After seven years in Australia Fitz, with his wife Judith and youngest son Jack, returns to Manchester for his daughter Katy's wedding. While there an American stand-up comedian is murdered and the police enlist Fitz's help, much to Judith's consternation.
I had lowish expectations for this: I am a great fan of Cracker but suddenly releasing an episode 10 years after the series ended smacks of desperation and being in it just for the money.
The episode started well enough though hand it seemed I was going to be pleasantly surprised. However, the cracks begin to show quite quickly. The plot seems a bit contrived - the murderer just happens to be a cop who happens to always be where the action is. Then there's the overuse of flashbacks - once was enough but every time a scene focused on the murderer we had this long drawn-out flashback sequence. We got the picture the first time round! It felt like pretentious padding.
Throw in some stereotyping of Americans and a political discussion that seems to agree with the murderer's anti-American stance and it's starting to look a bit hammy.
Then there's who's missing: there's no cops from the original series. The producers could at least have jammed Wise or Penhaligon in as a senior officer with a small scene. A reunion between Fitz and Penhaligon would have been great and would have provided the closure on their relationship. A massive missed opportunity, especially as the engagement factor is limited by having to deal with new characters amongst the police.
This said, the broader plot isn't bad and Robbie Coltrane is in good form as Fitz. Overall it's not anywhere as good as the original series but is watchable.
I had lowish expectations for this: I am a great fan of Cracker but suddenly releasing an episode 10 years after the series ended smacks of desperation and being in it just for the money.
The episode started well enough though hand it seemed I was going to be pleasantly surprised. However, the cracks begin to show quite quickly. The plot seems a bit contrived - the murderer just happens to be a cop who happens to always be where the action is. Then there's the overuse of flashbacks - once was enough but every time a scene focused on the murderer we had this long drawn-out flashback sequence. We got the picture the first time round! It felt like pretentious padding.
Throw in some stereotyping of Americans and a political discussion that seems to agree with the murderer's anti-American stance and it's starting to look a bit hammy.
Then there's who's missing: there's no cops from the original series. The producers could at least have jammed Wise or Penhaligon in as a senior officer with a small scene. A reunion between Fitz and Penhaligon would have been great and would have provided the closure on their relationship. A massive missed opportunity, especially as the engagement factor is limited by having to deal with new characters amongst the police.
This said, the broader plot isn't bad and Robbie Coltrane is in good form as Fitz. Overall it's not anywhere as good as the original series but is watchable.
