BETTER. BBC 1. Mon 9pm - TV PACE. NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

NEW 5 part drama to be shown weekly on a Monday

a corrupt cop now realises she must betray her drug baron boss

19 years ago, when Lou was a young police officer at her lowest ebb and Col a low-ranking but ambitious newcomer to the Leeds underworld, their paths crossed, and they struck a deal that changed their lives forever.

The bargain allowed Col to become very rich and very powerful, and Lou to turn around her failing career.

A complex but special bond between the pair was forged, and so began Lou’s gradual slide into corruption. But now, when Lou’s family is brought to the brink of a tragedy, she must put right the wrongs that she has spent years rationalising and excusing, to have a second chance at a new, better life.

Set and shot entirely in Leeds and West Yorkshire, Better explores the complex and powerful bonds of loyalty and family, set in a world where everyone has their own version of “right” and “wrong”. Examining the power of human conscience, we follow DI Lou Slack’s (Leila Farzad) epic battle towards redemption, by bringing down Col McHugh (Andrew Buchan); the man she has come to love like a brother and the man she has helped place at the head of Leeds criminal underworld. But while Col is a dangerous enemy to make, Lou’s biggest battle may yet be with herself.

GK

I believe he’s actually from Cheshire/Lancashire.

I just saw he’s married to Amy Nutall.

My tolerance for poor quality drama is reasonably high 😊 but I’m pleased a couple of people have said it improves because I wasn’t impressed.

That’s what you get though following on from Happy Valley. The bar has been raised.

Im actually enjoying an old series you can stream on the 5 app. It’s police stories over one or two episodes called Suspects. Did anyone ever see that?

I’ve binged it too, and overall I quite enjoyed it. No spoilers! But you do have to suspend your disbelief a bit (well, a lot TBH). I liked Anton Lesser.

This is one of the worst dramas I've ever seen. Totally unbelievable, the acting is awful. The characters are not convincing at all.

That's how I felt at the end.

'I think the son being ill is meant to be the catalyst which sets her back on the straight and narrow?''

Yes but going against a drugs baron will surely put their lives in mortal peril so surely you'd think the best plan would be to carry on for all their sakes.

I quite liked it, bit of Northern style humour again though she's obvs no Catherine who would eat her for breakfast.

She does seem too friendly with him

Surely they whole force must know they are friends /see each other

I’ve binged this and no spoilers, it’s a great cast, but talk about ridiculous plots and gaping holes. Yes it’s a drama, but 🙄 If you’re watching at TV pace but have access and time to binge, just do that instead so you can move on to something else.

I have time and access but I'm fine weekly tv pace 😃

I like to saviour and nice to chat about episodes and theories

Tho I watch lots of stuff so have finger in many pies threads 😂

LALALALAnotlistening!

<fingers in ears>

Finished it last night and enjoyed it. Looking forward to discussing when it's been played out on the BBC.

3w tomorrow it will finish

I think you think about things differently if you wait and think about it, rather than binge.

(Although I will binge an oldie if I find something good I have missed!)

Yes an oldie that has been on before is fine to binge

Not weekly stuff showing now

The law of blondes 😂

E2 tonight

Anybody still watching?

I usually give a series two episodes and am thinking of giving up with this. It's just dull and the acting and dialogue are so stilted and unconvincing.

Anybody else out there?

I haven't seen this week's episode Purple,

Mr Viper goes to the Pub on a Monday to drink Beer and talk about Man Stuff ie Football. Sometimes he also has Pork Scratchings. We are going to watch it together tomorrow

I haven't read tonight's posts on the thread as I want it to be all new and exciting.

There haven't been any posts tonight! That's why I was wondering if anyone is still watching.Seems they are not!

I watched the 2nd episode at tv pace tonight.

It is rather slow, the copper and her husband don’t seem suited as a couple and there are a lot of shots of her pensively staring into the distance but I am sticking with it

Looks like the 3rd episode could get more interesting. I will watch it next week I think.

I catch up tomorrow, Maternal wins the 9pm spot!

I watched it, I was interested to find out the history of Lou and Col.
I agree that Lou and Cer don’t really come across as a couple.
Not sure how Lou will get Esther (?) to back up her arrest of Noel as she hasn’t exactly been a good colleague, extremely rude and unprofessional (ha, yes we know she is).
Wasn’t sure about the storyline with the retired cop but it played out quite well.
Was Lou really unaware of how ruthless Col is? Thinking of the poor children in the grow house potentially left to die. Or did she delude herself as the truth wasn’t something she wanted to see. It’s clear Col is utterly ruthless, he would have any one murdered if they crossed him.
I’ll continue to watch, I think it’s a slow burn.

It’s a slow burn for me too, with a big chunk of suspended disbelief.

In ye olden days would I have set the VCR to record? Not totally sure. These days, not going out much, I tend to stick with most things.

I thought the character of Merve was going to be cliched, but found myself quite liking his scenes.

I watched it last night. Quite enjoyed it too. Not Happy Valley standard or anything but good enough to keep me watching. I like Andrew Buchan’s gangster. Rather than than going for the usual gangster clichés he looks like a dentist and lives in a lovely Farrow and Ball home. And I like his controlled (but menacing) manner. And I love Anton Lesser, so it’s always a pleasure to see him pop up in something!

I might watch the next episode tonight.

I don’t mean I like his character as such. I mean I like seeing a new take on the well worn gangster shtick.

It's a bit meh, one episode per week is enough for me.

I like it. Yes, it's unbelievable but believable in my eyes is sitting on the sofa watching tv, and nobody's gonna make a drama of that 🤷‍♀️🤣