Now the rippings done for a year...my thoughts
So series one of Ripper Street is done here in the UK and I say congrats to the BBC for coming up with such a great vivid period drama. See, instead of trying to compete with ITV's monster hit Downton Abby by reviving the similar upper class-lower class period piece Upstairs Downstairs (the revival only lasted 2 series, whoops, that didn't work), you should have gone the opposite way, for Ripper Street's sordid blood-soaked streets, much earlier. For those that don't know, Ripper Street is a drama about the aftermath of the Jack the Ripper murders and how the police cope with the violent London streets. It's great and it'll be back for a second series next year.
Clearly it's not a show for the easily offended - lots of ugly brutal murders and violence, lots of sex and definitely some kink. Also women don't always come out of this brilliantly - they're pretty much always whores or victims. But the characters are great and the script just sings. There's Inspector Reid, convinced his drowned daughter is still alive and at odds with his gorgeously delicate-but-strong wife about it, the hard-hitting Sergeant Drake who wishes to marry prostitute Rose and tries not to dream of the bloodshed he gloried in during the war abroad, and the American Captain Jackson with a deeply murky past and a strange but occasionally tender relationship with brothel madam Long Susan. So far, so cliche, oh but it works. The stories are riveting, all stand-alone crimes, no arc-villain here (unless you count the continual shadow of Jack the Ripper) though maybe we'll get that in series two, and feature great guest stars - Paul McGann! Ian Glen! - and there's great recurring characters too; sly newspaper reporter Fred Best (very much a reference to our modern press's behaviour I think), desk sergeant Artheton with a disapproving manner and magnificent red beard, sweetly innocent Constable Hobbs, and wonderful Jewish orphanage owner Miss Goren who Reid finds himself continually relying on and confiding in. The characters really are well fleshed-out, I suspect by both the writing and the actors' inputs, for example Reid's wife could have been a terrible drip but Amanda Hale plays her with a wonderful steel to her spine as well as a heartbreaking delicacy, she's determined to move on even if Reid can't and she starts to run a shelter for wayward girls and even stands up to Susan in a way that feels so right for her character. Her kindness is wonderful and not bland at all, as such 'pure and good' characters can often be, especially in such period pieces.
I admit, I do love Captain Jackson. Adam Rothenberg, who I don't think is all that well known either in the US or over here, is great in the cad surgeon role, providing the science Reid needs for solving cases. He also drinks like a fish, gambles, and lives in a brothel. Policing at its finest clearly lol. I was worried that his 'I have dark secrets that my boss and work colleagues must never know' arc was going to drag forever into multiple series, but I can promise that we get answers by the end of series one, answers that make sense, though I expect there's probably more we don't know about him. I just hope that he's not just a secrets machine, I like that he's smart and clearly enjoys the police work, if not the early hours, and that Reid trusts him enough to stand up for him, even if Drake loathes him lol. He and Susan have a fascinating relationship thanks to their shared past and I hope that that continues to develop. I also hope his friendships with Reid and Drake continue to develop and that he won't be all 'you can't ever know me, it's too dangerous for me' because that's a well-trodden path and I find it dull.
Drake and Rose's romance is heartbreaking and lovely. The scene where Jackson takes her to task, telling her not to lead Drake on, and then later commiserating with Drake via single line of dialogue were truly great character moments. I love that Rose isn't going to stay a gold-digging tart with a maybe heart and actually strive for more and Susan's reaction to that is so telling - you can make more money as a prostitute, so why try anything else? I have high hopes for Drake and Rose in series two, even if they don't end up together, their friendship has been a delight.
Oh Dick Hobbs! Not really sure why you had to die, I suppose just to spur Jackson on. (I've read some blindingly good Jackson/Hobbs fics and might be attempting to write my own). I really liked Hobbs and hate that he was sacrificed for the 'everybody suffers and dies' motif. That was my one big gripe with the show. I didn't really see the need for Hobbs to die like that. Couldn't they have waited until series two?!
I actually like Matthew Mcfadyen in this, which is a surprise as I haven't been a terrific fan of his work before. He's always seemed...I don't know, brittle, not quite solid enough in his roles. There's something about him and the way he's performed before that hasn't clicked with me until Ripper Street. He's really great as the upright and desperately guilty Reid. He's said in an interview that he got a lot of scripts through all at once and this show just stood out to him. I can see why, it's certainly different to some of his usual stuff. I think since Spooks, he hasn't really stood out in anything - he did a Pride & Prejudice remake, risky considering everyone's love for Colin Firth - but here he get a chance to shine and really make his mark. Maybe he's aged a bit and has matured into his acting, I don't know. I'm impressed, is all I'm saying. I'm a convert. Good show, sir.
Also the ending of the series was wicked good. I feared we'd end up with a cliffhanger, as every drama seems to end on a horrible cliffhanger now, showrunners seeming to believe that they'll not hook viewers in for next year if they don't leave us hanging. Bah! Give me some resolution any day. The ending was so beyond perfect - Jackson's feet on Reid's desk, Reid's matter-of-fact way of shoving them off, Drake's silent reaction (I love that he and Jackson will never be true friends, that's still fractures in the relationships, it makes it all much more fun), and then Artherton's breathless entrance. Oh, that look the three exchanged, almost mischievous, so perfect. They love them some crime-fighting, maybe because they're all good at it and compared to their personal lives, it makes more sense to them and can actually be solved and fixed. "Shall we?" Oh, gentlemen, we shall indeed. I can't wait for next year :)
Clearly it's not a show for the easily offended - lots of ugly brutal murders and violence, lots of sex and definitely some kink. Also women don't always come out of this brilliantly - they're pretty much always whores or victims. But the characters are great and the script just sings. There's Inspector Reid, convinced his drowned daughter is still alive and at odds with his gorgeously delicate-but-strong wife about it, the hard-hitting Sergeant Drake who wishes to marry prostitute Rose and tries not to dream of the bloodshed he gloried in during the war abroad, and the American Captain Jackson with a deeply murky past and a strange but occasionally tender relationship with brothel madam Long Susan. So far, so cliche, oh but it works. The stories are riveting, all stand-alone crimes, no arc-villain here (unless you count the continual shadow of Jack the Ripper) though maybe we'll get that in series two, and feature great guest stars - Paul McGann! Ian Glen! - and there's great recurring characters too; sly newspaper reporter Fred Best (very much a reference to our modern press's behaviour I think), desk sergeant Artheton with a disapproving manner and magnificent red beard, sweetly innocent Constable Hobbs, and wonderful Jewish orphanage owner Miss Goren who Reid finds himself continually relying on and confiding in. The characters really are well fleshed-out, I suspect by both the writing and the actors' inputs, for example Reid's wife could have been a terrible drip but Amanda Hale plays her with a wonderful steel to her spine as well as a heartbreaking delicacy, she's determined to move on even if Reid can't and she starts to run a shelter for wayward girls and even stands up to Susan in a way that feels so right for her character. Her kindness is wonderful and not bland at all, as such 'pure and good' characters can often be, especially in such period pieces.
I admit, I do love Captain Jackson. Adam Rothenberg, who I don't think is all that well known either in the US or over here, is great in the cad surgeon role, providing the science Reid needs for solving cases. He also drinks like a fish, gambles, and lives in a brothel. Policing at its finest clearly lol. I was worried that his 'I have dark secrets that my boss and work colleagues must never know' arc was going to drag forever into multiple series, but I can promise that we get answers by the end of series one, answers that make sense, though I expect there's probably more we don't know about him. I just hope that he's not just a secrets machine, I like that he's smart and clearly enjoys the police work, if not the early hours, and that Reid trusts him enough to stand up for him, even if Drake loathes him lol. He and Susan have a fascinating relationship thanks to their shared past and I hope that that continues to develop. I also hope his friendships with Reid and Drake continue to develop and that he won't be all 'you can't ever know me, it's too dangerous for me' because that's a well-trodden path and I find it dull.
Drake and Rose's romance is heartbreaking and lovely. The scene where Jackson takes her to task, telling her not to lead Drake on, and then later commiserating with Drake via single line of dialogue were truly great character moments. I love that Rose isn't going to stay a gold-digging tart with a maybe heart and actually strive for more and Susan's reaction to that is so telling - you can make more money as a prostitute, so why try anything else? I have high hopes for Drake and Rose in series two, even if they don't end up together, their friendship has been a delight.
Oh Dick Hobbs! Not really sure why you had to die, I suppose just to spur Jackson on. (I've read some blindingly good Jackson/Hobbs fics and might be attempting to write my own). I really liked Hobbs and hate that he was sacrificed for the 'everybody suffers and dies' motif. That was my one big gripe with the show. I didn't really see the need for Hobbs to die like that. Couldn't they have waited until series two?!
I actually like Matthew Mcfadyen in this, which is a surprise as I haven't been a terrific fan of his work before. He's always seemed...I don't know, brittle, not quite solid enough in his roles. There's something about him and the way he's performed before that hasn't clicked with me until Ripper Street. He's really great as the upright and desperately guilty Reid. He's said in an interview that he got a lot of scripts through all at once and this show just stood out to him. I can see why, it's certainly different to some of his usual stuff. I think since Spooks, he hasn't really stood out in anything - he did a Pride & Prejudice remake, risky considering everyone's love for Colin Firth - but here he get a chance to shine and really make his mark. Maybe he's aged a bit and has matured into his acting, I don't know. I'm impressed, is all I'm saying. I'm a convert. Good show, sir.
Also the ending of the series was wicked good. I feared we'd end up with a cliffhanger, as every drama seems to end on a horrible cliffhanger now, showrunners seeming to believe that they'll not hook viewers in for next year if they don't leave us hanging. Bah! Give me some resolution any day. The ending was so beyond perfect - Jackson's feet on Reid's desk, Reid's matter-of-fact way of shoving them off, Drake's silent reaction (I love that he and Jackson will never be true friends, that's still fractures in the relationships, it makes it all much more fun), and then Artherton's breathless entrance. Oh, that look the three exchanged, almost mischievous, so perfect. They love them some crime-fighting, maybe because they're all good at it and compared to their personal lives, it makes more sense to them and can actually be solved and fixed. "Shall we?" Oh, gentlemen, we shall indeed. I can't wait for next year :)