F3TV: Luther - series 3, episode 3

Even after being a bit thrown (and, admittedly, somewhat disappointed) by the Case of the (Two) Weeks(s) emphasis--to say nothing of the rather tidy and swift handling of some more overarching plot and character concerns--of the previous episode, I should have known better than to ever doubt Luther scribe Neil Cross and even slightly entertain the mere thought that he was growing complacent with his ever-complex creation. As the third episode of this third series proves yet again, Cross proves to have, to use a tired expression, a method to his madness--or, perhaps I should say, a downright menace to his madness, as the penultimate installment of this series (and perhaps the entire run of the programme on television) not only brings into clearer perspective the arc of this four-hour stretch, but the three-series journey of DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) as a whole.

Surprisingly and most ironically, if anyone is complacent as this hour begins it's Luther himself. With his nemesis DSU George Stark (David O'Hara) held at bay for now, partner DS Justin Ripley's (Warren Brown) loyalty cemented and confirmed once and for all, and enjoying the first tastes of a new romance with nice-'n-stable shopkeeper Mary Day (Sienna Guillory), our beleaguered copper looks to finally have achieved some semblance of peace--and that most unlikely-to-the-point-of-alien notion gives Elba the rare opportunity (both within the context of this show and in general) to play some lighter notes, which he hits at just right pitch. Luther's borderline giddiness, especially when Ripley arrives at his doorstep to begin their work day, is played just shy of silliness--after all, he would very plausibly have a bit of an exaggerated twinkle in his eye after indulging in a long-overdue release (bad play on words intended) after some long dark, years of angsty repression since series 1--and Elba, infusing a bit of his own offscreen personality, clearly has just as much fun playing it as Luther has with being in this positive space. (Ditto Brown, whose looks of what-the-fuck? bemusement at his longtime cohort's highly uncharacteristic emotional openness and sweetness are priceless.)

Initially, these moments feel a bit jarring, but such as it should be once that work day begins, and Luther and Ripley are thrust back into more familiar territory when a vengeful vigilante starts doling out his own brand of severe justice upon various criminals around the city. The villain of this Case of the (Two) Week(s) may not be as larger-than-life ghoulish as that of the last two weeks, nor are there really any outright scare sequences as in those episodes, but such is clever and rather sly refocusing done here by Cross and director Farren Blackburn, assuming the reins from Sam Miller. Although a newcomer to the Luther world as a whole, Blackburn shows an assured handle on all of the characters, their relationship dynamics, and their respective arcs over the years--which, beyond a procedural plot or watercooler-buzz-building set pieces, is what the hour is truly about. The specifics of the vigilante's motivation are rather moot, the real point being the clear parallels between his actions and modus operandi and Luther's own often less-than-reputable methods in adhering to his code of honor, with the killer's emergence coming as Stark regroups, along with an increasingly doubtful DCI Erin Gray (Nikki Amuka-Bird), in his quest to take down Luther for his law enforcement sins--not surprisingly bringing Mary into the mix, armed with some harsh truths about her new paramour. While given a bit more heft in this installment, Mary continues to exist as more of a pure-hearted ideal than fully-fleshed out character, but Guillory again goes a long way in making her likable and believable through the fine shadings she brings by simply, matter-of-factly underplaying, and she shares a palpable rapport with Elba in both the pair's lighter and heavier moments.

But the most striking and shocking parallel comes from a more macro sense, between this next-to-last episode in this series and that of the first, with some key character evolution and therefore contrast gained from that buffer that was series 2. One character may be in immediate physical jeopardy as a closing cliffhanger, but the one whose fate more precariously hangs in the balance is that of Luther, who once again has his world and worldview upended in most dramatic and devastating fashion. While the audience has witnessed him gain some perspective and tenuous peace over time, there's always the danger of any little thing setting off his innate, volcanic volatility in the wrong way--and now faced with another hugely tragic turn of circumstance, Luther could very well be poised to fall into another desperate and destructive tailspin, bringing back to fore not only his bad habits, but his very worst: hello, Alice.

Visit my The Films of Idris Elba site.
Buy the Luther series 1 DVD here.
Buy the Luther series 2 DVD here.
Buy the Luther series 3 DVD here.
Buy Neil Cross's Luther: The Calling prequel novel here.

F3TV: Luther - series 3, episode 2

While histrionics and melodrama-tics typically garner all the attention, to say nothing of awards, to pull off nuanced, complex subtlety with barely even a word spoken is not only far more difficult to pull off as an actor, but much more richly, if rather subliminally, captivating and rewarding as a viewer. Given his physical stature and general intensity to match, it's all too easy to overlook a key component as to why Idris Elba's portrayal of DCI John Luther has been so indelible for three series and running. It's not only the explosive eruptions of emotion that all too (often self-) destructively manifest in his ongoing investigations of violent crimes and pursuit of justice, but the quieter grace notes that occur within the margins. No more powerful of an example comes near the end of the second episode of series 3, when he catches his partner DS Justin Ripley (Warren Brown) in a rather compromising position. When Ripley opens his mouth presumably to offer an explanation and/or excuse, Luther shuts him down in ever-authoritative fashion with a brusque "Shut up, Mr. Ripley; you might just spoil my good mood''--and most actors and directors would be content, understandably so, to leave it on such a curtly glib note. But director Sam Miller lets the moment hang for another beat, and for just a split second after he finishes speaking, a shocking yet painfully honest change in expression befalls Luther's face and eyes--one of genuine hurt. For all of his outward toughness that comes with his job and his history, that history just as strongly informs how Luther would, however fleetingly, drop his guard as another one of the very few people whom he could ever count on and trust over the years appears to, like many before him, fall by the wayside.

It's a rather, for want of a better term, beautiful moment in an episode that for the most part runs counter to it, not only in terms of its quiet pitch in relation to the admittedly loud and sensational overall world of Luther, but in that it's a deep, character-rooted beat in an episode that is, for the most part, largely plot-driven. That, of course, is not necessarily a bad thing, as writer/series creator Neil Cross packs in some new twists to the Case of the (Two) Week(s). (This episode reveals series 3 to be formatted rather similarly to series 2, its four hours essentially a pair of two-part installments.) The ongoing hunt to catch the wig-and-mask fetish killer leads Luther and Ripley to another, equally shady and dangerous figure in a development that, both in terms of plot and character type, too blatantly echoes Saw for my taste, but Cross and Miller do milk it, as they have done all else, for maximum tension and suspense that builds to and culminates another heated confrontation at the climax.

Other heated confrontations, in radically different senses, however, leave stronger impressions than those tied to the main procedural plot. DSU George Stark's (David O'Hara) mission to take down Luther continues, the depth of his obsessiveness casting diametrically opposing doubts in their respective partners, with DCI Erin Gray (Nikki Amuka-Bird) harboring growing questions if doing the by-the-book "right" thing is truly that; and Ripley apparently rapidly reaching his loyalty limit with Luther and his methods. This thread progresses more swiftly than expected in this hour (owing to the abbreviated four-hour series duration) and does so in rather surprising fashion--though one gets the sense that the seeming tidiness with which this issue is dealt in this episode will just make way for a bigger mess yet to unfold. Ditto that in terms of Luther's connection with sweet shopkeeper Mary Day (Sienna Guillory), which moves from the previous episode's gentle flirtation to real potential for romance as the two get to know each other and their foibles. To be frank, thus far Mary comes off more as an idea than a character--a ray of winsome hope in Luther's ever-dreary day-to-day--and thus credit goes to Guillory for filling in the blanks and keeping in check and grounding Mary's sunniness by smartly, simply underplaying. Her warmth indeed comes off as a contrast to and, for Luther, an appealing retreat from all the other gritty goings-on, but she's not so light and bright as to not naturally and believably exist in the programme's overall dark and dangerous world--which will most certainly come to infect Mary and her burgeoning relationship with Luther, as it inevitably does anyone who comes into his orbit, in the remaining two episodes of the series.

Visit my The Films of Idris Elba site.
Buy the Luther series 1 DVD here.
Buy the Luther series 2 DVD here.
Buy the Luther series 3 DVD here.
Buy Neil Cross's Luther: The Calling prequel novel here.

F3TV: Luther - series 3, episode 1

While the serial killers and various other creepy-crawly deviants that DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) routinely comes across in his investigations of lurid crimes are the primary drawing card and the major driving force behind the buzz and word of mouth for BBC's Luther, that's really not where the true genius of the programme lies. This isn't to say that the show isn't good for drumming up some old fashioned scares and suspense, and veteran series director Sam Miller stages one of its best-yet examples of such as the capper to this installment's pre-title sequence and then pull off another great jump-scare moment as a bookend later in the episode. What largely distinguishes the show and makes it a far richer and consistently rewarding experience beyond a mere thrill ride is how, now three series in, creator/writer Neil Cross uses the police procedural plotting and paces to slyly and organically inform and build his larger narrative and character arcs that dig deeper than whatever the specific Case of the Week might be.

There are actually two Cases of the Week for this installment, the one most surely to occupy the viewer's mind much like it does Luther's being that of a fetish killer whose victims are found wearing wigs and masks. But before Luther and partner DS Justin Ripley (Warren Brown) can barely make a single move in the investigation, they're swiftly reassigned by DCU Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley) to a far less sensational murder case, that of an Internet bully, that is almost insulting in how obviously open-and-shut a non-mystery it is. The real mystery, and the true weight of the case, turns out to be the impetus behind the reassignment. Luther's list of mysterious deeds, if not outright misdeeds, in his work over the years has grown to a point where they are no longer so easily shrugged off, much less forgiven, from within the force--and determined to take him down is out-of-retirement DSU George Stark (David O'Hara), who is as obsessive about taking down corrupt cops as Luther is in exacting justice at whatever cost. The case reassignment is but the opening salvo in Stark's newly begun chess game with an unaware Luther, whom he believes--rather justifiably so--is bound to crack and show his dirtier colors in even the most deceptively mundane of job paces.

All too eagerly aiding Stark in his mission is DCI Erin Gray (Nikki Amuka-Bird), whose suspicions about Luther's procedures while working in his unit in series 2--and getting smeared in the process--have grown into no less than a personal vendetta. This is but one example of how cannily Cross builds from the established character foundations and continually shifts and evolves their roles, both in terms of character arc and their purposes in the larger narrative. Similarly, while Ripley's dogged loyalty to Luther has been continually confirmed over the years-long course of the programme, so have his doubts about its cost to his own personal sense of integrity. One of the great pleasures of watching the show develop has been how Ripley's role has grown more prominent and more complicated, and accordingly how Brown has grown into one hell of an (underrated) actor. (Sidebar--how the hell has Brown's terrific lead showcase from BBC last year, the haunting, morally complex Good Cop, not received any sort of release, on television or home media, in the States?) Based on what transpires in this episode, the direction and ultimate outcome of Ripley's arc may be the real dramatic linchpin to this series.

But of course no arc remains more compelling than that of the title character. I had my misgivings about the unusual and highly dissonant note of sunniness on which series 2 ended, but leave it to Cross to spin an apparent negative into something promising. Although Luther and Jenny, the young ex-prostitute he took under his wing in series 2, have (thankfully, if you ask me) gone their separate ways in the indeterminate amount of time that passed between then and now, the positive signs of life that friendship instilled in Luther remain. And so what was a unthinkable back in the angst-ridden depths of series 1--Luther engaging in a tentative flirtation with a sweet woman named Mary (Sienna Guillory), whom he Meets Cute in a fender bender--is surprisingly believable now as well as injects some natural moments of lightness to Elba's already multi-faceted portrayal, the character, and the overall proceedings. But as we have all too painfully come to know, Luther is a veritable magnet for trouble, and whether it be coming from a criminal, DSU Stark, his psycho-killer frenemy Alice Morgan (sadly absent this episode, but most certainly in the wings waiting to strike), or, as it too often and tragically is, the ever-churning demons within himself, it remains very much in question if this burgeoning relationship will amount to or last beyond mere moments.

Visit my The Films of Idris Elba site.
Read the Luther series 1 reviews here.
Read the Luther series 2 reviews here.
Buy the Luther series 1 DVD here.
Buy the Luther series 2 DVD here.
Buy the Luther series 3 DVD here.
Buy Neil Cross's Luther: The Calling prequel novel here.