Countdown to Thirteen: Dalziel and Pascoe: Season 11, Episode 4 – “Fallen Angel: Part 2” (2006)

The conclusion of the story.  In this second episode, the mystery gets more twisted and complicated, going to some unexpected places, and for my money, it also gets more interesting on the whole. 

The deeper Dalziel and Pascoe dig into the death of the jockey and the apparent race-tampering going on, the more they realize it all ties back into the case of Julianne, the stable worker whose disappearance they uncover during the investigation (not that Julianne’s family, of course, hadn’t known she was missing – just that the police didn’t seem to know or care about it until now.)  As more shocking events occur around the stable, the detectives work to solve the riddle of Julianne’s disappearance, sure it will lead them to the source of everything else that’s happened.

There’s a lot going on here, from a light aircraft crash to a mystery baby to shocking reveals about various one-shot characters.  I can’t say that it all necessarily hangs together (given that this is the show’s eleventh season, there’s a better-than-decent chance that they were stretching for surprises at this point,) but there are both some good points of interest and turns that I wouldn’t have predicted, which is a must for any mystery.

As the case expands, it also delves more into the creepy behavior of some of the stable guys, especially the alpha male Eddie.  Naturally, this can be uncomfortable to watch, but I prefer seeing a point to its inclusion in the story rather than just having the guy be an intimidating lech without comment, even if that means putting another Jodie Whittaker character through having to deal with another leering guy like that.

Speaking of Whittaker, she has more to do here.  I won’t get into the details of it to avoid spoilers, but I feel vindicated by a sense I got watching her character in part 1 and figuring there was more we hadn’t seen yet.  I will say that we get some strong acting from her in a couple of pivotal scenes, which I of course appreciate.

And once again…

Accent Watch

Northern.

Recommend?

In General – Again, maybe, if this is the type of show you’re into.

Jodie Whittaker – I might.  She displays some chops here in an early role.

Warnings

Disturbing images, violence (including references to rape,) creepy sexism and sexual references, drinking/smoking, and strong thematic elements.

Countdown to Thirteen: Dalziel and Pascoe: Series 11, Episode 3 – “Fallen Angel: Part 1” (2006)

creeps.

Dalziel and Pascoe is one of numerous long-running crime/mystery dramas in Britain.  (I mean, not that the U.S., home to multiple Law and Orders, CSIs, and NCISes, is so different.)  Like Midsomer Murders, Marple, and an assortment of other shows within its genre, I’m mostly unfamiliar with it.  Typically, the only time I poke my head into a series like this is in precisely this situation:  when an actor I’m interested in guest stars in it.  Jodie Whittaker appears in both installments of this two-part story.

Andy Dalziel and Peter Pascoe are a fairly familiar odd-couple pair of detectives working together in Northern England.  You know the drill – Dalziel is coarse and old-school, Pascoe has a fancy degree and gentler manners, that sort of thing.  In this episode, Dalziel is having a day at the races when a jockey drops dead just after winning his race.  Suspicion of foul play disqualifies the results, and Dalziel and Pascoe (along with younger officer Kim Spicer, on her first big case) work to get to the bottom of things.

As I said, I haven’t watched the show before, but it’s pretty easy to get into the rhythm of it.  It’s the sort of thing we’ve seen before, and you get a feel for the characters quickly.  A lot of these British mystery shows, it seems, prefer either a two-parter episode format or single 90-minute episodes, stretching the mystery out (for an example from a show I do watch, see Sherlock.)  Sometimes this pays dividends and sometimes it doesn’t.  In this case, I’m on the fence; I feel like I’m already pretty far into this mystery without having much in the way of answers or illumination.

I like the “exploring the seedy underbelly of horseracing” angle, with the titular detectives sleuthing around a stable and getting to know who’s who in the business – most particular, who might commit murder to throw off the betting books.  Admittedly, though, my favorite aspect of it is the way it reminds me on the terrific horseracing-themed episode of Pushing Daisies.  Now that was a mystery that had everything, from gloomy rhyming narration to Hamish Linklater to a possibly-hypoglycemic werewolf!

But I digress.  Not much to say about Whittaker yet.  Her character, Kirsty, works at the same stable as the murdered jockey, where additional shadiness (including the disappearance of another young woman who worked there) seems to have gone down as well.  So far, Kirsty appears to be a minor character, appearing in just a few short scenes, but there are hints that we may be getting something bigger from her in Part 2.  First impressions:  she’s a tenderhearted animal lover who’s not overly fond of this towering douchenozzle who works with her (understandable.)  It turns out, unsurprisingly, that the stable is a big ole boys’ club where sexist bullies rule the roost – just in case you were worrying that it’s been too long since I reviewed a Jodie Whittaker project that involves some skin-crawling creeps.

Accent Watch

Nearly everybody’s Northern here, including Kirsty.

Recommend?

In General – Possibly, if you’re a fan of the genre.  It strikes me as a solid enough example of its type.

Jodie Whittaker – Not so far, not enough to see.

Warnings

Disturbing images, violence, some creepy sexism, drinking/smoking, drug references, sexual references, and thematic elements.