David Hayman is good as Michael Walker. He’s the UK version of Jack Bauer sans the need to shout and scream in every scene. He has the strained face of a police officer, but with depth. The same goes for Kate Buffery. Her role is more difficult as she has to be both a hard-nose police officer and a woman at the same time. In further episodes later in the set, those emotional walls come crumbling down as she and Walker start living together.
Doubt is something that is very present in the life of a law enforcement officer. Is this person that goes to jail really the person who committed the crime? How much does evidence really play in getting a conviction? What personal life does an officer of the law lose when he or she puts it behind for their career? These are questions you don’t often ask yourself after watching the average episode of Law and Order.
Trial and Retribution is not really about cops and criminals, nor about the lawyers who work for both sides. Trial and Retribution is about how the wheels of justice don’t always turn when they should. There’s always something in the way that makes it difficult to close a case, to have a real life, and to do the job without letting the outside affect your performance.
If you have a few weeks to spare and two hours each weekend, Trial and Retribution is for you. If you need your crimes solved within the hour and with justice served, you would do better to stick with Law and Order.
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