Episode 3 improves on nearly everything its two forebearers set as a stage. Where episode 1 set an alright stage for a perfectly fine and fun murder mystery, and episode 2 working hard to undo that fun, the third installment of Bodkin feels fresh again. There is room for dark but also lighthearted humor, profound but also emotional dialogue, advance on its mystery but also on character development. Where the series stands on the edge of becoming its own caricature, "Perfectly Innocent Life" swoops in to promise we have not yet seen all that Jez Schafer's Bodkin has to offer.
The key to its success, albeit mild, is the inclusion of a much broader set of characters, opening up a realm of possibilities in the dialogue department. Where the other two episodes quickly became stale in its dialogue, referring to riddling its conversations with clichés and toe-curling humor, episode 3 dares to make its cast open up to the viewers. We still receive the step-by-step treatment of any murder investigation, and that same method is also found in the sidelined storylines that zoom in on Gilbert's and Dove's personal situations. Every episode peels off a bit of those arcs, but it's the combination between the scenarios happening in idyllic Irish countryside and our characters' mainland that makes it tick more efficiently than before.
Bodkin clearly has its goal to entertain viewers for about 50 minutes, drop a good ol' cliffhanger and roll credits. The clues gathered during their research raise just enough questions for us at home to want to unravel the next episode again. But if it merely continues that pace, the show will quickly lose its favor. No; it needs to show us, needs to let us feel connected to the small town and its inhabitants. Because that's where Bodkin can prove to be something more than a hand-me-down mystery that simply wishes to tell its rather predictable secrets.
Here's hoping this episode is a but a teaser of what we can expect from Gilbert, Dove and Emmy, but if it doesn't, we at least had this. "Perfectly Innocent Life" scores an 8 out of 10.
The key to its success, albeit mild, is the inclusion of a much broader set of characters, opening up a realm of possibilities in the dialogue department. Where the other two episodes quickly became stale in its dialogue, referring to riddling its conversations with clichés and toe-curling humor, episode 3 dares to make its cast open up to the viewers. We still receive the step-by-step treatment of any murder investigation, and that same method is also found in the sidelined storylines that zoom in on Gilbert's and Dove's personal situations. Every episode peels off a bit of those arcs, but it's the combination between the scenarios happening in idyllic Irish countryside and our characters' mainland that makes it tick more efficiently than before.
Bodkin clearly has its goal to entertain viewers for about 50 minutes, drop a good ol' cliffhanger and roll credits. The clues gathered during their research raise just enough questions for us at home to want to unravel the next episode again. But if it merely continues that pace, the show will quickly lose its favor. No; it needs to show us, needs to let us feel connected to the small town and its inhabitants. Because that's where Bodkin can prove to be something more than a hand-me-down mystery that simply wishes to tell its rather predictable secrets.
Here's hoping this episode is a but a teaser of what we can expect from Gilbert, Dove and Emmy, but if it doesn't, we at least had this. "Perfectly Innocent Life" scores an 8 out of 10.
