roberto1 Reviews

Threat Matrix (2003–2004)

A cartoon

[14 January 2005]

This show is so far away from reality, it can see the top of reality as it starts to dip below the horizon and sail far, far away. Don't watch it unless you want to experience the odd sensation of your brain running a white flag up a pole and trying to escape out of your ear lest it have to watch another episode.

Reading comments that suggest that this is based on real-life makes me realise just how much people's perception of reality has been warped by TV and movies.

Having said that, if you have an iron constitution, you might find it amusing in a precognitive kind of way: people in years to come might look on it the same way we look at King of the Rocket Men and the Batman serials of the 40s for their "realistic" interpretations of science, technology and the then-current affairs. Experience that feeling today with Threat Matrix!

Touching Evil (2004)

Better than the original

[26 March 2004]

While the original Granada (not BBC, as others have claimed) show was dark, this USA Networks remake is both dark and eerie, as well as better made.

It's best not to think of this as a standard murder-of-the-week show, but as a character study of both police officers (in particular, the hero, Dave Creegen) and of "evil" itself. In most cases, it's obvious from the beginning who the guilty are, but the show is more about why they are evil and the effect "touching evil" has on the police.

What is novel about Creegen is that he's not a straight-cut hero. At first, he appears strange (thanks to a bullet having removed a chunk of his brain and some of his faculties), but with exceptional detective skills; we trust those abilities because he gets results. However, as the show progresses, we stop siding with him, since although he is "a maverick cop who doesn't play by the rules", it becomes clear that this isn't a good thing, despite cop-show convention, since it jeopardises investigations and let's the guilty go free. By the end of the pilot, even Creegen knows he's gone too far, having broken into a suspect's house to kill him, rather than see him go free as a result of too many extra-legal actions on his part. The audience is left unsure whether they're supposed to be rooting for him, even though he does catch the guilty, or whether to side with his colleagues, who are desperately trying to ensure their suspects end up in prison rather than let off the hook.

The show is also novel because of its reasonably positive take on the mental ill: Creegen, despite his lack of shame, lack of restraint, etc, is still a brilliant cop; his schizophrenic friend Cyril could be a valuable member of society if he remembered to take his meds, and is still helpful even when he doesn't; and there's someone on staff who acts more than a little Aspergersy and yet is able to ferret out clues from video and newspapers as well as or better than almost anyone except Creegen. Creegen, maybe because of his own situation, shows them friendship rather than the contempt the average police show cop would offer.

The real test of the show will be when it starts making wholly original episodes, rather than those based on the original mini-series.