The previous three episodes of Season 3 got the season (one that was no less inferior to the well worth watching and at their best brilliant previous two) to a promising start. Did feel though that "Conspiracy" was the only near-outstanding one of the three, but all three have so many great qualities. So of course anybody would have high expectations before watching "The Corporate Veil", to see if the season continued its good streak and how it would fare with its interesting subject.
Good news is that "The Corporate Veil" does a wonderful job with it and makes it even more interesting. It's a great episode and one of the best of the season's first half, if not quite an early season or show high point. It resonated with me in a way that the previous three episodes didn't quite ("Conspiracy" had more tension, was more hard hitting but was a different episode in feel, even that episode didn't resonate quite as much as this did) and had so many brilliant assets.
Criticisms are next to none for me, though perhaps it's slightly too reliant on its emphasis of high technology and a little slow to start with. The latter nit-pick very quickly did not matter, as "The Corporate Veil" kicked into gear very quickly and didn't let go whereas two of the three previous episodes were cases of their first halves not being as interesting as their second halves. This was a case of both halves being equally good.
What made "The Corporate Veil" stand out for me was how it made me feel emotionally. Anybody familiar with pacemakers, has a heart condition or has a family history of heart conditions are likely to feel a strong connection here. Being somebody that belongs in the third category and knows other people in the other two, that was the case with me. This was a case that was intricate without being too complex and always intriguing, one that made me both very sad and very angry. One may be put off from having a pacemaker for life, the case with me. The script is thoughtful and handles the subject with intelligence and sincerity, the legal scenes with all the conflicts and moral dilemmas are brilliantly written.
Production values have the usual slickness and grit and the music is unobtrusive and gives big revelations even more impact without over-emphasising. The direction is deliberate but not sluggish, quite sharp in the second half. The investigative/procedural work is never less than intriguing and makes sense. The acting is very good all round, especially in the final third.
All in all, great. 9/10
Good news is that "The Corporate Veil" does a wonderful job with it and makes it even more interesting. It's a great episode and one of the best of the season's first half, if not quite an early season or show high point. It resonated with me in a way that the previous three episodes didn't quite ("Conspiracy" had more tension, was more hard hitting but was a different episode in feel, even that episode didn't resonate quite as much as this did) and had so many brilliant assets.
Criticisms are next to none for me, though perhaps it's slightly too reliant on its emphasis of high technology and a little slow to start with. The latter nit-pick very quickly did not matter, as "The Corporate Veil" kicked into gear very quickly and didn't let go whereas two of the three previous episodes were cases of their first halves not being as interesting as their second halves. This was a case of both halves being equally good.
What made "The Corporate Veil" stand out for me was how it made me feel emotionally. Anybody familiar with pacemakers, has a heart condition or has a family history of heart conditions are likely to feel a strong connection here. Being somebody that belongs in the third category and knows other people in the other two, that was the case with me. This was a case that was intricate without being too complex and always intriguing, one that made me both very sad and very angry. One may be put off from having a pacemaker for life, the case with me. The script is thoughtful and handles the subject with intelligence and sincerity, the legal scenes with all the conflicts and moral dilemmas are brilliantly written.
Production values have the usual slickness and grit and the music is unobtrusive and gives big revelations even more impact without over-emphasising. The direction is deliberate but not sluggish, quite sharp in the second half. The investigative/procedural work is never less than intriguing and makes sense. The acting is very good all round, especially in the final third.
All in all, great. 9/10
