Old blue eyes

A while back, BBCAmerica showed the drama series Wire in the Blood. I watched it, and although the main character, Dr. Tony Hill, played by Robson Green, was a bit weird, after a while he grew on me. After the first three seasons, however, co-star Hermoine Norris left, and I didn't feel he had the same sort of chemistry with her replacement. Also, I started to feel that it was increasingly odd that the police seemingly couldn't make a move without consulting Dr. Hill.

I was interested to see what else Robson Green had been in, and was happy to watch Touching Evil. In this series, he plays an officer, Dave Creegan, who doesn't play by the rules. He has no problem with kicking in doors, beating up suspects or even taking the law into his own hands when he feels it's necessary. Creegan recently survived being shot in the head and a subsequent year off from the job to recuperate. In the meantime, his marriage fell apart and his wife moved another man into their house. So perhaps it's not entirely unexpected that he should have his little quirks.

This series has its inexplicable moments, such as when characters disappear and aren't mentioned again. Or when suspects are shown in a bright, blinding spotlight (are the police supposed to be "shining a light on evil?"). Creegan breaks the law nearly constantly himself, but when he hears of a fellow officer doing so, he turns him in (although even then he withholds evidence). I guess since the criminals are much worse, we are to allow the rogue cop leeway in doing whatever is necessary to catch them.

Still, given Robson Green's heavenly blue eyes, I'll buy whatever story they want to spin!

Final Verdict on Touching Evil: Three Gherkins, for being a gritty, modern police drama