The great Edmund Reed and how to start for health, a...
After watching the series, it left such a contradictory feeling that I am ready to divide it, cut it in two and say that I like one, and I would send the second to the trash and forget it quickly. Why is that?
Good
The events of the series “Ripper Street” begin after Jack himself finished his business. Initially, it seemed that this was such a hint that he would be overtaken in the future, but it turned out to be quite different. And that's not bad. It turned out that in order to make a good series, you don’t have to talk about a hidden person shrouded in darkness, and all you need to do is show one of the largest cities at the beginning of a stunning industrial era and put interesting characters there, each of which has its own story before the series and carries it within itself. The main characters differ in opinion and have some dislike for each other. Their interaction is interesting to watch! Edmund Reed is a stylish policeman who is respected, he is not a fictional stupid person, but a man who lives his own business. Drake and Jackson are not simple, they carry the weight of a previous life and cope with it like normal people, drink, fight. While watching the first three seasons, the viewer has sympathy for expensive characters and even Edmund’s outburst of anger seems justified. Everything is made to reveal the characters and show interesting investigations, the creators have succeeded and three seasons look in their place. But, as they say, the family is not without a freak ...
Bad
By bad I mean the fourth and fifth seasons. Everything disappears. Chemistry, logic and interest. Reed achieved his goal at the end of season three, returned his daughter, and retired. So why would he come back? Edmund returns to investigate the case of a executed Jewish scientist and it looks... strange. No, I'm not denying Reed's idealism by any means, but he returns to the precinct, giving first place to Drake, who has turned into a real hysteria. The regiment commander, who was a friend to Reed, sees the main character not as a comrade, but as a threat. All the relationships built over three seasons are broken against a stupid wall of "the boss is jealous of his authority towards his former boss." In the fourth season, as in the fifth, there is one storyline that is not interesting to watch. Investigations and investigations to establish the identity of the culprit, and when the culprit is one for two seasons, which is revealed in the middle of the first, it looks like a nick village or to the city. For the drama, they also decided to merge Drake with Rose, and it hurts to watch.
Result
The series has a terrific three seasons lifting it up, and the last two seasons that drop "from heaven to earth." So I’m glad that the review can be neutral, because in three seasons I’m ready to put a class and vouch for them, and the last two – objectively garbage. It is a shame that all good things end, but in the modern world there is no other way to wait. People who read reviews can only wish not to touch the last two seasons, if you have not watched, and enjoy a strong and beautiful detective.
"Ripper Street" has repeatedly met me in the lists of promising interesting series. By modern standards, it can not be called long, only 36 episodes filled with drama, tragedy, comedy, thriller and detective. Each season is connected with each other, and in general the whole series seems to be stitched with a red thread with the name of the main character of this action - Detective Edmund Reed.
What's good?
Heroes. Delightfully written characters who are all connected in one way or another, whether it’s a pint of beer or a favorite girl from a brothel, believe everything you see in this series matters. The top three performed by Matthew McFedian, Jerome Flynn, and Adam Rottenberg are a bunch of contradictions that make them an ideal team. This is not a classic English detective in the spirit of Sherlock Holmes (although there is something from Guy Ritchie), but it is full of British stiffness, which boldly contrasts with the American hero.
A delightful image of Katherine Hart performed by Mayanna Buring, who entered my heart as a beautiful image of a feminist and mother.
Actually...
The series is not perfect at all, but something in it makes you look further and further, perhaps something in it resembles the spirit of Peaky Blinders. Here is an interesting start flowing into routine and an exciting ending. The series maneuvers from series to series, bringing the viewer to the solution of another mystery.
What didn't like was the end. The long last series knocks the ground out from under his feet after what he saw. Too surreal and unlogical, too much drama for a crime-detective series, and too few answers to unquestioned questions.
In conclusion, it should be summed up that “Ripper Street” is not a bad series for not too attentive viewing or for a lover of intricate stories, of which, believe me, there are many. Here love is put to the test of the streets and time. During the reign of Queen Victoria. A time when Jack the Ripper was raging on the streets.
Pretty good show. The quality is on the level, the picture is believable, that is how you imagine White Chapel. It's beautiful. The actors are great. The characters are perfectly spelled out. I especially liked Benet Drake’s character. Captain Jackson and Long Susan are beautiful. Drake is simply genius in himself, his severe gloom and at the same time obvious kindness in my eyes just conquered! Susan is interesting as the most controversial character. Now she is a tough businessman, then just a woman, then a mother, then a notorious bandit, then a beautiful woman. Very interesting character. The captain is such a funny swear man. But Edmund Reed doesn't interest me at all. Because it's static, it doesn't develop, it's as crystalline as a baby's tear. Even the writer’s attempt to reverse this feeling failed. Plus, Matilda is absolutely annoying, too. Now she is shown to be a frankly sick child, then she is suddenly a healthy young woman. There is something unnatural about it. And Rose, who at first was quite happy, by the end of the series was just merged by the writers.
As far as the story goes, I absolutely loved Season 3. And I'm sure he should have stopped there. Since the beginning of season 4, the logic has disappeared completely. It was interesting to watch seasons 4 and 5. The maniac and his family have brought something new. I especially liked the series about his life. Touching. And he tells us that there is usually something good about a maniac. I would even call the last seasons successful, if not for 2 circumstances. The last episode, even the last 5 minutes of Season 4, and the final episode of the fifth. Seriously, with the drama just bent and left a painful feeling. Again, it doesn’t logically fit. Susan's last decision, the fate of their family. Matilda's last sentences. It doesn't look natural, as if they're deliberately pressing for pity. Plus a completely out of place prequel, with Drake and Reed. It wasn't the place at the end. If there was a flashback, it was at the end of the fourth or early fifth season. There it is. But not at the end, for a snack. Not logical. Again bring up the Ripper case again at the very end, and even so casually and ineptly... why? Yeah, I watched the BBC show about this wife killer, yeah, he was really suspected of being Jack. But if you're going to show it, do it humanly. If you show the whole story, it would take 1 episode. It's an interesting story. They would have been right if they had done the right thing. And so the last series became some kind of a mess of what happened.
Overall, the series is good, but the final seasons were disappointing. Plus, of course, it's a little disappointing that it doesn't smell like a Ripper. Well, for the sake of decency, we could devote at least 2-3 episodes to the most famous maniac in the world! Especially since they owe it a name.
Whitechapel is alive. Yes, he is rotten and wild. He is tough, heavy and ruthless. And yet there are no equals.
A couple of years ago, I was flipping through a social media feed and came across the face of the famous British actor Matthew McFedian. He starred in a series called Ripper Street that I had never heard of. I decided to look at it without high hopes. But after watching the two seasons that came out at that time, I was absolutely delighted.
Often, when we read novels of the Victorian era, we imagine beautiful women in elegant dresses, gallant gentlemen accompanying their ladies to the ball. But it turned out that it was not quite so. This helps us to see East London, shown in the series I described.
Over the course of five seasons, we have often faced the harshness of real life. It seems that no one can fix it. However, there are still people who are willing to fight for the light in the dark.
Inspector Edmund Reed is the main character in the series. He fulfilled his obligations as conscientiously as possible, even after the family tragedy. This man lives his work and devotes his whole life to it until the last minute. Unshakable, even when the whole world disagrees with him, he will seek proof of his rightness and not without reason. Like every human being, he has his own faults. But he is to be admired. He is dedicated to his work and friends with whom he has ambiguous relationships.
Captain Homer Jackson/Matthew Judge was a physician who served in the U.S. Army before emigrating. Pinkerton. The most charismatic character in my opinion. Sadly, we don’t know everything about his past, but the pop-ups of his former life make it clear that the law means little to him and he doesn’t lead a righteous lifestyle. Many of his compatriots would not mind scalping him, as he himself tells. However, this man, working in the police department on Lehman Street, sheds light on the intricate crimes. Extraordinarily skilled. As his colleagues said among themselves, “I have never met more such people,” even though they teased him as an American or a Yankee. It is also interesting that for the sake of his wife, he will do absolutely anything, knowing all her sins. Looking at this couple, I am ready to believe in love.
Sergeant and later Inspector Bennet Drake. According to the description, it may seem that Jerome Flynn played Bron from Game of Thrones again, but this is completely not the case. Yes, he punches people in the face, but he's not motivated by self-interest. He served the queen in the war, saw too much, after which people of a weaker character would try to forget what was led, with the help of alcohol and other pleasures. This character is desperate to find happiness. Unfortunately, he chose the wrong place for this. But he can't leave Whitechapel, nor can Edmund Reed. They both intended to leave the place, but their return was inevitable. .
The cast is beautiful! On the screen, we constantly see the characters of Game of Thrones, Da Vinci Demons and other delightful series. Their performance is impressive, I can’t name an actor I didn’t believe.
Heroes are very well revealed, even secondary ones. We have the opportunity to follow the experiences of the characters and understand what motivates them. Intrusive journalist Fred Best, Constable Albert Flyte, Detective Frank Thatcher, Miss Morton, Dick Hobbs, Nathaniel Crocker and many others were really real, alive. The story does not feel false, everything is too realistic and therefore it is impossible not to penetrate the series.
Special thanks to the costumers. The images of the characters are very suitable for them, to some extent emphasize their essence, the characters look very organic. Especially Susan Hart and Captain Jackson (I love his vests and his stupid hat).
The scenery looks amazing. Life never stops on the streets, quite the opposite. We see a lot of people who don't look the same, who are busy with their own business. The details are worked out to the smallest detail.
I watched the last episode today. I couldn’t hold back my tears, so I didn’t want to part with my favorite characters. The end is quite decent, but with such a gloomy narrative and should not hope for a happy ending. It won't be long before I forget this masterpiece. I’m sure I’ll revisit the whole story after a while, although I watched seasons 1-4 first before season five. I can say with confidence that this is one of my favorite series.
I’ve never reviewed a TV series before, but Ripper Street is really worth it. Mr. Reed and his team are definitely worth your time and my time, and I will now try to tell you how I feel after watching the latest episode of this magnificent, strong, beautiful and unpredictable series.
The main characters
In each season, the main characters and several additional ones appear, but it is clear that the main emphasis will always be on the top five, which I will try to tell you about.
Matthew McFadyen/Edmund Reed is the main character, Inspector of Department H, who is located on the dirtiest streets of London. Matthew fit into the role incredibly. Frankly, I didn’t even know McFadian’s track record before, but after going through it, I realized that Matthew was the ideal man of the time. All of the roles, or 90 percent, were related in one way or another to around that time, as well as the same position that McFadyen was. Statitude, beautiful speech, a bright head, respect among ordinary people of London - from the poor to the rich - all respected Edmund Reed. In his game, in the game for all 5 seasons, I believed and believe that this is how the inspector of London of the 1880s-1900s should be.
Jerome Flynn/Benet Drake is Edmund Reed's main assistant, friend and right-hand man. An incredibly clear role from Jerome - in the face of Sergeant Drake you can see honesty, support, sympathy, love, rudeness and warmth. Benet Drake was a man with a capital letter, to whom the word honor meant much more than just a concept. Benet is the opposite of Reed, a straightforward and strong military man who complemented Inspector Reed’s sharp mind and incredible language.
Adam Rotenberg/Matthew Jackson is a surgeon who at first glance looks like a simpleton and a genius in one person, and it seems that the meaning of American life is only to rub your tongue and paw women. However, the more the series rocked, the better the character Rotenberg transformed. Captain Jackson is responsible for many of Reed’s and H’s troubles, but as soon as Edmund got into desperate situations, it was Captain Homer Jackson who always provided the shoulder.
Mayanna Buring / Susan Hart - Jackson's lover, the most ambiguous and colorful character of the series. So until the end of season 5, I couldn’t figure out what I felt about Susan Ball — hate, admiration or love. Mayanna played incredibly, showing the viewer such a colorful character in such a black and poor place, which are the streets of Whitechapl.
I could not choose the fifth one. Throughout the series, I was amazed by absolutely everything - from Joseph Gilgan, the famous role of the completely opposite type - the merry Rudy from "Dumpsters", who played only an episodic, but very bright part in the series (in other words, there are an incredible number of such characters) and ending with the main villains, such as "Jedidae Shine", who was incredibly played by Joseph Mole from "Dumpty", "Dumpty", which I almost loved".
Plot
The plot, originates in the search for the famous Jack the Ripper, and then smoothly flows into the narrative part of the life of Department H in that terrible time of discovery and brawl - each series as a separate film, each actor as the basis of a new series. Throughout all seasons, I did not notice a decline or breakup and the whole series from beginning to end clinging, and then did not let go until the very last minute.
Result
“Ripper Street” can be called a folk series, although it did not become so wide among the public. After the 3rd season was declared final, that is, officially closed the film, only the efforts of ordinary viewers managed to revive the shooting again. I was one of those who signed a petition for Amazon to continue filming this great series.
The atmosphere, the acting, the plot, the cast, the idea, the historical component, the overall beauty of the picture - everything is at the highest level. Yes, maybe 10 is too big a rating, but I will put the maximum in order that perhaps at least someone will read this review and decide after that to watch this great TV series.
10 out of 10
Thank you, the streets of Whitechapl. I will truly miss you. I’m pretty sure I’ll be revisiting Ripper Street one day. I hope it is in the original language.
The birth of justice, which we see to this day.
The first season is really about the legendary. Jack. Then the plot twists, characters develop, character changes. The hero has to adapt to the events around him. Playing an unfair game to have a good life. At that time, inaction is death.
I want to celebrate the scale, a special thank you to the costumers and the whole team for such a realistic picture that takes the viewer to the streets of 19th-century London. Where each viewer will find a character to his liking and live a lifetime with him.
For the first time, I disagree with the end of the series. After a difficult journey, could we expect a less happy ending? We were robbed of that drop of light on a dark street. I'm taking the score off of this offense. Very sad, inexcusable to all of us.
P. The British may even outperform their American counterparts in television production. Ripper Street is another vivid example worthy of special attention.
You know, there is a good, high-quality movie, but there is something fundamentally different, something really great. And this greatness has just come to an end, which makes it sad, and at the same time, in its own kindness in the soul - a story deserved to be heard, after all, is told. And it was done perfectly!
I have an unspoken rule – not to write reviews of the series until after the last episode of the last season. Once I violated it, perhaps a special case, but once again I was convinced that everything has its time - without knowing the end of history, do we have the right to condemn or praise what we saw and its creator? Therefore, I would advise you to be skeptical of those neutral, or even negative reviews about this work, who only watched a tiny part of it.
The series is now and then closed due to low ratings and failed to meet expectations of profit. Ripper Street closed after season 2, which came as a surprise even to the actors themselves. However, through the efforts of loyal fans and with the support of Amazon, the series has acquired a second wind, and even what! Seasons 4 and 5 were truly beautiful. Take my word for a man who watched over a hundred TV series, dozens of which were longplayers like this.
I asked what was included in the list of recommendations for viewing, so to speak, in the company, to “Street”? perhaps, there is little that is as worthy. With all my respect for some projects, and condescension to other projects, the other stories about Whitechapel, Sherlock Holmes and the police in general, are hardly able to compete with this series - yet modern cinema has godlessly fallen into slavery to eclecticism, the desire, first of all, to earn money, fame, flirt with the viewer, and only then, maybe, and say something worthwhile to him. That’s why I appreciate this work so much – if at first the idea that in some places a beautiful picture prevails over the content, then the last seasons touched me to the core. They are full of philosophy, everyday truth, all that ordinary people grieve about, about what they want, and what becomes after their desires.
I don’t think I need to go into details, as I often do. I'll just say that you can't dig into anything here - the actors' play is matchless, hardly anyone can be distinguished from the rest, and the new characters in recent seasons are like the cherry on a large and tasty cake; the series is very strong and the entourage, atmosphere of those times, besides retaining a fair share of historical plausibility. I didn't see any embellishments or assumptions. The harsh truth of life.
To the eternal question “what is this work about?”, we can safely answer that certainly not about Jack the Ripper, it is so, an aperitif before a meal, albeit also a very important part of the narrative. The creators of “Street” took pains to pose a number of difficult questions, both before our heroes and before us ourselves, to which, oh how not just to answer, first of all, to answer honestly to yourself. This series is about the nature of human kindness and cruelty, about how hard it is to live, no matter what path you choose. Our heroes so desperately seek peace for their tormented souls, but will they find it? Will justice prevail, and what is “justice”? These are eternal questions, as is the eternal struggle within man between good and evil. Meanwhile, the locomotive of progress is racing on all steams.
It is very difficult to advise me something similar and no less worthy, but I still take a risk – there is a series of films with Paddy Considine about the Suspicion of Mr. Weacher. I would also like to note that even though it is far in content, but close in spirit, MR73 is known in our box office as Once Upon a Time in Marseille. If you want to see something completely different, but of the same high quality, then “Carnival” is probably just right. At least these works are worth seeing.
I watched the first season when it came out on Christmas 2012. Then there was the second and, after the break, the third season. Now there is a fourth, which, unfortunately, I have not yet seen.
Ripper Street is one of my favorite shows. The main characters, so different, absolutely mind-blowing. Reed, Drake and Jackson reflected vices and virtues in all their diversity. They are so real that at some point it seems that they were. (At least Inspector Reed and Chief Inspector Abberline are real faces.) And even the seemingly unintelligible Matthew McFadyen looks very organic here. My enthusiasm for Jerome Flynn and Adam Rotenberg is inexpressible.
Each series is a separate detective story, all series are united by end-to-end storylines related to the lives of the main characters. The series looks holistic, it has a few sagging themes and plots. It is especially pleasant that by the third season the creators have not lost the meaning of the narrative.
Great show.
Needless to say, most people hungry for intrigue and blood pouring through the streets of London’s East End, looking for a bit of information about the most mysterious serial killer of all time, will stumble upon this product from the BBC. They will not find what they want here. I will not criticize this commercial move, on the contrary, I myself became interested in what cultural and historical heritage the authors will try to portray. How will they see the life of the Whitechappel neighborhood, which was unquestionably vilified and frightened by the atrocities that a man “from hell” sowed after him?
The scrupulousness of British filmmakers has long been a parable, so I have no complaints about the visual component of the series and the details that adorn the industrial district of London. Everything is done in the best traditions of historical series, a la Rome. Dirty streets, half-abandoned port slums - all this incredibly accurately conveys the spirit of that time. Sometimes, sitting in the chair of my cozy room, I felt the stench coming from the monitor of my computer. Again, it is difficult to make any claims to the decorators and the director.
However, I have plenty of them for the writers and authors of the idea. Since you so brazenly want to parasitize on the historical events of that time (for example, the very title of the series), wouldn’t you be so kind to bother to portray some worthwhile plots, fortunately, that everything was said for you: the era of booming London by the end of the millennium, terrible murders, illuminated even in the most lousy newspapers of that time, a whole bunch of so-called “non-canonical” murders, etc., etc. No one's been courting us. Each series is a separate investigation, and from the entire police department, the job of the bloodhound is performed by the one who should do it last - the mysterious American Captain Jackson. It is this character, as they say, and the Swede, and the reaper, and the duda player. The abundance of bright ideas in the head of a person who has to do with police work, to put it mildly, is striking. It seems to me that the whole mystery that envelops this character only reflects the lack of ideas fresh from the authors of the script. The Inspector and his loyal comrade-in-arms, the sergeant, the whole series, are galloping, damned, along Whitechapel, playing the role of hounds. And if Jerome Flynn's character is supposed to be that way, for a police inspector and head of the department, Matthew McFaden's character is clearly weak. In fact, each episode sooner or later fades away at the moment when a desperate inspector comes to Mr. Jackson for help, who, in turn, with a truly amazing analytical mind, gives one version after another of what happened. It's kind of a wand. At first, this is not alarming, but by the end of the first season, this scenario begins to depress. Apparently, the absence of Mr. Jackson in the ranks of the valiant Whitechappel police during the murders of the Ripper played into the hands of the latter, otherwise the clothes of his first victim, the brilliant “Yankee” would immediately calculate Jack.
I don’t see much sense in saying anything about the actors’ play, the work of the operators – as I said above, everything is filmed meticulously, in a British manner. But the script ruins it more than completely. After all, from a good detective, we expect, first of all, mysteries and interesting ideas, which in this series, unfortunately, are not. In addition, in addition to the name of the Ripper, which is mentioned almost every 10 minutes of personnel action, and the district itself, the series connect extremely far-fetched life dramas of Mr. Inspector and Sergeant, the essence and logic of which is almost impossible to capture.
When this darkness is removed, I can find the strength to live my life.
I think we're all lucky, don't you think? Damn lucky to be born now that humanity seems to be reaching its climax. We look with horror and trembling at the footage of what we believe to be a wild time; we frown with contempt, imagining the stench that was dragged from people of that era. Do we think of them as human beings? Will we equate the priceless lives now with those, as we like to say, languishing, dragging their miserable existence with people without doubt cruel, but therefore much more just time?
London is the soul of human vices, he has experienced in his lifetime absolutely all kinds of our sins, he has cultivated on his streets any examples of our greed, and the sidewalks, alleys, it will never be cleaned of our dirt, because he has absorbed everything, he keeps the shameless history of man’s ascent to the pedestal, where he is now, in his indiscreet opinion, is.
I adore Ripper Street, and I applaud all sixteen episodes. I have never seen such a coherent, exquisitely tailored work that has not touched my extremely sensitive indexes of irritability. I just couldn't give up on this chain of little dramas that represented more than a criminal retelling of Christian precepts. My nights were spent in Whitechapel - in the morgue, in the slums, in the nooks, in the factories, in the dirty beer bars, in the houses of tolerance - wherever people are valued slightly less than they are now, where "live a bitch!" from a police officer is the highest expression of care.
I admire Jackson, Drake, Susan, Rose and Reed. Only those under the shell survive; the rest are swept away by hysteria, disease, a knife strike between the ribs, belladonna extract. Has no one told you she's not breathing?
Oh my God, I'm tired of the disgruntled comments about the absence of Jack. Ripper Street is a slice of the life of the East End, where scandalously or completely unknown people die and disappear. Jack the Ripper is a reflection of that time, the atmosphere and what it ultimately turned out to be. If you lack the coveted scenes of dismemberment of girls who stumble upon their last client, you should choke on the spectacle of veiled natural selection, which no longer bothers us in the twenty-first century.
Washing blood from your hands, drinking a shot, healing wounds on your fists, it is important not to forget that you are a good person, Bennet Drake, and the world will not just abandon you.
10 out of 10
It's an absolutely gorgeous saturated picture. Awesome attention to detail. An abundance of urban panoramas, industrial species and interior settings. The claim of realism is justified. Can you believe that this was the late Victorian Laudon? Yes, the surroundings are excellent.
But the rest is trouble.
Plot:
After watching the 3 episodes, it becomes clear that each is a complete investigation of a separate crime. Why not? But the detective component is incredibly boring and predictable. The intrigue lasts no more than half an hour, during which the main details and identity of the criminal are already clarified. Then they completely unsophisticatedly catch and destroy the villains. The remaining 5-10 minutes are philosophizing.
There is always a hint of a single line. Jack the Ripper, the mysterious past of the doctor and the pimp, the burns on the body of the chief inspector ... But all this is too sluggish to interest.
Dialogues and monologues are often empty and boring. Obviously, many of them are written to entertain actors. Outwardly, serious and cool men carry some teenage pathos nonsense.
As a result, for me, a big mystery is how it was possible to ruin such an expensive shooting process with such incompetent work of writers. Maybe the scenery was not built for the plot, but vice versa?
4 out of 10
I finally watched Ripper Street. Of course, the first four episodes I chatted with my foot, thinking only about how good the exterior of the series and how terrible English actresses are, the most terrible of which on the screen make fatal, but by the fifth series I noticeably warmed up to the BBC project, having not resisted and having built up oncoming eyes is not just murky, but frankly interesting Homer Jackson. Isn't that a pauple? Smile. By the same time, Bennett Drake had already managed to touch me with his childishly sweet and naive love for a heartless slut, and Edmund Reed - to prove that, despite his plump-cheeked intelligence, he is not afraid of dirt under his nails, and the writers, more cheerfully knocking on the buttons of typewriters, - to demonstrate that I am able to compose, although traditionally police, but in General interesting stories - and I felt the pleasure of watching.
Of course, almost all the characters, intrigues and intricacies of relationships in the “Street” are quite predictable, starting with who the main evil in this or that episode, and ending with who Susan and Homer are to each other, and what a terrible tragedy prevents Reed from cooing with his toothy, devout wife, but in general, I repeat, it is interesting to watch. By the way, on Reed - despite the fact that his character is the most stereotyped and "one-sided" of the three presented (with already imbued obsession with work, roots rooted in justice and moral/physical mutilation), this role McFaden is definitely the best for this actor. Not because he is incredibly good in it, but because his past characters managed to unnerve me, and here - almost does not cause discontent. But, as it turned out, Inspector Reed is able to surprise, for example, sucking on a stale Jew with a swollen waist, but here, as they say, without comment. I am completely indifferent to Reed’s dull personal life (as well as its absence).
Long Susan or just Susan I like in my own way and her occupation - too. Looking at her and recalling Irene Adler from the modern British Sherlock, I recognize that despite (or thanks?) the general type of female mantis (both external and behavioral), they have some zest and even attractiveness, largely due to the emphasized poor female environment. When Rose was first called a beauty, I even went closer to the monitor, once again clarifying who Rose was.
By the end of the first season, the series had gone all out, and in the same benign form (with a nicely thinned face McFaden) drove into the second, which I will of course watch. The project is good and definitely worth your attention.
In one filthy crime town, in very dark times. In general, in London, the days of Holmes and Jack the Ripper were troubled. Especially in the poor Whitechapel neighborhood. People in the evenings are afraid to go out, in each stabbed prostitute see the hand of the Ripper, the more imitators are also divorced. Only the sober criminal police inspector Edmund Reed, along with the staff, tries to somehow resist crime and superstition on the streets.
I watched a few months ago and still had no hands to write about what a fascinating series, despite all the unsanitary Victorian era in the frame. Everything is terribly dirty, dark, cramped. Prostitutes, workers, thieves, emigrants, Jews are called Jews, opium is called for spilling, cinema is generally invented to shoot porn. The camera in the first series of the prosector's office does not get out, telling us about the birth of such an important profession as a forensic expert. But, all the more against the background of all this dirt sparkle white collar police officers who are trying to make the world a little better. In each series, they reveal a new business - not all of them are successful, but they come across curious, adventurous, multi-layered, intertwined with the life dramas of the heroes.
The main three are very colorful, versatile and perfectly complement each other: the judicious Inspector Reid (a good actor McFaden) with his loss and a crumbling family, is responsible for logic and drama. His loyal Sergeant Drake (Jerome "Bronn" Flynn), a military veteran and simple-minded kindness with fists, is very touchingly in love with a girl of easy behavior. Captain Homer Jackson (not seen before, but very good here) is a womanizer, military surgeon, former "Pinkerton" and in general, an American. Clearly on the run, but a man so skillfully dissecting corpses, and even with remarkable analytical abilities and “connections” in the criminal day, clearly useful in the police. And such a good team turned out that not a single infernal monster will resist their coordinated actions, quickly turning into psychotic criminals with poison or bomb.
8 out of 10
WOMAN: As a bonus, there were a lot of people from Game of Thrones and Luther in the guest stars. Little change, that's nice.
Once again, the infamous Whitechapel attracts the magic of the cinematography. Whoever was that uncaught psychopath (or psychopath), he satisfied his sick vanity for more than a hundred years. Where there is poor Herostratus to the trepidation and horror that to this day inspires in the inhabitants a competently told story of bloody madness, as if from the very underworld sent to the poor heads of the inhabitants of the streets of the Ripper. The stench of unsanitary and poverty is mixed with the opium sweetness of decadence, forming such an attractive aroma for the sensitive spectator's nose. An experienced film lover easily recognizes in it the tart smell of detective thrillers about serial murders of the late nineteenth century, which already fit to allocate a separate genre niche (film sale noir, for example).
However, “Ripper Street”, oddly enough, in many respects does not fit into the established framework of the plots about the very Jack. First, Detective Edmund Reed, along with the former chief and the entire Whitechapel police department, have not caught the Ripper. And while the older generation cultivates alcoholism and obsession on the basis of unfulfilled professional duty, the younger generation, with the kind and moderately puffy face of a good English actor Matthew McFaden, courageously moves forward and sows justice as they can.
Second, the inspector and his valiant assistants walk, because these are their streets. Well, not always, of course, sometimes they take a cab, or whatever they had back then. But the fact remains that without delving into the details more than necessary, without overdoing the letter of history and without falling into dull monotony, the creators managed to give the cobbled streets of industrial England at least some earthly appearance. The life of heroes is not that completely devoid of pathos and melodramatism, they themselves are not that very ordinary, and their lives are not that extremely realistic. But! Accustomed to the equanimity with which they eagerly walk through the Cruelty Fair flooded with emigrants and vices, it seems to reduce the mythologized evil to just another crime, before God and, above all, before man.
Yes, in this morose place, wives hire children to kill their husbands, Jews are called Jews, and humanity’s first film is nothing but sadistic snuff. But if you see the tormenting shyness and curiosity of a veil of some mystery, you can be sure that the team of professionals will not leave a trace of it by the end of the measured eight hours. And even the mystical flair of the mystery of the world-famous butcher instantly melts under the concentrated eye of Inspector Reed, with sound skepticism brushing aside the superstition of the illiterate. No, no miracles, but no infernal monsters - it's just a crazy criminal who could not catch.
So, leaving the doom of unsolvable tasks to someone else, the series leisurely takes on one case per episode plus the gradual disclosure of the life dramas of the main characters. Dramas, as well as the described crimes and characters, are different: from the most banal and common, to incredibly adventurous and multi-layered. But they are all painted on the canvas of the screen so balanced and organically that there seems to be not a single improper change in the tempo of the narrative (except for a couple of barely noticeable sags).
In fact, the intricacies of dirty deeds of the defilement of the human race will be subjected to a deserved logical analysis by the detective, a couple of scientific tricks from the arsenal of a talented American doctor and to top it all will meet with the iron fists of the courageous sergeant. Along the way, a police surgeon living in a brothel will bring a bit of humor to the story, the family affairs of a workaholic boss - moderate tragedy, and the timidity and simplicity of a retired military - genuine charm. It is in this atmosphere of a healthy team spirit and a versatile approach to the problem that a not uninteresting action rarely interrupts the lyrics. No one is afraid of dirt and blood here, but no one is drunk with them, except for the antagonists, whose personalities have not received a detailed analysis.
Hard to believe, but the whole first season is made in the same key of calm and balanced work on the side of good. There is no emphasis on the genius and a keen sense of fairness of the Team and its Leader. Although deduction, and well-established relations with the NTP, and courage, and heroism – everything is present. As there are mistakes, weaknesses, shortcomings of character, and the consequences of the past - the human factor, in a word, which is presented so directly and in moderation touching that it remains only to understand and forgive (well, in another way, no, honestly).
This very authenticity in the life of human relations, together with a truly extraordinary balance of everything (all!), can perhaps be attributed to the main advantages of the series. Also adding a thoughtful detective part, which is the middle ground between the dashing puzzle and the hard daily work of law enforcement agencies. To the disadvantages will go nitpicking for excessive plot orientation on the same film sale noir, in some places almost pretending to be secondary, and timid reproaches in the inevitable sublime melodramaticity. Anyway, the bar is taken quite high and the task is not simple - the course of the series at any time can be changed to a more familiar and popular. But while “Ripper Street” causes only respectful interest and slight surprise with its originality and naturalness, the more shaded by this ugly stupid name.
The BBC once again gave the world a stylish and atmospheric series. A motley team of colorful cops chase the shadow of Jack the Ripper hovering over Victorian London. Along the way, the guys unravel complex cases, save souls and throw slippers and empty whiskey bottles in their own cockroaches. Brothels, bandits, street children, maniacs, terrorists and dirty businessmen - these are the usual everyday life of a simple policeman.
The team is headed by a simple-looking and seemingly unremarkable Inspector Reid. In fact, he turns out to be an astute and versatile talented guy: he can make a bomb from improvised means, and immediately determines the route and place of departure of the corpse caught from the Thames. The inspector's past is not that dark, but troubled and, for all his outward calmness and correctness, internal demons besiege him on a regular basis. The main drama of the inspector’s life is the missing daughter. Unlike his wife, Emily, who mourns her daughter’s death incessantly, Reed believes the girl is still alive and desperately hopes that the elusive shadow of the Ripper can lead him to solve her disappearance.
Reed's right hand and fists are former warrior Sergeant Drake - a tough guy, but with a craving for beauty. Drake's demons are a bloody past and a lonely present. For the trust given to him by Reed, Drake pays with dog loyalty and faithful service.
Hobbs is eager to be useful always and in everything - the most optimistic member of the team, full of fiery enthusiasm. The green young man bribes with his sincerity and creates a refreshing contrast with the burnt lives of Drake and Jackson.
Captain Jackson is the most unusual member of the team, mainly because team play is clearly not his style. The American, former Pinkerton and military surgeon is in fact a fugitive, which Reed no doubt knows, but wisely keeps quiet because of his ineradicable belief in Jackson’s talent and humanity. Reed’s ability to see the person in those who are considered the scum of society and helped him to assemble such a special team and earn the love and devotion of each of its members.
A womanizer, a drunkard and a chronic jackass, Jackson has found permanent refuge in Susan’s brothel, with which he is connected by a common secret and an unexpectedly romantic story. The relationship of these two is usually expressed in screams and slaps, but the depth of mutual affection is visible to the naked eye, although they look at each other most often through the gun sight.
Dreamy Rose is one of the most profitable "girls" Susan. Rose’s natural charm attracts a lot of attention and problems. Of the eight episodes of the first season, three revolve around Rose, and in two of them she plays the role of the main victim.
Ironically, the Ripper himself appears in the series in the same two episodes and, despite the title, is not at all the main target or key figure of all investigations, but only the point of departure, the end-to-end motif ... a shadow. But even his shadow makes London society tremble, and each new murder increases and multiplies its already undying bloody glory.
The tension on the streets of London does not subside for a minute, but the series unfolds gradually and even slowly, increasing the load on the psyche of the viewer from series to series, spinning the stories of the main characters and exposing their personal dramas. In the last two episodes, we are presented with a riot of passions, tearing off masks, scratching and sprinkling old wounds with salt, and bringing new tragedies to our poor heads.
Visual effects are also responsible for the atmosphere: an amazing combination of the spirit of antiquity and innovation. The screensaver and poster of the series literally shout “Hi, technical progress!”, and looking at Jackson’s operating room or at the subway tunnel under construction, you do not feel disconnected from the century before last, but think “This is the future!” They are building the future in which we live. The only thing that bothered me personally on the show was the way they inspected a crime scene, touched evidence, or opened up corpses without gloves. Production costs, yes.
However, a smart script and visual perfection is not the main advantage of the series – most of all, it clings to a live cast – a rare case when absolutely every character and actor performing it are interesting in the series. Separately, I want to note McFaden: his Reed turned out to be the most controversial character with a confusing story. There were times when he seemed to me weak in execution, but a minute later he suddenly showed that he was not a mattress at all, and his behavior always pursued some goals. Reed aspires to be a good guy, but he is not a saint - he gnaws at the mistakes of the past and makes them in the present. At the same time, the inspector takes over the entire gang of policemen and even the most notorious of them respond with deep affection. Captain Jackson is the most expressive of the characters, and Adam Rotenberg is stunningly beautiful - no wonder he became a favorite of the public so quickly. Well, my personal favorite is the maniac from the finale, for which I actually sat down to watch this series. David Oakes is so amazingly organic in the role of psychopaths that every time you believe him unquestioningly. He may be a charm with an incredibly warm smile, but a second later, the scorchingly cold eyes change his face beyond recognition.
Not all characters survived to the finale, and some can go to the margins in the second season, but for me personally it is the human factor that determines that the second season I will be and watch it for the sake of old heroes and new villains. A wonderful series!
