Scott & Bailey S2 finale review
Yesterday upon the stair
I met a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
Oh, how I wish he’d go away
- Antigonish, William Hughes Mearns
If Series 2 of Scott and Bailey proved one thing, it's this - Rupert Graves is so good at playing bad guys you don't even need him to actually appear...
Except you do, really.
OK - this is pure self-indulgence on my part because technically the fact he never showed up means we probably shouldn't really even be discussing this Series here. But dammit folks, I am annoyed - and I bet a few of you are as well. So feel free to join me in a little venting...
Oh and spoilers for Scott & Bailey S2 - in case you hadn't already guessed!
Why the ending of the Nick Savage storyline was a crock of shit
Let's leave aside the fact it's specifically Mr Graves' character we're talking about; pretend Nick Savage was played by some other (gorgeous, talented) actor.
Last time we saw him he was being interviewed about hiring someone to kill Rachel and looking pretty pathetic as he realised just how screwed he was. That's the Nick Savage we remember from Series 1 - sleazy scumbag, adulterer, not enough backbone to do his own dirty work, reputation and career totally down the pan.
So when Rachel finds out he's not being prosecuted, I am absolutely with her on the being annoyed as hell front. I would be too.
But intimidated? Scared? Needing protection? No. He may be a bastard but he's a smart bastard. She knows and we know Nick isn't stupid enough - or brave enough - to go anywhere near her. He may decide he's not got much to lose and demand REVENGE!! but we learn from Gill that he's back in a decent job so there goes that motive too.
Now if at this point Rachel had run into him and he'd been all "I'll get you, Penelope Pitstop" or even if we'd had some more creepy stalkery stuff like the flowers pointing to him then I'd have felt he was a threat - instead he continued to be the man who wasn't there.
Until last night, at which point he graduated to the punch bag that wasn't there and then the corpse that wasn't there.
So whodunnit?
If Rachel had run into him in an underground car park and she was pissed and he was his usual self I could see her giving him a good beating - but we know it's not Rachel. The idea it could be is entertaining - but we know it's not.
My prime suspect was Sean - he's been a bit creepy stalkery himself at times and he'd certainly have the physical ability and the know-how to carry out the deed.
But Dom? No.He's been pathetic all season. Getting walked over and literally buggered by all sorts of people. Suddenly he grows a pair and decides he's going to "help" Rachel by beating her ex to a pulp? An ex who's made no move to contact her or do anything to her? "He can't hurt you anymore" - well actually he wasn't doing that anyway - you're the one giving Rachel most grief recently, matey.
But well done - you managed to beat up a guy who seems much fitter than you (we'll allow that - he probably sneaked up on him) without getting caught by any CCTV (which all car parks I know have these days) and without having any evidence on your clothes (they searched Rachel's flat remember?) Every other case they've talked about Forensics and CCTV - where are they? Nick must have bled obligingly neatly.
And how does Rachel find out - the canny intuition that's got her this far that we've admired all series? No - her older sister tells her the whole thing. The older sister Dom couldn't stay with. How the hell did she know Dom was stalking Nick? Why would he tell her that?
And then they really blew it. She lets him go?!?!? I have to admit I did not see that one coming - because it's totally out of character!
I just.... No. So many things wrong with that whole plot. Lack of Rupert was one of them but far from the only one. They tried to build Nick Savage up to to be this big bad threat but it just didn't work without you seeing him - regardless of who was playing him. There was no menace at all. I even saw several comments on Twitter from confused people who hadn't seen S1 who had no clue who he was!
I can only assume Rupert was too busy or too expensive (or he turned it down for whatever reason). I really can't imagine it was originally written like that. If it was then someone needs to have a word.
Ok Rant over. "Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?"
I met a man who wasn’t there
He wasn’t there again today
Oh, how I wish he’d go away
- Antigonish, William Hughes Mearns
If Series 2 of Scott and Bailey proved one thing, it's this - Rupert Graves is so good at playing bad guys you don't even need him to actually appear...
Except you do, really.
OK - this is pure self-indulgence on my part because technically the fact he never showed up means we probably shouldn't really even be discussing this Series here. But dammit folks, I am annoyed - and I bet a few of you are as well. So feel free to join me in a little venting...
Oh and spoilers for Scott & Bailey S2 - in case you hadn't already guessed!
Why the ending of the Nick Savage storyline was a crock of shit
Let's leave aside the fact it's specifically Mr Graves' character we're talking about; pretend Nick Savage was played by some other (gorgeous, talented) actor.
Last time we saw him he was being interviewed about hiring someone to kill Rachel and looking pretty pathetic as he realised just how screwed he was. That's the Nick Savage we remember from Series 1 - sleazy scumbag, adulterer, not enough backbone to do his own dirty work, reputation and career totally down the pan.
So when Rachel finds out he's not being prosecuted, I am absolutely with her on the being annoyed as hell front. I would be too.
But intimidated? Scared? Needing protection? No. He may be a bastard but he's a smart bastard. She knows and we know Nick isn't stupid enough - or brave enough - to go anywhere near her. He may decide he's not got much to lose and demand REVENGE!! but we learn from Gill that he's back in a decent job so there goes that motive too.
Now if at this point Rachel had run into him and he'd been all "I'll get you, Penelope Pitstop" or even if we'd had some more creepy stalkery stuff like the flowers pointing to him then I'd have felt he was a threat - instead he continued to be the man who wasn't there.
Until last night, at which point he graduated to the punch bag that wasn't there and then the corpse that wasn't there.
So whodunnit?
If Rachel had run into him in an underground car park and she was pissed and he was his usual self I could see her giving him a good beating - but we know it's not Rachel. The idea it could be is entertaining - but we know it's not.
My prime suspect was Sean - he's been a bit creepy stalkery himself at times and he'd certainly have the physical ability and the know-how to carry out the deed.
But Dom? No.He's been pathetic all season. Getting walked over and literally buggered by all sorts of people. Suddenly he grows a pair and decides he's going to "help" Rachel by beating her ex to a pulp? An ex who's made no move to contact her or do anything to her? "He can't hurt you anymore" - well actually he wasn't doing that anyway - you're the one giving Rachel most grief recently, matey.
But well done - you managed to beat up a guy who seems much fitter than you (we'll allow that - he probably sneaked up on him) without getting caught by any CCTV (which all car parks I know have these days) and without having any evidence on your clothes (they searched Rachel's flat remember?) Every other case they've talked about Forensics and CCTV - where are they? Nick must have bled obligingly neatly.
And how does Rachel find out - the canny intuition that's got her this far that we've admired all series? No - her older sister tells her the whole thing. The older sister Dom couldn't stay with. How the hell did she know Dom was stalking Nick? Why would he tell her that?
And then they really blew it. She lets him go?!?!? I have to admit I did not see that one coming - because it's totally out of character!
I just.... No. So many things wrong with that whole plot. Lack of Rupert was one of them but far from the only one. They tried to build Nick Savage up to to be this big bad threat but it just didn't work without you seeing him - regardless of who was playing him. There was no menace at all. I even saw several comments on Twitter from confused people who hadn't seen S1 who had no clue who he was!
I can only assume Rupert was too busy or too expensive (or he turned it down for whatever reason). I really can't imagine it was originally written like that. If it was then someone needs to have a word.
Ok Rant over. "Apart from that, Mrs Lincoln, did you enjoy the play?"