Jonathan Creek What on earth!?

[clare_nce]

I've never been a great follower of Jonathan Creek but I thought it entertaining until I saw last night's one.

Comments

[alexmc]

I got the impression that it was to do with hunt for WMDs

[clare_nce]

That's the point it's just an impression. It's supposed to be shocking why be so vague about it.

It shows a lack of commitment to the storyline

[davidwake]

I don't have a problem with not knowing what was on the DVD. It's a standard McGuffin technique, but I can appreciate that you do. It's the point at which the whole pile of nonsense collapsed for you. My mileage varied and my list of points to rant about is different. As a story the head severed needed some hint at the start so that you can go "oh yes... of course" at the appropriate moment.

Rik Mayal's character was a returning character, absolutely excellent the first time, so why have him shot and in a wheel chair. Oh, to beat the assassins who can't smell. You don't have to be a trained assassin to tell the difference between petrol and apple juice.

Crime fiction requires a oppurtunity, method and motive. I can't believe a culprit who does the clever method because they are mad. (cf The Joker, which does work, but then he's revealed to be mad at the start and not when you need to wrap it all up

[clare_nce]

I'm very happy with McGuffins, but they have to matter to the characters and make sense so the characters don't look stupid/mad/irrational/possessed of extra-sensory perception (unless of course that is what they are supposed to be)

I'm happy not the DVD was about but there seemed to be a strange assumption that it should be obvious. As if they were being so shocking that they couldn't actually say what they were doing - which came across as an irritating 'How can this not be obvious to you, you must be stupid' attitude.

I could also add, why the faffing around with strangling the girl through the picture - just kill her and shoot Creek and burn the place down. Why the nuns left all the belongings and evidence of fooling the girls behind is also a mystery (they knew what they were doing they would have covered it up)

[davidwake]

All true. I think once your suspension of disbelief bugs out, then all sorts of things make no sense. Maybe the DVD didn't bother me because I'd already given up.

And you are right: why have complex ways of killing people when they could just go bang, bang... shallow grave. They are official assassins, so the police wouldn't bother.

[clare_nce]

I'm all for having disabled, transsexual, any form of human being that isn't portrayed on TV enough added in.

But this came across a bit more of 'let's go all PC' than why shouldn't they be in a chair or be transsexual.

I know that there has been criticism of the transsexual character (again why not have a transsexual actor) but that didn't jar for me. People can be confused when meeting transsexuals. It's actually a reasonable thing to dramatise.

[davidwake]

We've all been complete idiots in our comments. I too was completely taken in. It was transmitted on the 1st April - duh.

[clare_nce]

Yes, cos it fooled many of us into watching a badly written episode.