Trigger Point (and other cop shows)
Sure, I have complained bitterly for nearly a year about losing DVD to internet, and while my complaints are valid, I am catching the hang of internet tv. Namely, pay more money. I have to look a lot harder to find non mainstream stuff, but it’s there, and I have a larger venue for watching stuff I knew I liked but didn’t have a lot of access to, like British cop shows. This week I was wandering around aimlessly, as usual, and came across a show about a bomb squad in London during bombing season.
Britbox told me I would love it because it stars Vicky McClure (Line of Duty), but I don’t even remember her in that, so it was the bomb squad aspect that made me watch a minute or so before clicking around a while longer. Except I didn’t. It’s well made and comes at cop shows from a somewhat unique angle, and I watched all six episodes of series one that day. That’s one thing I really like about British cop shows, most of them are six and out. Sometimes they’re completely done in six, sometimes they’ll come back for another six shows a year later, after you’ve forgotten everything about the first six. Vera is an exception to this rule, at least until this year but the actress is way too old for that much work so I’m cool with it.
While watching I was totally caught up in the whole thing. For a series about the meticulous disarming of big booms, it carries a lot of tension, and good detective work and massive trauma. Basically, the show is about heaping load after load of massive trauma onto officer Lana Washington (McClure) and blowing people literally to bits. There are some social messages about not being prejudiced, which is how Britain hides the fact they’re as messed up as the rest of us about prejudice. Mostly, it’s Lana’s story through a terrible series of ordeals and I was there for all of it. At one point my viewing companion and I argued about the stupidity of people sitting on a bomb and how they just don’t listen and do what they’re told. As a side note, it also features some excellent cell phone work. I remember how badly tv and especially horror movies couldn’t get a handle on cell phones when they were new, so I still appreciate when they’re well used.
I liked the music, which sounded familiar and worked well with the story, and the writing. Tension didn’t all come from quick and close shots of big bombs about to go off a foot from the face of our protagonist, but also a twisty story that had not a red herring or a double red herring, but a triple red herring that had me yelling about cheating at the screen, but in the end…kudos. You got me.
I don’t have more to say about Trigger Point except that it got me thinking about British cop shows versus American cop shows and I made a quick list while sitting in the car waiting for someone to finish shopping.
Differences in Violence:
Trigger Point: things blowing up, WAY up is their cuppa.
Chicago P.D.: the more the merrier.
Hope Street: Just say the word. Like, stop, or hands behind your back. They always turn around and give up.
Vera: threats and cliffhangers keeps an old lady twisting her hat nervously.
The F.B.I.: running through New York City’s 8,000,000 people with a gun in hand, never missing when bad guys pop up like arcade targets.
Adam-12: we have guns.
Differences in how they handle crime/law:
Trigger Point: let’s use the inadmissible evidence and only mention we shouldn’t.
Chicago P.D.: do we really need that?
Hope Street: they told me this so it’s evidence.
Vera: I am the only one who understands the evidence.
The F.B.I.: my job is to bark rudimentary instructions at highly trained investigators to, “Get me evidence!”.
Adam-12: Evidence is for sissies and rookies. We catch them in the act.
You will be happy to see that I won’t go on with that, but you get the idea. For the most part, American cop shows are more about going around law because legality is a buzz kill and making sure the cutest people sleep with each other, and British cop shows are more about ambience and characters. They’re all massively ridiculous, but like their second cousin the romantic comedy still fun if you don’t think about it too hard.
p.s. Hope Street is an Irish soap opera cop show that is terrible but I love it.
LINKS:
CFR: In Addition
Huh. I don’t remember if I have seen this show advertised or not. I might just give it a try. HOwever I am really not in the mood for traumam so I may hold off a bit.
I do LOVE Cranky C’s rundown of cop dramas mode of operation. I get really angry at a lot of them for being overly dramatic and violating civil liberties. I get annoyed. In fact, I can’t watch FBI anymore because I feel like it drools (spits is too strong a word) for common sense and decent human behavior. Just me.
There are good things to like about all cop procedurals. Personally I think being a cop would be a near impossible job – stress and time-consuming for starters. I’m glad I don’t do it and honor those who feel the call and perform their duties well. I also support cops travelling with social workers to help with the myriad of problems cops run across. Oh and BTW: I have no patience for those cops to violate civil liberties.
To those cops who do their jobs well, THANK YOU! Now I’m off to watch more Father Brown. Crime drama with a collar. OR! Maybe I will watch Hope Street. 🙂 LOLOLOL!
Chick Flicking Reviews 