Wire in the Blood - Complete Second Season

Wire in the Blood: The Complete Second Season Extraordinary understanding of the criminal mind enables clinical psychologist Dr. Tony Hill (Robson Green) to empathize with both victim and murderer. Working with Carol Jordan of the Bradfield Police (Hermione Norris), Dr. Hill profiles and tracks down vicious killers in northern England. DISC 1 - STILL SHE CRIES When Dr. Hill enlists a female student in the reopened investigation of a serial killer, more than his judgment is called into question. DISC 2 - THE DARKNESS OF LIGHT Current murder victims found beneath ancient remains lead Dr. Hill to the supernatural conclusion that the same murderer is at work. DISC 3 - RIGHT TO SILENCE Two brutal murders point to a notorious gang boss who is in prison. Could he be orchestrating the killings from behind bars? DISC 4 - SHARP COMPASSION Someone is preying on Bradfield’s most vulnerable hospital patients. Emerging reason to suspect terrorism attracts the attention of MI5.

Sickly Entertaining!!!

The writers for this show must be psychopaths. I can't imagine coming up with these compelling twisted stories, but thank goodness for british TV, because they obviously have brilliant, though possibly, deranged, talents to do this for a living. Oh, great actors to bring it life, as well. August 11, 2008

Exceptional show

I just discovered this show a few months ago on BBC America. I'm totally hooked on Robson Green. I've just ordered Touching Evil as well. This is quality adult television. May 28, 2008

Whisper While You Work

"Wire in the Blood," another strong British television detective series, is based upon the work of prize-winning British author Val McDermid; it's based in her fictional Midlands city of Bradfield, which she undoubtedly based upon the very real Midlands city of Manchester, where she worked as a journalist for 16 years, and still lives. It's filmed in the little-seen-here Midlands, rather than London, of which we see so much, and as such, it has a real background feel to it. It's a crime drama/police procedural, dealing as a rule with the capture of serial killers (a theme some of us may find we've seen too much), and it is gritty, sometimes gory. And all those English seem to whisper while they work: it could sure use subtitles.

The series advertises itself these days as "based upon characters created" by McDermid. Robson Green stars as Dr. Tony Hill, psychologist-academic-profiler, giving a wondrous performance; handsome, praises be, intense, intelligent, fallible and flexible. He is ably supported by Hermione Norris as Detective Chief Inspector Carol Jordan, Emma Hardy as DC Paula McIntyre, and Mark Letheren as DS Kevin Geoffries. Unfortunately, McDermid hasn't written nearly enough to keep a series going, and the episodes collected in Series 2, which are written by others, are not up to her standard. For those of you who've never had the privilege, she's a daring writer, breaking new ground with every step; and her best work is troubling, intensely gory and violent; frequently involving torture of a sexual nature. The four episodes that comprise this series just don't go there.

Disk 1, "Still She Cries," is the strongest, involving Maggie Thomas, a troubled, convicted female serial killer in jail for life(many people would argue that, in fact, there never has been a female serial killer; the American, Aileen Wuornos, was not a proactive hunter, merely a reactive.) It also involves a predatory, pretty blond student of Hill's, and a new serial killer preying on pretty blond girls.

Disk 2,"The Darkness of Light," concerns an overly religious young woman. Somewhere on the internet, I noted a comment from a British crime scene investigator to the effect that the hotel room in which a murder takes place in this episode is, in fact, the hotel room in which a murder once took place.

Disk 3, "The Right to Silence," opens on a particularly gruesome murder, body found at a slaughterhouse. The work appears to be that of a local gangster, already imprisoned. The story is made a bit stronger by father/son, and brother/brother arcs.

Disk 4, "Sharp Compassion." Someone's killing very sick people in a hospital. And somehow terrorists, and MI5 are shoehorned in.

The series takes its name from the book that introduced Dr. Hill. That book was violent in the extreme, and considerably cleaned up for Series 1. I recommend it whole-heartedly, but not if violence disturbs you. I understand the title quote comes from a poem by T.S. Eliot, and rather meant an irresistible urge to kill. At one time, while he was writing "Blood Work," I believe, Michael Connelly, currently most popular American crime writer, mentioned the title, and said he was going to collaborate on the writing of the book, as an aside in "Blood Work." (He had a habit of mentioning past and future books, in each book he then wrote.) In the event, of course, McDermid wrote "Wire in the Blood," alone. Well, the current TV series is worth watching - watered-down McDermid is better than no McDermid - but don't judge the author's writing by it.
May 16, 2008

Robson Green is a cutie

I liked the episodes but they weren't closed caption which was disappointing. The English seem to speak softly and have the music loud over the talking.
March 18, 2008

I miss the subtitles.

I love the series, and the videos are great. The quality is excellent. However, English is not my first language and the lack of Spanish (and any other language) subtitles was a sort of disappointment. I didn't know that before the purchase. Fortunatly, the audio is great. And if you don't mind the absence of subtitles, I totally recommend it! December 17, 2007

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