Post by Tommen_Saperstein on Nov 8, 2023 19:06:08 GMT
want to give this one a shoutout. Released on ITV in the UK last September, the 7-part series focuses on the five-year manhunt to catch the "Yorkshire Ripper", a serial killer responsible for the deaths of 13+ women in Manchester and West Yorkshire in the 70s. The case was notorious for the mistakes the investigators made and the false leads they pursued. The series felt a bit long in stretches but the extra runtime allowed the writers to explore the lives of the Ripper's victims and frame the the failures of the police as failures of society that treated the women (mostly prostitutes) as disposable. Even the survivors (some of whom weren't sex workers) were tainted by their association to the case, and the The Long Shadow thoughtfully explores that subtext all the way through the final lines of dialogue in the gut-punching finale.
Features Toby Jones and David Morrissey in incredible performances as investigators. Morrissey gets the most screentime of the two and is the closest the series has to a lead, but he's not really and the case is too big for him and goes beyond his understanding. I love both but Morrissey is really interesting because his character bears the brunt of the police's failure to stop the killer, and he wears it on his face in every scene. He makes crucial mistakes again and again and doesn't get any redemption for it. There's no Eureka moment where he catches the bad guy.
True crime is so overdone but this was done right and with care, with a lot of suspenseful moments and ever-present stakes. Almost Fincher-esque at times. Has that sheen to it. Created by George Kay who has his hands in many pots (Lupin, Time, Killing Eve, Hijack) but this is maybe his best and most complex work yet.
Features Toby Jones and David Morrissey in incredible performances as investigators. Morrissey gets the most screentime of the two and is the closest the series has to a lead, but he's not really and the case is too big for him and goes beyond his understanding. I love both but Morrissey is really interesting because his character bears the brunt of the police's failure to stop the killer, and he wears it on his face in every scene. He makes crucial mistakes again and again and doesn't get any redemption for it. There's no Eureka moment where he catches the bad guy.
True crime is so overdone but this was done right and with care, with a lot of suspenseful moments and ever-present stakes. Almost Fincher-esque at times. Has that sheen to it. Created by George Kay who has his hands in many pots (Lupin, Time, Killing Eve, Hijack) but this is maybe his best and most complex work yet.
