I am officially flabbergasted by the apparent Internet silence re this new series of Ripper Street. I only came upon it by chance, despite watching series 3 on amazon prime. It's like, they've spent bajillions on this new series but they aren't arsed if anybody actually watches it?
Also, it didn't appear on any of the 'top telly roundups' in December, even those that covered streaming channels. This despite arguably being the best quality drama to come from the BBC / amazon in recent years.
OK, I've watched the opening episode : be warned, it's very long! It's bloody brilliant, but with a very strong sense of not playing all its cards at once. I will admit that the primary plot (involving the murder of a Muslim man, and subsequent heavy liberal emphasis on prejudice etc) didn't massively grab me. I hope next week we get fresh cases.
I found some aspects of the plot hard to follow, and some of the dialogue hard to tune into.
The writers have painted themselves into a corner yet again by having our three amigos very emphatically going their own ways at the end of the last series. Maybe they could not do this again, as it's wearying having to force them through what is essentially an extended 'reunion montage' at the start of each new series.
Leman Street and the wonderful ginger desk sergeant are no more :(. Action is now centred at the all new headquarters, and for die hards this feels like a loss. I'm hoping the new gaff will grow on me, and as a bonus we get Neville Longbottom as a young sarge obviously going places.
We get David Thewlis too, but he hasn't turned up yet.
We get Reid in a fairly shocking sex scene!!
And we get a less annoying Matilda Reid, now becoming a character in her own right.
Jackson has changed, but who's bluffing who?
Drake is the guvnor now, and well he deserves it.
The last five minutes will give you the biggest WTF of 2016 :)
Can't wait to see next week's episode. Really want to see new characters, particularly female ones. If only they could have Nancy from Dickensian, she's superb.
It will get darker...