Bertie Carvel doesn't seem to be doing much at all in the first story (the first two episodes of the six). He has to get a bit more demonstrative later, especially in the second one. The character of Dalgliesh is indeed glum, taciturn, lugubrious - that is how P D James created it. Sadly this doesn't tend to make for entertaining viewing, as it is difficult to identify with a hero who shows so little warmth and doesn't try to be likable. My mind went back to the1990s Dalgliesh series with Roy Marsden and I re-watched him in the first episode of Devices and Desires, available on YouTube. In my opinion Marsden does a better job. He is also taciturn, etc, etc, as per the job description, but through it all he conveys a greater sense of Dalgliesh's underlying humanity. There is just a hint of lightness and warmth in his portrayal, which we don't get here. Bertie Carvel's Dalgliesh is fair, concerned for justice, even indulgent (excessively so towards Jeremy Irvine's character ) - but he's glum, he's grim and he's grey.
