Another noticeable change in this set is that the last two stories feature little if any scenes within the courtroom. The earlier stories didn't see an issue with having both the law enforcement and the lawyers having equal screen time. In the newer stories following Smurfit's arrival, the trial portion of the stories is pared down. For a series to be called Trial and Retribution, I would think the trial would be the most necessary and the most climactically important part of the series.
David Hayman still brings it as Walker. He'll creep you out in the first two stories of the set. He calms down to a certain degree in the Smufit stories as DCI Connor becomes the aggressor in this pairing. Smurfit's performance as DCI Connor is solid, but her facial expressions rarely change and she spends quite a bit of time with her eyes wide open as if someone was pumping Red Bull through her system to keep her awake.
Because I take care of someone who has a hearing problem, it is important that whatever I watch has some kind of subtitle support. When it comes to English television it seems that those options are few and far between. This second set, unlike the first, has this option available.
Among the extras is a nice short history of the actual Criminal Investigation Department of the British police. This is important for newcomers to British crime drama who don't know the difference between a DCI and a DCS. Very often those who rent or purchase these DVDs aren't given much education as to the differences in the ranks.
You get a textual biography of Lynda La Plante, who created this series as well as Prime Suspect. You'd do better to get the first set for an actual video interview that is informative, if not hilarious thanks to a little ditty about its connection to FOX's 24. If you'd rather hear from the stars of the series, you get interviews from Colin Salmon (who plays a suspect in the final story of this set), David Hayman, and Victoria Smurfit. Hayman's interview is the best and the most interesting out of the set. It's a shame he wasn't used more in other projects.
Despite the changes in this set, Trial and Retribution still manages to keep its audience on the edge of their seats. In these uneasy times, sometimes a trip to the dark side isn't a bad thing.
Article comments