Inspector George Gently
I love Martin Shaw to pieces (old Pros fan here) so I have watched all of George Gently with mixed feeling: on the one hand, Martin Shaw! On the other, this is pretty depressing without a lot of sympathetic characters aside from Gently himself. Compared to George Gently, Inspector Morse (most Lewis fans end up watching the whole of Inspector Morse for a chance to coo at a younger Lewis, I suspect) was a walk in the park with lots of belly laughs. At least Morse could count on the unquestioning loyalty and devotion of his long-suffering sergeant, a touchstone of integrity and honesty, regardless of what else went on in his life or his inquiries.
Whereas here, the other main character, DS John Bacchus, played by Lee Ingleby, is a much younger, flawed character with lots of personal problems and uncertain morals who we are apparently meant to relate to. Except for the tiny problem that he is not exactly sympathetic: he is a much more realistic character than Gently considering the time period, but he is really difficult to sympathize with.
To me, one of the main problems is not just how dark every episode is -watching this beautifully produced show often feels like being trapped in a dark and dank underground tunnel- but the fact that is it so clearly a star vehicle: the Gently character is just a bit too much on the Mary-Sue side (MS had a similar problem in Judge John Deed, where he played the eponymous hero - it was my hero right or wrong kind of situation) and on top of that, there are some pretty heavy-handed moral messages generations ahead of their time that we are hit over the head with in several episodes which feel really weird, because this is supposed to be a period piece, not Doctor Who. As a quick aside, I think this is why I have grown weary of the new Doctor Who years ago, a mere two seasons after it was reincarnated in 2005 by RTD: being slapped repeatedly by someone's well-meant political/moral agenda, not matter how politically correct just rankles... How about subtlety? How about slanting your stories so kids can appreciate them at a first level, while adults can see whatever nuances they want to see? You know, the way every TV show have been written for generations? Anyway...
Maybe the hardest part to take is the disconnect between Gently and Bacchus, especially compared with the non-stop love fest we see in Lewis between the two main characters (Lewis is just so adorable... don't get me started!) And Gently clearly would love to change that and help his sergeant open his mind and raise his moral standards, but it is a work in progress and very hard going, poor man...
But, well, it IS Martin Shaw and in truth he is always worth watching! Though Lee Ingleby, by all accounts a good actor, does not fare as well and also has to contend with a horrible, horrible haircut. Being an actor is not easy, I tell you...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCmKQVGz0NE
Whereas here, the other main character, DS John Bacchus, played by Lee Ingleby, is a much younger, flawed character with lots of personal problems and uncertain morals who we are apparently meant to relate to. Except for the tiny problem that he is not exactly sympathetic: he is a much more realistic character than Gently considering the time period, but he is really difficult to sympathize with.
To me, one of the main problems is not just how dark every episode is -watching this beautifully produced show often feels like being trapped in a dark and dank underground tunnel- but the fact that is it so clearly a star vehicle: the Gently character is just a bit too much on the Mary-Sue side (MS had a similar problem in Judge John Deed, where he played the eponymous hero - it was my hero right or wrong kind of situation) and on top of that, there are some pretty heavy-handed moral messages generations ahead of their time that we are hit over the head with in several episodes which feel really weird, because this is supposed to be a period piece, not Doctor Who. As a quick aside, I think this is why I have grown weary of the new Doctor Who years ago, a mere two seasons after it was reincarnated in 2005 by RTD: being slapped repeatedly by someone's well-meant political/moral agenda, not matter how politically correct just rankles... How about subtlety? How about slanting your stories so kids can appreciate them at a first level, while adults can see whatever nuances they want to see? You know, the way every TV show have been written for generations? Anyway...
Maybe the hardest part to take is the disconnect between Gently and Bacchus, especially compared with the non-stop love fest we see in Lewis between the two main characters (Lewis is just so adorable... don't get me started!) And Gently clearly would love to change that and help his sergeant open his mind and raise his moral standards, but it is a work in progress and very hard going, poor man...
But, well, it IS Martin Shaw and in truth he is always worth watching! Though Lee Ingleby, by all accounts a good actor, does not fare as well and also has to contend with a horrible, horrible haircut. Being an actor is not easy, I tell you...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCmKQVGz0NE