This City Is Ours - BBC iPlayer binge watch ie spoiler thread

[IwantToRetire]

Has anyone else watch all episodes of this new crime drama?

I don't usually like family crime dramas, as they are fairly predictable.

I was quite taken with this, but I think for the wrong reason!

What did anyone else think?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0028mhs

(There is an existing thread for those who are watching at tv pace and dont want to read any spoilers!)

I didn’t think it was that good. The villa in Spain had security gates, so why nobody realised it was an inside job is a complete mystery! Diana and her mum- dh and I guessed immediately what had really happened and the death of Ricardo was also predictable.

@MayIDestroyYou The group dance had me playing The House Of Bamboo on Alexa!

Loved it.
And the soundtrack 👌🏻

Not ashamed to say I now have the show soundtrack on Spotify.

I thought that the character played by Saoirse-Monica Jackson was one of the most interesting. So knowing of the culture she had become part of, recognising how bad it was, but in some way still playing by its rules.

I expect some terrible revenge will happen to her should there be a second series.

I agree I thought she did an excellent job of playing someone who was slightly unhinged, but also trapped in that world. Her accent was also excellent.

She was excellent. It’s the first thing I’ve seen her in where I felt she fully meshed with the character and I could understand the casting decision.

All the acting was phenomenal. Hurry up and announce another series BBC !

One unanswered question for me. Maybe someone will be able to help answer it...Jamie plotting and stealing the shipment from Ronnie. Ronnie killed Davy in a rage when he found out he and his son Jamie were to blame. But then that instantly brought him closer to Jamie and further away from Michael. Who had been his right hand man for 20 years and I presume loyal to him for all that time too. I just didn't understand that part.

@CrazyladeeLove? Jamie’s his only son and heir, he wanted to pretend Davy was lying

Yes, blood bonds and all that. Jamie being a new dad was very central to the story. They were a dynasty.

But stealing and plotting from his own Dad seemed to bring Ronnie closer to Jamie which didn't make sense to me.

Diana wearing green because she was Michael's kryptonite.

Loved the use of colour and costume.

Michael wearing purple like royalty, which tied in with the comment by Bobby earlier on about Jamie thinking it was a monarchy.

Rachel wearing golden yellow in the last episode, her head has been turned by the "gold"/riches.

Elaine wearing purple but cut through with black and white, is this related to Ricardo saying how this business is binary, black and white?

Loved Banksy.

James Nelson-Joyce was amazing, usually plays Scouse thugs but here we saw emotional depth, I think this is going to be the start of something big for him.

I thought it was because Ronnie saw that he needed to groom Jamie better. Jamie was Ronnie's weakness and caused him to kill his friend.
In order to keep himself under control he needed to keep Jamie under control.

And not just for himself but he needed to keep Jamie close to protect the business interests.

Jamie forced his hand to choose between him and Michael, and he chose blood.

As did they all- from Diana's mother through to Elaine at the end.

I was impressed with J N-J too - having recently been absolutely terrified by him in Strike, and then in the wonderful film Bird. Obviously a sympathetic criminal is a bit of a cliche, but he did it well. Extraordinary eyes. And there was an early scene where he acted with just a muscle on the side of his face!

Respecting his balls for doing it?

I usually don't like shows about scumbag criminals, but this was really good and gripping. It was like a violent Succession. Excellent performances by everyone. Nelson-Joyce was brilliant.

Hmm …

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/gift/a257dacc3f50a4a7

James Nelson-Joyce on James Bond speculation!

My DH did say he thought he would be in the running after we finished the series. Don't forget Daniel Craig was a left-field choice at the time of his casting as he was relatively unknown (except by me who had loved him ever since he was Geordie from Our Friends in the North).

I'd happily get behind JNJ as JB.

Amol Rajan was championing Steve Graham on his Insta yesterday 😂(and I'd add I LOVE SG as an actor/Director/Scriptwriter/Producer but he is no Bond....)

As an English teacher, I said more than once (and much to the annoyance of my Geography teacher husband) “well this is all a bit MacBeth!”

We finished it tonight and I stand by that.

Apparently the author has admitted that it is influenced by MacBeth, but as far as I am concerned I dont see it at all.

The plot line is standard gangland internal struggles interlinked with family tensions. So how is this more MacBeth than any of them.

(PS I have asked ChatGPT its response was very unconvincing!)

There were quite a few Macbeth "Easter eggs" but it didn't really echo the plot. Michael kills the "king". Michael's (begins with an M) best friend is called Banksey (Banquo) and Banksey's son's name begins with F (as in the play where it's Fleance).

There is Duffy (Macduff) After the Michael kills Ronnie he tells Diana that they should go to bed so that they don't seemed to have knowledge of the murder. Michael uses a dagger-like knife. Blood is smeared.

Ronnie's son wants to take over (in the play Malcolm is named heir), Michael thinks it should be his (Michael's right.). I think the Amigos stand for the witches. Before the cage fight the ref says they should say "enough" if they want to give in. (... and damned be him that first cries, “Hold, enough!”).

Near the end Michael is looking out from a tall building. (Castle in the play).

Sorry to be nerdy here, I'm a sad git! There may be other references that I've missed.

I love this! 👏

The whole thing is wondrously Shakespearian - but I find strong echoes of Lear in particular, at the beginning. The King’s disastrous decision to show favouritism to one of his ‘heirs’ completely destabilises everything.

@RachelMorris , now you’ve spelt it out the Macbeth references are glaringly obvious, amazing post. You’ve watched it in great depth to notice all that detail. I shall watch further episodes through a different lense know, thank you.