Strike - The JKR TV series

[OnceUponACat]

Apologies if it has been discussed before, I could not find it anywhere.

I am enjoying watching it for but I am annoyed and irked too. For someone like Rawling so many years after HP and still so many cliches: the ugly male detective with the clever cute female sidekick who is happy to work for pittance; Robin’s overgroomed doll look; Cormoran being seen as an appealing partner even though drinks himself to a stupor and is clearly not commitment friendly, etc etc.

Is it me or we could do better than that?

As is generally the case, the books are a lot better than the TV series.

Oh good grief. Strike portrayed by Tom Burke is absolutely gorgeous.

Robin is not an "over groomed doll" - how on earth do you come to that conclusion? Robin looks like just about any other woman mid to late 20s working in an office.

To be honest OP I find your "over groomed doll " comment really offensive.

If you can look at the Robin character and think that that says a lot about your judgemental attitude towards women.

where is it running?

Ha ha ha. Tom Burke ugly ?
You need to go to Specsavers. And if you want to read a thread there's one in Telly Addicts

I’m trying to think how it would look if I hadn’t read the books.
Some of the translation is lost in the tv series, for instance Robin’s internal thoughts. Strike is meant to be good looking but disabled. The girl who plays Robin is attractive but in the book Strike tries never to cross a line with her because he is aware she has a fiancée...
Strike is commitment phobic after a horrible abuse relationship with his long term ex.
Robins look in the series I think is to reflect the life that she has with Matthew, an office job, good money and the aspirations of their future is what she is rejecting, along with other things from her past.

My main criticism of the series is that they could have been longer, at least an extra episode or two, to develop the characters on screen longer, but time and budgets in TV are not HP budget of course. I’d maybe read the first book or listen to it on audio before making too much of a judgement on JK because of the way tv people have interpreted it.
Her writing is as always impeccable.

I have read the books and watched the TV series. The books are far better and Strike is a likeable, moral and courageous character. Robin is not an 'overgroomed' doll - I don't get where you got that from. She wears little make up and her red blond hair is natural.

Is this simply a stealth attack on JK for your own reasons OP?

Robin looks like just about any other woman mid to late 20s working in an office.

I think you are right. Most of the time she is just wearing trousers and a skirt or jumper.

I also think that fundamentally JKR writes popular children's books and detective stores. (Obviously some people don't like her writing, but the figures show that many people do). She clearly cares strongly about some issues, but it's also OK if Strike just provides an hour of entertainment on a Sunday night.

If you can do better, go ahead and write that book.

And Tom Burke is seriously not ugly

Cormoran being seen as an appealing partner even though drinks himself to a stupor and is clearly not commitment friendly, etc etc.

I think the TV show showed that he was being a twat. His treatment of his girlfriend was not supposed to be attractive.

@DidoLamenting

To be honest OP I find your "over groomed doll " comment really offensive.

If you can look at the Robin character and think that that says a lot about your judgemental attitude towards women.

I agree.

As I remember, Strike starts off by making assumptions about Robin because of her appearance, but quickly realises he was wrong. Disappointing to see similar attitudes voiced on here although not entirely surprising.

Robin is willing to work for a pittance because she's has always longed to be a detective but has no experience, so this is her chance.

She only works for a pittance until she becomes a partner.

Tom Burke is much better looking than the character described in the books. (Which is fine, I very much enjoy looking at him).

I actually feel like the Strike novels are much better than the HP novels. For me, the best thing about the HP novels was the world-building. I think she’s matured as a writer.

I have listened to the audible versions. I always imagined Strike as very charismatic. The sort of man you are drawn too.

Robin is much more complex than a clever cute sidekick I think that is unfair.

@pinkbalconyrailing its a bbc thing I've not heard of it before apparently this is series 4 hope they have them on Iplayer

I haven't read the books, but I'm enjoying the TV series. Both Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger are incredibly attractive 😍 Not sure why you think he's ugly.
Holliday wears fairly standard office wear and her make-up isn't heavy.

I haven't watched the show, but I always imagined Strike must be fairly easy on the eye seeing as he shags a supermodel in the first book!

Obviously you just want to dig at JKR, this is not a review of the series, but a chance to make a tired attack on the author personally.

To anyone who hasn't read the books, listen to them on Audible for a really enjoyable experience. Robert Glenister is a fantastic narrator. He really brings the characters to life.
He also has a part in the TV adaptation of Lethal White. 😊

I don't always agree with JKR's class and party politics, but I think she is amazingly brave to speak out for women's rights.

Your dismissal of Robin leads me to believe that you don't share my admiration.

I love the books and like the tv series. The books are well written and the characters are very interesting. I really like the fact that Robyn looks and seems so ordinary at first yet gets to have her dream job as a detective. Does she have to be paid a pittance (though some who intern for jobs don't get paid at all except by the bank of mummy and daddy)? Yep. Worth it to fulfil a dream.

I find it fascinating what is missed out of the TV series from the books - some very interesting plot sidelines ignored.

Also agree in the books Robin is clearly portrayed as attractive but very clever and effective, she is a great character and much of that is lost in the translation to TV. I have great affection for her character and never felt she was minimised as a woman or when she was I felt JKR was rolling her eyes with me and Robin by what she wrote.

@IamEarthymama

Obviously you just want to dig at JKR, this is not a review of the series, but a chance to make a tired attack on the author personally.

To anyone who hasn't read the books, listen to them on Audible for a really enjoyable experience. Robert Glenister is a fantastic narrator. He really brings the characters to life.
He also has a part in the TV adaptation of Lethal White. 😊

I don't always agree with JKR's class and party politics, but I think she is amazingly brave to speak out for women's rights.

Your dismissal of Robin leads me to believe that you don't share my admiration.

Oh yes, the narrator is excellent - I have the books on Audible too.

Whilst I object to the op's dismissal of Robin because of her looks, I think it's equally silly to suggest that anyone who criticises JK Rowling's writing must have an agenda. It's perfectly possible to have huge admiration for JK without regarding her as a great writer. Personally I think she's good, sometimes very good, but not my favourite by some distance.

Robyn is paid a pittance because the business doesn’t earn much and Corman is also earning a pittance.

I don’t think the actors that plays him is particularly attractive but that’s a personal preference and the character is supposed to be attractive not classically handsome. In the books JKR used the same stock phrase to describe him as been incredibly tall although I don’t know think he is exceptionally tall maybe she is surrounded by short men.

To anyone who hasn't read the books, listen to them on Audible for a really enjoyable experience. Robert Glenister is a fantastic narrator. He really brings the characters to life.
He also has a part in the TV adaptation of Lethal White. 😊

^ 100% this. Strike audible books are 'unputdownable' - 'unswitchoffable (?) and so much better than the TV adaptation - though the TV version is good.

It's interesting how JKR dives into the nasty side of politics on the left and the right in the Strike novels, with horrible characters and then you have normal decent people too.

And seeing the journey of an intelligent female character staying in a bad relationship is fascinating