Chandler & Co.: Series 1, Episode 6 – “Those Who Trespass Against Us” (1994)

 

And so we come to the last of PC’s episodes of Chandler & Co.  As is typical, we have two cases.  The Elly case is the more interesting one this time around; she poses as a “mature” student to track down a missing girl, but the client – the girl’s father – is hiding a secret.  It is only in the middle of the investigation that Elly learns the true nature of the case, and it’s a minefield.

 

In other news, Dee is totally a Larry/Elly shipper.    While Elly is undercover at the university, she needs someone to bring her some clothes from her flat, and after Larry fails to pick up on Dee’s not-so-subtle hints that he should be that someone, she has to practically hit him over the head with it.  (Also, Larry is so awkward and uncomfortable about this that he has to bring Misty along to Elly’s flat.  He just stands there fidgeting and looking around while Misty actually packs Elly’s things.  He’s such a boy.)

 

The Larry-Elly scenes are the best parts of PC’s screentime here.  There’s flirtatious stuff, professional stuff, and some fairly heavy air-clearing between the two.  PC is really great as a guarded man finally realizing that, if he wants to be happy, he needs to take a risk.  Can he do it?  And if he does, is his courage rewarded?  Mum’s the word from me.

 

Final remarks for Chandler & Co.:

 

Accent Watch

 

Scottish.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Yeah.  I liked it a lot.  If I can find it, I may try to watch the second season.  Although, from what I’ve read, Elly is the only character who continues on from the first season (if nothing else, it’d be interesting to figure out how that happens!)

 

PC-wise – Yes.  Larry’s got smarts, snark, and secret soulfulness.  What’s not to like?

 

Warnings

 

Some of the sexual discussion in this episode gets a bit specific, talking about protection or lack thereof.  Heavy thematic elements.

Chandler & Co.: Series 1, Episode 5 – “Family Matters” (1994)

 

As it seems is typical in so many TV shows, the penultimate episode of the season is a real cracker.    All sorts of dramatic stuff going on here, and Larry has some nice material relating to both of today’s cases.

 

Things go badly for Dee after she investigates the fidelity of a public figure.  Thanks to an error in judgment on her part, the scandal and her connection to it crop up in the newspapers.  Suddenly, there’s a gaggle of reporters setting up camp outside her home and hounding her for interviews.  Her kids are intrigued and bemused by the situation, but her husband leaves her to fend for herself and makes contemptuous remarks, calling her a “sex snoop.”  (He’s such a brick, isn’t he?)

 

With Elly AWOL on a case of her own, it’s Larry who steps in to give Dee a hand.  Though he’s not without some chiding comments, he bullies contacts and sends out his bloodhound (his preferred “tracer” Misty, a great recurring character) to find out how the story was leaked to the press.  He’s excellent in his pursuit of the name: commanding, no-nonsense, and fully suited up, as you can see from the picture.  (Definite change from his usual attire.)

 

I mentioned Elly above.  Today, she’s embroiled in a sad case looking for a runaway.  She’s taken into some dangerous territory, which leads to harsh words between her and Larry.  Like I’ve said before, she’s so bullheadedly independent and he’s so tight-lipped and awkward about his regard for her; it’s only a matter of time before hurtful things are said on both sides.    However, this clash ultimately provides us with a few snippets from Larry’s past, hints of what might have prompted his present closed-off manner.

 

One more episode to go.  While it’s no Sherlock, Veronica Mars, or Elementary, I’m really enjoying Chandler & Co. as a character-driven P.I. drama.

 

Warnings

 

Solicitation and drug references.

Chandler & Co.: Series 1, Episode 4 – “The Devil You Know” (1994)

 

While both cases today are of the “I think my significant other may be stepping out on me” variety, they end up being a bit more original than that.    When one of their clients disappears after confronting her boyfriend about what they found, Elly and Dee are frantic to find her.  They’re forced to go to the police for help, where they’re subjected to all sorts of derisive remarks about P.I.s in general and the two of them in particular.

 

Hardly anyone on this show seems to approve of Elly and Dee’s work.  Although they’re definitely growing on Larry, he often regards them as inexperienced amateurs (and occasionally minor nuisances when they need help.)  Dee’s husband thinks being a P.I. is “inappropriate” and resents having to pitch in with housework and childcare because his wife, gasp! has a career.  Elly’s friends think she’s going through a bizarre post-divorce phase.  And now the police think they’re tawdry snoops who are just playing at being investigators.

 

This contact with the police leads to the second case of the episode:  the husband of the officer investigating their missing client asks Elly to follow his wife and see if she’s having affair.  Despite everyone, including Elly, pointing out that this notion is Bad Idea Jeans (a bit hard to anonymously tail someone who’s already met you and knows you tail cheating spouses,) she agrees to take the case.

 

We might blame Larry for that.  She regards his advice – essentially, don’t be ridiculous, because you’ll make an enemy of the police if things go south – as doubt of her abilities.    Naturally, since she’s Elly and she very much needs to prove herself capable, this leads her to accept the assignment.    Once she’s committed, though, Larry does pitch in; he immediately starts instructing her on the finer points of creating a disguise.

 

Other than that, not a whole lot for Larry today.  One small scene that I’m fond of – he pops up in the background (suitably camouflaged) while Dee meets with a potentially sketchy contact.  The two don’t interact before or after the meeting, so we don’t know if a) Dee asked him to come, b) Dee told him about it and he offered to come, or c) Dee told him about it and he just decided to come.  Either way, it’s nice to see him looking out for her.  Regardless of how much he rolls his eyes sometimes, he really is fond of Chandler & co.

Chandler & Co.: Series 1, Episode 3 – “Past Imperfect” (1994)

Just when I predict a forthcoming Dee-case Elly-case format, they throw me a curveball.  Technically, one of the cases today is still Elly’s, but she’s not on the usual end of it.  While Dee tails a potentially-philandering wife in London, Elly asks Larry to look into her ex-husband Max.  He’s recently reappeared in her life, and despite her better judgment, there’s a part of her that believes him when he says he’s changed.

 

Naturally, this means that we see Larry going undercover again.  Why merely follow someone in your car or plant an external bug outside their home when you can pose as a repairman and show up at their office?  Despite Larry’s repeated assurances that he doesn’t miss taking cases of his own, I think he really enjoyed, and still enjoys, the thrill of the work.  The more blazon, the better – he likes interacting with the people he’s fooling, likes to let them see him.

 

And point of order, Larry most definitely has a thing for Elly.  It’s kind of adorable in a really gruff, antisocial way.  They’re both such closed-off people – Elly’s marriage obviously banged her up emotionally, and we keep getting hints that Larry’s not as unbreakable as he’d have people think – and it’s interesting to watch them cautiously circle each other.  There’s an especially good scene when Elly first approaches him to ask whether one can be friends with an ex (a “client” was wondering.)  Both of them keep their guard up for the entire conversation, but they both have the P.I. instincts to catch what the other is leaving unsaid.

 

Dee’s husband still isn’t doing much to endear himself to me.  In this episode, the two run into a conflict over the issue of who should stay home when their daughter is sick.  Dee’s suggestion that they take turns is immediately disintegrated – he can’t possibly drop everything with no notice, he has a schedule to keep, it’s important, and after all, they have to give priority to the main breadwinner.  Further proof that his ostensible objections to her work are perhaps a bit too convenient.

Chandler & Co.: Series 1, Episode 2 – “Wild Justice” (1994)

 

Two cases again today.  I suppose that’ll be the general format of the show – a “Dee” case and an “Elly” case, with extra room for personal issues.  It offers twice as much budding detective fun, but I hope we see them working together on cases a little more often.  In my opinion, they make a pretty watchable team.

 

We’ve branched out a bit today, in that only one of the cases involves following a client’s potentially-cheating spouse.  The other focuses on a man who may be committing fraud to stiff his ex in a divorce settlement.  Elly finds herself getting a bit too deep into a case, while Dee struggles to make her husband understand what draws her to her work. 

 

Dee’s plot is particularly interesting.  At first, she gets the argument that P.I.s don’t always stay within the realm of legality, which means she’d have to keep secrets from her attorney husband.  However, it isn’t long before she starts receiving comments about the tawdrier aspects of her job, rooting out affairs and other elicit improprieties.  He backpedals quickly enough, insisting he’d never accuse her of, he didn’t know where that came from, etc., etc., but the sentiment is still out there.  And no matter what he says, it’s clear that there’s at least a part of him that resents not having Dee reliably at home to do the cooking, ironing, and all those other little chores he’s always taken for granted will get done.  There’s a lot involved.

 

And what of Larry, you may ask?  He serves his same basic function as in episode 1, giving our heroines tips and renting them surveillance equipment.  We also get a quick view of him actually in the field, jumping back in after Dee’s botched attempt to plant a bug.  It’s fun to see the contrast between their fledging skills and Larry’s old-hat ease.  For a five-minute conversation with a man he’s never met, he adopts a different accent, changes his manner, and shows up with a credible story prepared.  There’s the master at work.

 

Larry practically has the word “jaded” scrawled disinterestedly across his forehead.  He’s quick to dismiss the idea of getting involved with his clients – that is, to care about their well-being beyond their ability to pay for his services.  And yet, Dee suspects that may not be as true as he likes to think.  One thing’s for sure:  he sure shuts down on her when she hints at his possibly-hidden compassion.  It’s a thread I look forward to following.

Chandler & Co.: Series 1, Episode 1 – “On the Job” (1994)

 

Since my fingers have been half-frozen by the time I scrape off my car windows each morning, I think it is officially Capaldi Winter.  Hence, the facelift.  I'll keep the same tag for consistency's sake, but know that, as a Minnesotan, I am aware of the changing season.  Now, on to your regularly-scheduled review.

 

*     *     *

 

Wow, PC’s had regular roles on a lot of TV shows during his career.  He’s in all six episode of Chandler & Co.’s first season, and after watching the pilot, I’m looking forward to the rest.  I know I’ve watched quite a few crime/mystery shows lately, but this is definitely a good ‘un.

 

Recently divorced Elly Chandler is trying to pick herself back up and find something “just for her,” and she thinks she’s found it; she and her former sister-in-law Dee are starting their own private detective agency.  In “On the Job,” the two women get the new business off the ground with a pair of racy cases, one of which is far more complicated than it seems to be.  They stumble along the way – sometimes humorously, sometimes direly – but they’re also quick studies who learn from their mistakes.  Let’s hear it for the ladies!

 

Helping Elly and Dee is PC’s Larry Blakeson, an experienced private eye who’s tired of the rat race.  Elly’s met him before – he unearthed the infidelity that led to Elly’s divorce – and after some initial doubts, Larry sends them their first case and mentors them throughout; he has a wealth of experience, an unflappable cool, and a large cache of helpful gadgets.

 

I’m really enjoying Larry.  He’s smart and capable, a bit prickly but with a cheeky side that he reveals gradually.  I like his insights into everything from tailing to surveilling.  There seems to be a will-they-won’t-they vibe gearing up with Elly – after an unexpected turn in a case, the two talk love and commiserate.

 

Throughout the episode, I thought the actor playing Dee’s husband looked familiar.  A survey of his IMDb page tells that I’ve seen him with PC before – in Prime Suspect and The Thick of It.  More interestingly, though, I’ve heard him before; he voiced the Face of Boe in the second and third seasons of Who!  How’s about that?

 

Accent Watch

 

Scottish.

 

Recommend?

 

In General – Yes off the bat.  I like Ellie, Dee, and Larry, and the both the cases in this episode were engaging for different reasons.  Some good twists, too!  I look forward to watching Ellie and Dee improve their skills.

 

PC-wise – I think so.  We’re just getting started, but Larry is likable in a detached way.  I’m excited to learn more about him.

 

Warnings

 

Some dark themes and a fair amount of sexual content, including two sex scenes (one is audio-only, and the other is under blankets in low light, so you don’t see anything.)