- Oct 17, 2008
- 14,471
**no plot spoilers, only the premise and first 30 minutes setting up the conceit are discussed**
Just finished this. For those who are unaware, it’s a British murder-mystery comedy-drama - think Jonathan Creek, but perhaps slightly less quirky. Six fifty-ish minute episodes in the first series, which has just been released.
I hugely enjoyed this series, it’s a really comfy and, frankly, low effort watch (it’s pure “cozy mystery”, for fans of the genre who can work out what the f*** I’m going on about).
I do however think an issue which will make or break whether you decide to watch, is that Ludwig stars David Mitchell.
Some love and many hate Mitchell, who also Executive Produces, but I am somewhere in the middle. He plays his usual Mark Corrigan baffled-by-the-modern-world shtick, in an admittedly typecast role which was created as a vehicle for him. Fans will lap it up, haters should avoid.
The story follows John “Ludwig” Taylor, a reclusive, neurodivergent puzzle setter, as he is dragged into investigating the sudden disappearance of his identical twin brother James, a detective chief inspector.
Ludwig is summoned to stay with James’s wife and teenage son in Cambridge (which features heavily throughout), as they desperately try to understand his disappearance. This leads Ludwig to impersonate his brother as a fish out of water senior police officer, to gather clues on his brother’s disappearance.
Thus the central conceit is set, with each episode revolving around a single murder-mystery for Ludwig to unravel using his savant puzzle solving skills. Meanwhile the investigation into his brother’s moonlight flit unfolds in the background, as the B-story.
The acting performances are good across the board, as is some of the snappy writing. Anna Maxwell Martin as Lucy is always fun to see, and Mitchell gives his usual performance - I warmed to him after a shaky start and quick acceptance of Peep Show deja-vu.
A tight six episodes - under six hours - which I like as I can’t abide interminably long (usually American) shows where nothing really advances.
4*
Notes:
- the constant - and I mean constant Beethoven underscoring for essentially each entire episode is initially like getting buggered in the ears with a trombone, especially the jarring use of “Ode to Joy” over the end titles, but I had tuned it out by episode three.
- the comparisons to Jonathan Creek are numerous; reclusive but endearing loner with genius level intellect, whose job it is to create clever puzzles/tricks, ends up having to solve them with lateral thinking at the behest of a quirky female deuteragonist. The show is equally light in tone with lots of humour, underscored by classical music and has a “little England” sensibility.
. Looking forward to the next series.
