The best police procedural for quite some time - it's a drama and not a documentary but it does an outstanding job of weaving in echoes of a history that we all understand. The best way to enjoy this programme is to watch the superb BBC documentary 'Once Upon A Time in Northern Ireland' first.
The key to this programme is that is doesn't patronise. The writers assume that you understand what a VCP is, the relationship that PSNI officers have with firearms and personal security, that you know what Special Branch is, and more importantly was in the past. Strip that away and you have a tightly written, tense and well paced drama...it's the context that makes it something special.
There must surely be a third series and I implore the writers not to fall into the same trap as the Line Of Duty team that went before: resist the temptation to dumb down, overcomplicate, and make silly in an attempt to attract a group of viewers who had no interest/ couldn't cope with the much higher quality first 2-3 series.
The key to this programme is that is doesn't patronise. The writers assume that you understand what a VCP is, the relationship that PSNI officers have with firearms and personal security, that you know what Special Branch is, and more importantly was in the past. Strip that away and you have a tightly written, tense and well paced drama...it's the context that makes it something special.
There must surely be a third series and I implore the writers not to fall into the same trap as the Line Of Duty team that went before: resist the temptation to dumb down, overcomplicate, and make silly in an attempt to attract a group of viewers who had no interest/ couldn't cope with the much higher quality first 2-3 series.
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