Luther (TV Series) Episode #5.2 (2019) User Reviews

A Gruesome, Wild Ride

[Better_TV · 8/10 · 8 January 2019]

This episode picks up the slack from episode one, which I found a bit vanilla as far as Luther is concerned... 5x2 was a huge improvement due its sheer insanity and bloodiness. This is not meant to be a gritty, "realistic" cop show; it's a heightened Grand Guignol-style opera, where people are endlessly tortured, butchered and mutilated and there's only one battered man, the titular DCI John Luther (Idris Elba), who has any hope of stemming the madness.

All of that is to say, this episode is a lot of fun. We witness more bizarre goings-on between Dr. Lake (Hermione Norris) and her freakish surgeon husband (Enzo Cilenti); there's plenty of frenetic action as Luther tries to diffuse the explosive rivalry between his old nemesis Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson) and gangster George Cornelius (Patrick Malahide); and Luther's boss Schenk (Dermot Crowley) starts to grow suspicious of his top detective (potentially returning their dynamic to the one that existed in season 2).

It's a lot of fun and there's plenty of truly uncomfortable (and often graphic) WTF moments that writer Neil Cross clearly had a great time coming up with.

My only criticisms are that Luther's youthful partner DS Halliday (Wunmi Mosaku) is starting to become total comic relief at this point. I like her, but the episode makes her out to be almost too naive. And then there's Luther himself -- Idris Elba is great as always, but almost all of his lines in this episode seem to be way more curt than usual. In past seasons Luther has had a lot more to say; it's almost as if the character is starting to tire of all the shenanigans that befall him.

Overall, an entertaining hour of TV.

Invincible Texxxxx

[alessandrovergoni · 9/10 · 15 March 2021]

Incredibile how both the criminals and the police play against him, Tex top wanted person in all Europe!!

Episode 5.2

[Seras11123 · 8/10 · 7 May 2021]

If Luther has shown us anything, it's that it works better when bundled in a four episode Series. And Series 5 has already picked up the slack from the underwhelming halved previous Series. Luther is still trying to deal with George's temper and juggle a murder case, but both are falling out of his control behind his back. This episode is nerve-wracking, has bloody/strange acts of crime and tense confrontations. Basically, the Luther we know and love is back. And while it's more outwardly Pulp Fiction leaning and less satisfying than some of its earlier material, this still packs a wallop after a four year disappearance.

Just wow

[Sleepin_Dragon · 10/10 · 3 January 2019]

I don't need to really add any other word to my review then wow, wow on all counts, the story, pace, action, acting, every single aspect was terrific.

I particularly loved the scenes between Ruth Wilson and Patrick Malahide, two fabulously villainous actors going at eachother, some truly powerful scenes. As much as I love Luther, and Elba, it's Wilson that commands the screen.

The story itself is very dark, and more twisted then it seemed on the surface. The writing superb.

One niggle, the sound was awful, at times going incredibly quiet, it was distracting, and at times it was so dark it was giving me a headache. Minor quibbles, which I'm sure will be sorted for the blu ray release.

Fabulous. 10/10

Where did the hour go? Gripping drama from start to finale.

[DVD_Connoisseur · 10/10 · 2 January 2019]

Episode 5.2 ratchets up the tension.

With Alice seemingly back from the dead, Luther's problems are multiplied.

With "Doctor Death" becoming increasingly unbalanced, his equally unhinged wife shows concern. Are her husband's impulses growing uncontrollable?

Meanwhile, Alice's own killer impulses threaten to unravel all Luther's good work.

10 out of 10. Unmissable drama.

Bloody hell. What an episode.

[alencar_darwin · 10/10 · 3 January 2019]

Bloody hell. What an episode. I wasn't this moved since watching Buffy (maybe Gilmore Girls or Fringe or Pushing Daisies or Six Feet Under or, of course, Twin Peaks) for the first time. This show is elevating the Crime-Drama genre to new heights of tension and passion (and artistic ambition and intention). At the edge of the seat one doesn't blink or even breathes.

Alice deserves a spin-off of any kind. For yesterday.

Alice is back and kicking (putting a big smile on me for every second of hers on screen) and her kicking puts a darker twist in Luther's life.

Cornelius will pay, one way or another, he'll pay.

And the grotesque couple dynamics is getting a bit more out of control (the morbid control and coldness they seem to uphold so highly); the depraved husband growing more restless with his "unusual" appetites.

Bloody hell. What an episode.

Wow

[wrobinson-92674 · 10/10 · 3 January 2019]

Incredible episode from start to finish. Loving how they are handling the plot lines this series between the main case and the back story with Alice and George Cornelius. Great to have Ruth Wilson back as Alice in full swing and of course Elba never fails to impress.

The Red Woman Is Back!

[ZegMaarJus · 8/10 · 19 August 2021]

This episode begins in Antwerpen (2 years ago), Alice is dealing the diamonds with Monsieur Awaritefe. Alice got ubducted, she got into a car crash. We go back to present day: Alice stands on John's doorstep. It gets clear that Alice ubducted Alistair, George his son. Alice has been shot by George. John and Alice get on the attic, George and his guards enter John's house. Alice shows John where she keeps Alastair. John has visions about him and Alice. John gave Alistair back to George. John and Catherine interview Jeremy, he is Vivien's man. Jeremy is the other masked killer. George ubducted Benny. George electrocuted Benny. Jeremy ubducted a woman. Alice enters George his house. Alice sticks a sharp object in Alistair's ear, he died afterwards. Nice Episode of Luther Season 5, happy that Alice returned. She shakes things up, she killed Alistair. Will George take revenge for this?

Episode 5.2

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 3 January 2019]

Icy psychiatrist Dr Lake was protecting another killer, her husband also a doctor, a heart specialist and insane.

Luther and his new sidekick Detective Sgt Catherine Halliday knew something about her did not add up.

Luther has other troubles. Alice shows up injured and it is her who has wound up crime boss George Cornelius. He wants Luther to give Alice to him.

Luther is in a spot of bother. His boss Schenk knows finds out about Alice, his colleague Silver is in a spot of bother and more people are in danger.

Mad, bad and dangerous to know, that's just Alice among others in this episode.

Is this the same show?

[jem21979 · 5/10 · 3 January 2019]

I'm surprised by the rave reviews, this really doesn't feel like the show I've loved for so long.

The writing is so completely average, barely better (if at all) than most police procedurals. The decision to take George Cornelius, the most boring and utterly predictable part of season four, and make him a main villain here, is baffling. He is a walking stereotype and has yet to do anything surprising or interesting. The icy killer couple seems ripped from NBC's Hannibal, complete with the sparse and modern home to reflect their coldness literally. They appear to have a set routine for kidnap and murder, and with the number of victims we've seen, how has no one taken notice before? She sees her patients in that very house.

Alice has lost her edge and feels like a shadow of her former self - part of the conceit of the show was her ability to run circles around everyone, even Luther, and now she's barely hanging on.

All of the locations are new, which adds to the unfamiliar feel. We revisit Alice's family home in this episode and it was so badly/lazily set up, didn't look anything like the set they used back in season one.

Schenk is snooping around behind Luther's back, which is very out of character for him. And without him, Luther seems even more isolated and out of allies than he ever has before.

For positives - filling in the lost time for Alice and Luther was a smart move, although the flashbacks completely lacked the spark that used to crackle between them.

DS Halliday is an interesting character - despite seeming incredibly young and inexperienced, she has very good instincts, not unlike Luther's. In this case, for some reason, she appears to be the only person actually paying any attention. I understand that Luther is distracted, but hasn't that always been the case? He is hardly even trying to be a detective now, a very dramatic contrast to his ridiculous declarations in the flashbacks.

I still hold out hope for the remaining episodes but they haven't given themselves much to work with.

John Needs to be Needed

[Warin_West-El · 5/10 · 6 February 2023]

This doesn't feel like the show I've loved for so long.

The writing has become completely average. And the choice of making George (boring) Cornelius a main villain here, is totally baffling. He has yet to do anything surprising or interesting.

Meanwhile, the icy killer couple seems like a rip from Hannibal, complete with their sparse, modern home.

Alice feels like a shadow of her former self. She used to run circles around everyone, even Luther. But now she's barely hanging on. Although, I must say, of all of the characters in this episode, Alice is the sanest.

DSU Schenk is snooping behind Luther's back, which is very out of character. So Luther seems more isolated and out of allies than he ever was before.

DS Halliday is interesting. She has very good instincts and appears to be the only person actually paying attention. Meanwhile, Luther is hardly even a detective now.

We can't really tell from the disjointed flashbacks, but it's beginning to look like John Luther cannot handle living with a woman who matches his level of survival skills. We see this in flashbacks of him saying that he could be "saving lives." John's haunted by a psychological addiction. He NEEDS to be needed. To quote Alice, "And you don't think this assumption of omnipotence is a touch narcissistic?"

Only two episodes to go. Will this series cover how John's addiction being needed first began? We'll have to wait and see . . . .