Inspector George Gently (Mini Series Seasons 1-7; 2007-present)
There are police procedural dramas and there are police procedural dramas. What makes this British drama stand out from the rest are manifolds. For one, it is one set in an era when life was simple and was getting complicated. The pilot episode starts in 1964 and it slowly goes on to the tumultuous years at the end of that decade. We can slowly see the gender roles change from a patriarchal one slowly to one where the skirts get shorter and the brassieres go missing. In the time frame, the death penalty was removed in the UK.
The seemingly euphoric times of the post WW2 era sees the baby boomers and their offspring experience the darker side of progress. The working class were no more dancing to the tune of the aristocrats. They start standing up for the rights against the perceived tyranny and the old order of the ruling class. Many minority groups start demanding for their rightful place in society. The general public becomes vocal critics of their leaders, especially with their handling of world politics and Vietnam. In their earlier seasons, brutal ways to elicit information from suspects are totally acceptable but slowly accusations of police brutality start creeping in.
The world seems simple enough is the early 60s. Smoking in closed offices are accepted norms. One by one, the ill-effects of modernisation surface. Mesothelioma and its link to asbestos come to light. The poor working condition of coal miners becomes an issue. The unholy union of businessmen and people of power puts self-interest above that of the majority, especially of the little men.
The one thing about this mini-series that captivated me all through is the prop and setting. The buildings, cars, attire, hairstyles all gave a convincing account as if it was made in the 60s. Pretty impressive. The shooting of the picturesque countryside adds on to its credibility. The mood is set again with melodious tunes of the bygone era of songs not so frequently heard.
Gently (Martin Shaw), a Chief Inspector of Police solves many murders in the vein of 'Mid Summer Murders' which was set at about a similar setting, using traditional police investigative techniques. This type of drama are clearly a far departure of what we see as police dramas on TV today. The police officers sit in front of their monitor the whole day just to solve the case at the end of the episode without getting their hands dirty!
The mini series come with great one-liners and profound lines on life. There are many philosophical quotations like one from Edmund Burke - The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing!
As Gently and his sergeant, John Baccus, deal with many hard knocks of life, the dialogue becomes darker as the seasons advance. Gently is dealing with the death of his wife and secretly has to terms with onset of multiple sclerosis. Baccus is handling a broken marriage.
They perceive the world as an ungrateful lot. They start questioning the meaning of doing things for the greater good, whether there is honour in war and that nothing is like it is, except death! They wonder what they are doing is right, living a life digging into other people's misery. What do you do to the riot in the heart? You silence it. Really?
The next season, Season 8, scheduled for release in 2017 is supposed to be the last.
There are police procedural dramas and there are police procedural dramas. What makes this British drama stand out from the rest are manifolds. For one, it is one set in an era when life was simple and was getting complicated. The pilot episode starts in 1964 and it slowly goes on to the tumultuous years at the end of that decade. We can slowly see the gender roles change from a patriarchal one slowly to one where the skirts get shorter and the brassieres go missing. In the time frame, the death penalty was removed in the UK.
The seemingly euphoric times of the post WW2 era sees the baby boomers and their offspring experience the darker side of progress. The working class were no more dancing to the tune of the aristocrats. They start standing up for the rights against the perceived tyranny and the old order of the ruling class. Many minority groups start demanding for their rightful place in society. The general public becomes vocal critics of their leaders, especially with their handling of world politics and Vietnam. In their earlier seasons, brutal ways to elicit information from suspects are totally acceptable but slowly accusations of police brutality start creeping in.
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Martin Shaw who assumes the role of
CI Gently as we knew in the 70s as
MI6 agent in 'The Professionals'.
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The one thing about this mini-series that captivated me all through is the prop and setting. The buildings, cars, attire, hairstyles all gave a convincing account as if it was made in the 60s. Pretty impressive. The shooting of the picturesque countryside adds on to its credibility. The mood is set again with melodious tunes of the bygone era of songs not so frequently heard.
Gently (Martin Shaw), a Chief Inspector of Police solves many murders in the vein of 'Mid Summer Murders' which was set at about a similar setting, using traditional police investigative techniques. This type of drama are clearly a far departure of what we see as police dramas on TV today. The police officers sit in front of their monitor the whole day just to solve the case at the end of the episode without getting their hands dirty!
The mini series come with great one-liners and profound lines on life. There are many philosophical quotations like one from Edmund Burke - The only thing necessary for evil to flourish is for good men to do nothing!
As Gently and his sergeant, John Baccus, deal with many hard knocks of life, the dialogue becomes darker as the seasons advance. Gently is dealing with the death of his wife and secretly has to terms with onset of multiple sclerosis. Baccus is handling a broken marriage.
They perceive the world as an ungrateful lot. They start questioning the meaning of doing things for the greater good, whether there is honour in war and that nothing is like it is, except death! They wonder what they are doing is right, living a life digging into other people's misery. What do you do to the riot in the heart? You silence it. Really?
The next season, Season 8, scheduled for release in 2017 is supposed to be the last.
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