not anyone of any regal descent, for starters, and actually refers to the contemporary nickname of cholera, widely referred to as ‘King Cholera’. Historical reference number one. Fearing the spread of the disease once again in Whitechapel, (they do seem to have it tough down there, between the Ripper and fatal digestive diseases, it’s a wonder no one moves…) Reid and his team pull ‘victims’ into the police station, so that the cocky Captain Jackson can determine what they really died off. Thus dispelling local panic and saving the day. However, hounded by the new age press, historical reference number two, what they actually discover is much, much worse than the King, as the boys discover that a serial killer is in fact on the loose once again. Slipping St Anthony’s Fire, a type of ergotism poisoning into the local flour supplies, historical reference number three, this shady character is not only causing a spot of general alarm and chaos but systematically wiping out the sexual deviants of East London. Historical reference number – okay I think they may have gone off on one a bit there.

Slightly iffy history aside, this episode made for a good old fashioned romp of a whodunit. Captain Jackson’s reckless approach to autopsy, and cavalier attitude to almost everything else is happily chuckle inducing, with MacFadyen’s Inspector Reid palpably earnest, in contrast all but choking on his own hard working nature. Although how he is supposed to have known about exact nature of the poison, being a policeman not a medic I'll never know.

Less of a role for Jerome Flynn’s Sergeant Drake this week, as we are instead fed the mildly irritating do-good side story of Reid’s wife Emily on her attempts to find homes for local down and outs. Mainly prostitutes. Sort of a historical reference, so Buffery points for that, but this storyline felt suspiciously shoe horned in, only really present to make us feel sorry for Emily when she later becomes poisoned, coming into contact with a disease meant for the very people she’s trying to help. The desire to manipulate the audience being a little too obvious, dear old Emily had plot device swathed about her person even more so than usual. 

Whilst the production values remained fairly high, a few dodgy edits and cut short scenes aside, this episode largely, and sadly, felt a lot less cool than the previous two. I enjoyed it, sure, the intrigue was built up well, and there was just the right amount of suspense for a Sunday night police – sorry historical police drama. But when you consider that the first episode was all about pornography and prostitution, and the second a knife wielding, Victorian child gang – poisoning peoples’ bread and cakes just doesn’t really cut it as a concept. If you’ll excuse the many-layered pun. Lord alone knows what Jack the Ripper would have made of it, anyway.

Ripper Street is still worth a watch, but it needs to up its game a little. I loved that the first episode was shocking, cocoa-spill inducing even, but 'The King Came Calling' caused barely a ripple.

More please, but better.

The next episode of Ripper Street will be shown tomorrow night, 9pm.

-          Jen

You can read more of Jen's writing here: https://memyselfandtheothers.wordpress.com/

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TV REVIEW: Ripper Street - I Need Light

If I were to ask you to imagine a BBC period drama, what would you think of? I couldn’t say for sure, but I would imagine you’ve come up with soft, fuzzy image involving petticoats, walking canes and garden parties on the lawn. Not, I should imagine brutal murders, violent early pornography and post-mortem gore. That, however is we get from ‘I Need Light’, the first episode of the BBC’s new drama du jour, Ripper Street.

The first episode, shown last Sunday, for a reason known only to the BBC as part of their festive drama season, introduces us to the smart and serious Inspector Edmund Reid, played by the incomparable Matthew Macfadyen, along with his trusted companion, Captain Jackson (Adam Rothenberg), a rowdy, dashing American surgeon and long-time colleague Sergeant Bennet Drake (Jerome Flynn). Together they attempt to keep local panic on the down low, by proving that the grisly murder of a local violin player was not committed by the infamous and recently missing in action, Jack the Ripper.  

Set just six months after ‘Jack’s’ original murders, the world of Ripper Street provides the perfect environment for copycat killing plotlines, as well as showing the general sense of chaos and fear at the time. Faced with disillusionment and past failures, the police have a lot of catching up to do in order to restore public trust. Sadly, the historical references are a little thin on the ground. The From Hell letter gets a casual mention, victim Mary Jane Kelley gets a name check, and Ripper investigator in chief Detective Abberline (Clive Russell) has a small role.

Realistically, though, all that has all been done before, and this series has plenty more to offer in its own right. In ‘I Need Light’, Reid’s investigation into the murder of the young Maude Thwaites takes him and colleague Detective Drake (Jerome Flynn) into a dark, violent world of prostitution, smut and pornography, with an exploration of the beginnings of photography particularly well expressed.

Be warned, some parts make extremely difficult viewing, although Macfadyen’s earnest, honest Inspector lends a comfortingly secure moral compass to the story. He’s the optimism of the story, the belief that better times lie ahead and it is his duty to make them happen. Flynn and Rothenberg play off each other brilliantly throughout, using their characters differences to full effect as part of Reid’s mismatched Victorian Scooby gang. MyAnna Buring is suitably fiery as brothel keeper Long Susan, and Charlene McKenna is compelling as Rose Erskine, one of her ‘girls’.

The set and general atmosphere are great too, really capturing the darker realities of Victorian London. A timely visit to Finchley part-way through the episode clearly underlines for us the contemporary East versus West divide, with one side force to live ‘like rats’, as Reid remarks. There are plot twists galore, too, with writer Richard Warlow seemingly on a one man mission to prevent viewers from becoming too comfortable.

All in all, this is far from the Sunday night period drama, or cosy murder mystery we’ve come to expect from the BBC. At times, it’s uneasy viewing but on the whole, good on them for that. We all need a shock over our cocoa once in a while.

Next on, tomorrow night, 9pm.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p00wk6pq

- Jen

You can read more of Jen's writing here: https://memyselfandtheothers.wordpress.com/

Or you can follow her on twitter here: https://twitter.com/jenniferklarge