I haven’t
yet made up my mind about this old BBC miniseries. In terms of writing, it reminds me a lot of
early Law and Order episodes. Actually, to be more precise, it reminds me a
little of Community’s Law and Order homage, in that the Law and Order-ness of it all gets a bit
ridiculous.
Chain follows the story of well-to-do crown
prosecutor Michael Cassidy, an assiduous worker and devoted family man. When he’s approached to prosecute a company
embroiled in a labor dispute, he gently turns it down. Unfortunately for him, he’s in high enough demand
that he can’t get out of it. As he
begrudgingly sets about his duty, he realizes that the case is far bigger than
he knew. I assume the associated
intrigue, conspiracy, and dirty laundry will last the whole four-part
miniseries.
PC
plays Robert McRae, the man so eager to have Cassidy on his team. I’m not entirely sure if McRae is a detective
or some sort of special agent – I know he deals in fraud cases, and I know he
likes to play the enigmatic card at every chance he gets. Not one for protocol, he doesn’t seem to have
a problem with bending the law in pursuit of the greater good.
Let me
tell you, McRae is the Community-does-Law-and-Order-est of them all. He’s both a dogged investigator and a
somewhat infuriatingly-smooth operator.
He has a penchant for answering questions with knowing rhetoricals, he’s
fond of nonchalant quips, and he bizarrely insists on calling Cassidy “Batman.” I get the type they’re going for, but they
may have gone a bit too far. There is an
amusing interrogation scene in which he variously plays good cop, bad cop, and
mysterious figure who isn’t officially with the police and thus isn’t bound by
their rules.
Eagle-eyed
Whovians may recognize Cassidy; Robert Pugh is actually a two-time Whoniverse
alum. He first appeared in series 2 of Torchwood (absolutely heartbreaking in “Adrift”)
and was later featured on Who itself
in the Silurian two-parter from series 5.
Opening
remarks for Chain:
Accent Watch
Very,
very Scottish.
Recommend?
In
General
– Too early to say, but it’s not really standing out so far.
PC-wise – So far, not
necessarily. It’s more than a little
cheesy. To be fair, though, pretty
entertaining.
Warnings
Some
profanity, and a couple scenes of violence.
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