 |  | Clive Owen gets the Second Sight |  |
Clive Owen (King Arthur, Croupier, Closer) returns as Ross Tanner and this time he faces some tougher cases then the last ones. Hide and Seek, is the first two episodes involving a case that has a non-speaking little boy in which he saw the death of his mother. Tanner (Owen) must find the killer with the help of his former partners but one of them quits so Tanner has to bring in the new one. The result of the murder is a shocker. Parasomnia is the next two episodes in which Tanner has to solve a case of a brutal murder and the only suspect is a woman who seems to have been sleepwalking at the time. It's up to Tanner to solve this one, but he has problems of his own. He is suffering from bad sleeping in which he sees a figure lurking in the room in the dark and also he is going blind (hence Second Sight). Kingdom Of The Blind is the final 2 episodes in which Tanner's sings of blindness get more and more. A teacher of Tanner's son gets killed when a building blows up. Tanner's clues lead him to a blind old man. Soon Tanner is intwined in a web of games with the old man and soon his family is in jepordy as well. The end result is a shocker as well. If your a Clive Owen fan like I am then this is the ticket for you because you wont be disappointed. This was shown on PBS' Mystery.
November 1, 2004As a non-native English speaker I knew I would have a hard time understanding the subtle parts of the mystery without my native language subtitles. But I, for being a big Clive Owen fan, couldn't resist. Now I'm happy I did the right thing. It's worth watching Second Sight 1&2 series again and again. I liked Owen's performances in "Greenfingers" and "Close My Eyes". This role of his, Detective Chief Inspector Ross Tanner, exceeds them by far.
Each plot of the episode is excellent. What I was so intrigued with was, however, how he faces his problem, going blind. Please watch carefully from Episode 1 to 4 in order.(notes: Episode 1 is Second Sight 1, a little longer than the other three.) You'll see how his eyesight changes from "visually impaired" to "almost blind" and his emotions from struggle and confusion to living finally with the fact. DCI Tanner is not a classical hero of hard-boild story, yet he has the same guts and loneliness, with dignity, at the bottom of his heart. Very cool! July 3, 2004
Second Sight 2 is composed of three additional 2-part Mobil Mystery Theatre episodes. The protaganist is Chief Inspector Ross Tanner (Clive Owen), a brilliant detective who conceals the fact that he has been stricken with a rare virus that is slowly blinding him. Please watch them in order for maximum impact of the character arc which means you may have to watch Second Sight first to get introduced. The series is populated by a large supporting cast, all of whom are excellent, which raises this series way above normal TV fare, yeah BBC. Episode 2 (my personal favorite)concerns the murder of a prominent musician which was witnessed by her young son. Owen is very convincing in his increasing disability and the interactions with the victim's boy. He uses his own failures as a non-custodial parent to help him solve the mystery. His lover and co-worker, Katherine Tully, leaves in the middle of this episode and a new character is added. Also, Art Malik (Hari Kumar from The Jewel in the Crown series) is featured in this one. Episode 3 finds Tanner emotionally alone, smoking and drinking heavily as he sets out to solve a bloody murder involving a Lady MacBeth kind of woman. He is visited by nocturnal hallucinations that are really scary. The final episode, The Kingdom of the Blind, features a blind villan (nice touch), examines racial hatred and killings and has Tanner finally come to grips with his own disability and his parental responsibilites. Great explosions also! On the DVD, all of these episodes are available with audio descriptions for the visually handicapped. They also tell the describe the genre of visually challenged detective and have cool features if you want to use your CD-ROM.
January 11, 2004| | | A terrific police procedural/character drama | |
This is a smartly-written and terrifically-acted show that not only boasts good casefiles but has flawed and complex characters populating its corners. Owen's Ross Tanner is one of the most compelling protagonists from the rich tradition of British murder mystery. Although the first series with Claire Skinner as DI Tully was excellent introduction to the character, this second series builds up on the unique premise (DCI Tanner, the head of the new Special Murder Unit of the Scotland Yard, is slowly--and unbeknownst to his friends and colleagues--losing his eyesight from a rare viral disease) even better. Tanner is a tragic character but he doesn't invite our pity; his struggles, his rage, his loneliness and insights are his own, and he carries the weight of his tragedy with dignity and verve. The cases are wonderful as well--I liked the last installment of the series, "Kingdom of the Blind", particularly well, in which Tanner's interactions with his chief suspect provide us with some of the most intriguing moments in the series. Highly recommended.
January 8, 2004More reviews at Amazon.com ...
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