The Wire in the Blood - The Mermaids Singing

The first episode of this series begins with a curious interview in an insane asylum in which we are unsure who is the mentally ill participant. We soon learn one of the two is a brilliant psychologist who just happens to be a bit of a weirdo; the other a multiple child murderer. Enter a cop who needs help tracking a new serial killer and the hunt begins.

Made in the distinct British style of television thrillers like Prime Suspect, Wire grabs your interest with gentle fingers and maintains a slow squeeze that increases its pressure right up until the gripping finalé. With characters taken from the best-selling novels of Val McDermid, this is a taut thriller that does get quite intense toward the end, but is slow to truly get moving. The two leads, played by Robson Green and Hermione Norris, work well together although their cheerful camaraderie and partnership begin just a little too quickly within the context of the story.

Makeup and the limited special effects are well done, as are some of the amazing computer images sent to the police by the killer. With some rather slick writing, if a little drawn out, this is a clever beginning to a series that will no doubt attract more than its fair share of fans.

Being made for TV there is sadly only a 4:3 transfer. This doesn’t make much difference, as there aren’t really any wide sweeping vistas required by the inner London storyline. There are some troubles with the shadows and blacks in that they both tend toward greenism most of the time and the heavier shadowed areas lose a lot of detail. Happily these last don’t happen too often, but the greens appear quite often.

There are some compression problems in the graininess evident in some sequences, which makes this generally good looking show appear a little cheaper. Still, when made for TV you get what your given.

The sound is brought to us rather well in Dolby Digital 2.0, presenting nice clear dialogue and general sound. The voices and dialogue are well spoken with little to no mumbling or running together, but I did wonder occasionally what a character had just said and couldn’t get it even with repeated listens. This probably has more to do with accents than poor audio treatment though. The sound effects, whilst limited, are either all location recorded or incredibly well edited and synched. There is one instance of Ms Norris’ voiceover on the phone that doesn’t synch with her character as she is driving in a car, but this is the only one. Music has been well handled, though doesn’t seem to be a major player in this film, preferring to let the graphics and dialogue get the feel across. That’s okay here, because it works well.

Kidnapped and buried in the backyard. In a pillowcase.

The ABC has a strong history of playing excellent English drama and this is no exception. Great and honest performances (plus brave at times) make this yet another fabulous show from the UK that already has a wide following. The disc itself is a little disappointing with no extras and no subtitles, plus only being presented in English DD 2.0. However, this is quite acceptable for a TV show soundtrack and this one isn’t left wanting, though more music wouldn’t have gone amiss.

Fans of the series will enjoy this first episode without doubt, as we are introduced to the characters that will appear in future episodes. There’s always something to be said for following a series from the outset and this is a better than average program that is sure to entertain. Robson Green is the surprise highlight of the show as his strange ways and weirdness challenge everything we’ve come to know about TV psychologists. His is a great performance that makes the show and has him stand way out from the rest of the cast. Another excellent British thriller.