Episode 1 started off well with the split screen usage being very effective in relating the horrific murder of a prostitute and near murder of a second. When a third woman met a similarly grisly death the plot moved quickly to the arrest of three young men who all confessed to the killings.
This is when implausible situations took over, one after another, leaving me gobsmacked that a Lynda La Plante novel (if script and plot were faithfully followed) could be so mediocre.
Damon, the manipulative mastermind of the three attacks, is credited with an overpowering control of the three accused and yet there is little to suggest why this is so. He treats not only senior police who have arrested him but also his own legal adviser with incredible contempt - to the point that Damon himself becomes an unbelievable character.
As the second episode deals mainly with the court proceedings I thought credibility would gain the upper hand but the implausibility of situations became almost over-powering. What a pity because the actors tried hard to be convincing but the deficiencies in this production had too much of a stranglehold on this disappointing series.
Review of Trial & Retribution II - Part One
