"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Friday, December 6, 2013

The Ruth Rendell Mysteries: Series 4, Episode 3 – “Some Lie and Some Die: Part 3” (1990)

 
Wrap-up of the mystery.  Not bad overall – in a way, I was reminded a bit of State of Play, in that the murder is a larger question beyond “whodunit.”    Not that I enjoyed it as much as State of Play, which is just sublime, but still, it’s a perfectly respectable little yarn.
 
PC achieves an interesting character in Zeno.  He’s still very much the immature, playful trickster that Dawn knew, but one with the influence and leeway of a big-time celebrity.  That’s a lot of power in fairly irresponsible hands, and it can lead to trouble.
 
My major point of contention:  although the track is repeated in all three episodes, we only get one song from Zeno, and the proper singing doesn’t really get started until the chorus.  The opening verse is more Bowie-ish dramatic sing-talking, gradually working itself up to singing.    Nothing against it, but I’d rather get the whole shebang.
 
Accent Watch
 
I’m pleased to confirm my previous findings.  This episode features another brief slip into a West Country accent in an unguarded moment.  I’m calling it – Zeno puts on the London accent for showbiz, hiding the West Country bloke underneath.  A nice character element well-executed.  Thumbs up for PC!
 
Recommend?
 
In General – Possibly; decent example of its type.
 
PC-wise – Maybe.  Don’t put it at the top of your list, but it’s not a bad little role.
 
Warnings
 
Nothing further to report.

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