Change Your Image
lwcuthbert
Reviews
Inside No. 9: 3 by 3 (2023)
Just what I want from Inside No. 9
There are a few things I have come to expect from an episode of Inside No. 9:
1. Creativity (and the unexpected)
2. Brilliant performances
3. Clever writing full of misdirection, red herrings and subtle foreshadowing to pick up on a rewatch
4. Building tension
5. Immaculate production design
6. Story and characters I'll think about long after the end credits
...and '3 By 3' had it all.
The story of the Oakwoods is fixed in my head now and the performances of Saskia Wakefield and Gemma Page are among the show's most enjoyable (not to mention a brilliantly natural Lee Mack!)
There's so much to unpick and all within a realistic game show framework - itself a wonderful parody of dreary daytime television (with music, graphics and camera work spot on). A thing of beauty, I love it.
The Dead Room (2018)
The best of Gatiss' Ghost Stories
While Gatiss' MR James adaptations don't really capture the required atmosphere for me, this original piece works very well. I love the dialogue (which many people seem not to, perhaps seeing it as veering too far into knowingness) and thought it was an engaging little story. The final image is rather nice too.
Where it falls flat is in the structure and the building of tension. We need more intrigue, more peril. I can forgive this because I still enjoy the dialogue and Aubrey is a lovely character. Well, more lovey than lovely but most entertaining anyhow (Callow wonderful as expected.)
So, not a brilliant creepy ghost story (see this year's Inside No 9 - The Bones of St. Nicholas for an example of such) but still worth a watch.