Spoilers: Helen Mirren returns as DCI Jane Tennison, now enjoying the notoriety and success of capturing a dangerous serial killer. Now, she must solve the murder of a young girl, whose remains were found buried in a back yard. The body is found in a minority neighborhood, one that has been at odds with her police station. Tennison must confront racist attitudes amongst her own team and from within herself, while trying to identify the body and track down her killer. Added to that is her brief affair with a subordinate, a black detective sergeant.
Mirren provides another great performance, again aided by Lynda La Plante's excellent script. This time around, she doesn't have to prove herself; but, she does have to overcome racial obstacles and political hurdles. Her task is further complicated, when her former lover, DS Bob Oswald is added to her team, without her knowledge. She is desperately afraid that their affair will become public knowledge and hurt her career. This leads her to treat Oswald with disrespect.
Colin Salmon makes a tremendous debut as Oswald, a man who shares many traits with Tennison. He, too, has had to overcome obstacles in his career; where she had to overcome gender discrimination, he has faced racial discrimination. He possesses the same obsessive nature, which ultimately leads to tragedy. It's amazing that Salmon hasn't appeared in more prominent roles, at least here in the US. He is far too talented to be wasted in minor supporting roles in James Bond films.
This case ends on a less satisfying note than the previous one. Although Tennison and Oswald solve the case and catch their killer, their careers have been harmed. Oswald is disciplined for his actions which contribute to the suicide of a suspect, while in custody. Tennison is passed over for promotion, in part due to her gender, but also due to her involvement with Oswald. To make matters worse, she is passed over for a junior colleague with political connections. Tennison resigns rather than face the humiliation of working for her adversary, Thorndike. Although not as tightly paced and suspenseful as the first series, this succeeds quite well. There is an interesting feature to the broadcast of this series: in the recent dvd release, there are scenes added which did not appear in the original PBS broadcasts, or in the video release. These mostly involve shots of nude or partially nude photos, and at least one graphic scene involving Jason Reynolds (well, graphic in comparison to what was broadcast here). More curiously, several racial epithets are heard, which were censored in the PBS broadcast. Equally curious, is the deletion of a scene where young men from the neighborhood hurl bricks and stones over a wall at police working in the back yard.
Mirren provides another great performance, again aided by Lynda La Plante's excellent script. This time around, she doesn't have to prove herself; but, she does have to overcome racial obstacles and political hurdles. Her task is further complicated, when her former lover, DS Bob Oswald is added to her team, without her knowledge. She is desperately afraid that their affair will become public knowledge and hurt her career. This leads her to treat Oswald with disrespect.
Colin Salmon makes a tremendous debut as Oswald, a man who shares many traits with Tennison. He, too, has had to overcome obstacles in his career; where she had to overcome gender discrimination, he has faced racial discrimination. He possesses the same obsessive nature, which ultimately leads to tragedy. It's amazing that Salmon hasn't appeared in more prominent roles, at least here in the US. He is far too talented to be wasted in minor supporting roles in James Bond films.
This case ends on a less satisfying note than the previous one. Although Tennison and Oswald solve the case and catch their killer, their careers have been harmed. Oswald is disciplined for his actions which contribute to the suicide of a suspect, while in custody. Tennison is passed over for promotion, in part due to her gender, but also due to her involvement with Oswald. To make matters worse, she is passed over for a junior colleague with political connections. Tennison resigns rather than face the humiliation of working for her adversary, Thorndike. Although not as tightly paced and suspenseful as the first series, this succeeds quite well. There is an interesting feature to the broadcast of this series: in the recent dvd release, there are scenes added which did not appear in the original PBS broadcasts, or in the video release. These mostly involve shots of nude or partially nude photos, and at least one graphic scene involving Jason Reynolds (well, graphic in comparison to what was broadcast here). More curiously, several racial epithets are heard, which were censored in the PBS broadcast. Equally curious, is the deletion of a scene where young men from the neighborhood hurl bricks and stones over a wall at police working in the back yard.