Luther

The first season is excellent. A cop whose total inner conflict borders on ancient tragedy and whose confrontations with the seductively psychopathic Alice are reminiscent of introspective glances in a mirror that reveals what you would rather keep buried deep underground. On top of that, we have unpleasantly realistic crimes, which are rather more an impetus for psychological games between the investigators and the investigated (the most frequent victims are police officers) than for the standard revelation of the killer’s identity (which is soon revealed in most cases). And of course, the devastating finale, escalated almost as intensively as the end of the third episode of Sherlock, which takes the protagonist’s unhappiness to the edge of creative sadism. With its undiluted seriousness and intensified brutality, the second season steps over that edge. It too frequently and obviously assumes that the villain will act in a certain way and, lo and behold, that’s really how the villain acts. The series’ creators make use of perhaps every cliché from super-dark crime shows, which are disparaged in A Touch of Cloth. It’s as if it was enough for them that Luther is fucked and they can no longer be bothered with further developing his character. So, they replaced Alice with a different off-the-rails yet much less interesting female character, who could at most be the protagonist’s daughter, not his dark side. Luther’s demons were more or less pacified (in the final episode, he behaves simply like a headcase, not like a man fanatically devoted to his principles) in the interest of scenes that powerfully reek of sentiment. However, the truth is that Elba, who incidentally is blessed with exactly the kind of charisma that an actor needs to play Bond, consistently hands in a phenomenal performance and some of the unpleasantly confrontational, voyeuristic shots of brutality call for a more extensive study of the depiction of violence in television detective shows. 80% (09.12.2012)

It’s a mistake to expect, like I did, another funny asocial character with a genius brain like Sherlock or Dr. House. John Luther is a flesh-and-blood detective who sacrifices his personal life for his work, and it rewards him with hell. This is not done through witty bon mots, but rather through the not-so-appealing sewers of London society, where there are plenty of dead, while also managing to develop the hero's character, which you would definitely not put in the model handbook for young policemen. Idris Elba has lent his character that strange aura of a not-very likable and yet respected man who threw away his inner ethics long ago, and yet you will still end up rooting for him. After two seasons, I take my hat off respectfully. [PS: If there is another season, I want more Alice Morgan back!] (14.07.2011)

First we got George Gently with Wallander, then Sherlock came along, with Luther stuffed in between. Four names from BBC One studios, all crime shows that are similar in many ways, while each one is completely different. Where the first two named (the best possible) representatives of the classic “old-school" approach to the genre (one from the sixties and the other present day and each in their own way), where the third is the absolute (best possible) opposite, Luther does not belong among those, but on the fourth tip of an imaginary quadrangle, mainly due to the final two episodes which pull this otherwise “merely" high-standard series up to new highs. The first four episodes concentrate on the characters and mainly the tensions in the original John and Alice “relationship" (I can see here a clear crossover: Dexter Morgan meets Alice Morgan). Until they begin concentrating on the case itself. They aren’t bad at all, but you have certainly seen similar elsewhere and so you find yourself muttering “deal with the personal level, deal with the personal level". That comes too, don’t worry. And when it does, we are treated to countless uncompromising twists and intense suspense. Like nothing else I’ve seen. In season two (two separate cases divided into four episodes) the creators luckily realized where it had been strongest during season one and combined the tension and the uncompromising approach on a personal level with “regular" crimes. This is a happy medium between both approaches from the first season which is slightly creaky only in the first opening episode and mainly due to the fact that Alice requires considerably more (and mainly her sexy “swish-swish"). And Elba is clearly growing into his role; if there were some nit-picking objections to his performance in the first season, now he has unarguably fused with his character. However, season three is not just resting on its laurels, but falls off them. Dime a dozen, loose ends and following the model of preceding seasons. The authors tried to introduce a destiny storyline, but Luther is seriously sidelined in the last episode. And it’s the same with everything, lots of good motifs, loads of ideas, but somehow it all fizzles out in the end. And Alice’s return is just a bit pointless. Elba supports the season as much as can, but he can’t help the fact that the whole internal affairs storyline is dumber than anything. In the shadow of the storyline (and style) of Line of Duty this is even more disappointing. It’s still way above average, but even so, this is a clear drop in quality. Season four takes no risks and recycles what worked best. Which you might not find too pleasing, but for two episodes it undoubtedly works. S1: 4/5 S2: 4/5 S3: 3/5 S4: 4/5 (20.02.2011)

London - a pulsating metropolis, boasting luxurious streets, temples of consumerism, universities, banks, and museums. However, this series does not revolve around these aspects, and its stories typically do not take place within their interiors. The hero of the series is a police officer specializing in the most serious crimes, and his task is not to be in pleasant residential neighborhoods among honest taxpayers led by the noblest intentions and carrying out the noblest deeds. His destiny is to dig through the dirt, uncover filth, and thwart the intentions of psychopaths and criminals driven by hatred, revenge, and greed. Among other similar series, Luther stands out. Luther is obsessed with his work and sacrifices his family life for it. His dedication and intuition make him an extremely dangerous opponent of the underworld, but his adversaries are no pushovers and can strike at the most sensitive spots. Luther is not a series about pickpockets or swindlers but about the great nightmares of modern societies and big cities. It is about terrorists, blackmailers, and serial killers. The crimes are sometimes too monstrous, Luther's intuition exaggerated, and the plots or relationships between the characters somewhat contrived, but over time I have learned to perceive Luther as a more realistic and less plastic version of an entertaining series like Dexter. Luther emanates genuine emotions; the series reeks of both earthly and heroic humanity. I consider his decisions regarding the lives and deaths of two women who were of fundamental importance to him and represented a value pole constantly at odds within each of us one of the most powerful scenes in a series I have ever seen. Furthermore, the character of the intelligent and unpredictable Alice Morgan is one of the most charismatic villains who have ever had the pleasure of entertaining an audience on television screens, and her mutual relationship with Luther is perhaps the most twisted and, at the same time, the most gratifying for viewers that any scriptwriter has ever created between a detective and a criminal. I don't think we have ever had such a likable psychopath before... Overall impression: 95%. (04.09.2014)

It doesn’t often happen that I get sucked in after the first couple of minutes (and I was purring with delight during the first conversation). So far, Luther is the series for me. Season one: A great atmosphere, interesting story, quality acting performances. Despite a bit of a kicking (and one very weak episode), overall this is an above-average work, especially for Brits. If it weren’t for Idris “String" Elba, I wouldn’t have even come across Luther, but it would be a shame if this mix of Colombo, Dexter etc. went unnoticed. I look forward to the next season. Season two: Convincing killers (both of the three) and their intriguing introduction are a great plus for season two. Or four-part miniseries, or whatever. The non-crime storyline isn’t bad, but why Luther tied such a millstone around his neck, I can’t begin to fathom. The fact is that it worked out superbly. The only character I miss is Alice who had the cheek to take a holiday. I hope we see her return. Season three: Maybe the best season so far. I like the new girl, Mary, who is a fine complement for John. The murderer in the second half is superb at the beginning, but in the last episode he goes a little crazy or something and all of his unpleasantness flies out the window. All of the twists in Luther are just too much and lack logic, but people rarely act logically, do they? But mainly! Alice is back. Oh, and if you ever betray him like this again, I'll kill you. And eat you. Darn, just now I found out that there will be no next episode. John is certainly quitting when he’s ahead and it was a superb ride. (13.10.2010)