Just started watching this (liked the first episode, love the mad nephew who looks like Art Garfunkel and David Walliams’ love child). But I missed the very beginning of it and I assume there was a first series, given the black policeman’s story (waking from a coma etc).

So can anyone give a brief overview of what the back-story is?

Ta

The first scene was when the police found the body in the car. Nothing was said until later on about the back story.

If you missed that bit too it went something like this…His partner (police, not shagging – although that wasn’t made clear) got shot dead. Bullet ended up in the other guy’s head leaving him in a coma with memory loss.

Nothing about the cop at the beginning, they just found body in a car and the bent sergeant did some ‘investigation’

there was no 1st series – the whole point is that what happened to him prior to getting shot is a mystery as he does not know himself

Ep 2 really steps things up IMO – Stephen Rea’s character is introduced and he is the best thing in it by a mile

No cats were harmed in the making of episode 2.

there was no 1st series – the whole point is that what happened to him prior to getting shot is a mystery as he does not know himself

Ahh that is good to know – we did wonder if that might be the case but having missed the very beginning I wasn’t sure.

I am liking it though. And Luther starts again soon and apparently Ruth is in it again…

I do despair at the TV watching public that they need a complete set of beginning, middle, end (redemptive, if not happy) before they’re happy that the plot is linear enough…

🙄

!

I was only asking because

But I missed the very beginning of it

. Now I know the score I have no problems thankyouverymuchindeed.

It is nearly as good as Luther and so much better than most Brit-cop stuff, but it still smacks a little of “trying too hard” to me (how many sub-plots?!).
Pretty watchable, in spite of that though.

I wasn’t too keen on the first episode, but I thought the 2nd episode was a big improvment.

I’m mainly watching it as a lot of the filming was done on the Isle Of Man.

There is a scene in which a shop blows up that was done in my local town.

What they said … no back story, more will undoubtedly unravel … one of the best things coming out of the Beeb at the mo, and of course Luther returns soon, yummy 😀

If anything I think it might be better than Luther, not that Luther isn’t fantastic, but I kind of feel the characters are slightly more credible.
Wouldn’t want to get into an argument as to which is the best though 🙂
The only problem with The Shadow Line, is that when it’s been on I haven’t given it my undivided attention, so then I’ve had to re-watch it on iplayer, just to make sense of it.
Looking forward to finding out more about the George Smiley style character.

I only picked up on it because of Christopher Eccles Cake (have always liked him) but the mad ‘nephew’ is brilliant. Loving his portrayal of a sick in the head type – all boiling over anger as opposed to the cool, calculated insanity of Ruth in Luther.

BTW aplebrew – that picture was clearly taken in Dublin so stop lying 😉

mastiles_fanylion – Member
BTW aplebrew – that picture was clearly taken in Dublin so stop lying

😀

They did quite a bit of filming over on the Isle Of Man.

The amount of work they did on the shop scene was impressive.

Better than Luther IMO, but what’s the betting he turns out to be just another bent cop (the money he ‘found’) that goes good after his near death experience? Tedium ad that posh Latin word…

The plot is definitely warming up.

Isn’t the mad nephew played by Timothy Spall’s son?

Good to see some other people liked Luther – it got slated by the critics for some reason but I reckon it was a good show.

2unfit2ride – Member
Better than Luther IMO, but what’s the betting he turns out to be just another bent cop (the money he ‘found’) that goes good after his near death experience? Tedium ad that posh Latin word…
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Nah – I reckon that would be way to obvious.