eath row in a dusty Bible belt state and a church in a sleepy English suburb. On the face of it, it’s as stark a distinction as Steven Moffat might conjure for his newest four-part BBC One drama.
However parallels quickly begin to emerge. In each locations, ethical quandaries run rife, and the inhabitants are compelled to ponder, beneath very totally different circumstances, the approaching actuality of assembly their makers.
Jefferson Grieff (Stanley Tucci) – a former criminology professor, convicted of the brutal homicide of his spouse – is the lead on this compelling ethical maze of a present, which explores, by two parallel however more and more converging storylines, how good, peculiar individuals can descend into evil beneath extraordinary circumstances.
The very smart Grieff has by no means denied murdering his spouse, and as a substitute of interesting his case, spends his days awaiting execution utilizing his criminology experience to assist others clear up puzzling instances.
It will have been straightforward for Tucci’s character to fall into prison-drama cliché however a mix of hermetic writing from Moffat and Tucci’s portrayal – equal components charming and chilling – left me captivated.
Chilling: Stanley Tucci as Jefferson Grieff
/ BBC/Hartswood/Kevin BakerCross the Atlantic, and we’re greeted by pleasant native vicar Harry Watling (David Tennant). Sadly, after a catastrophic collection of dangerous selections and misunderstandings, he has discovered himself trapped in an escalating disaster, with seemingly just one, horrible escape route.
Hinging round a disastrous conflict between Watling and his son’s maths tutor Janice Fife (a standout efficiency from Dolly Wells), that is the extra instantly gripping of Moffat’s narratives.
Whether or not the storyline is totally reasonable (at occasions cataclysmic occasions really feel frustratingly avoidable), Tennant’s scintillating and infrequently devastating efficiency reels the viewer in anyway. It’s a uncommon day that Tennant disappoints, and right here he flaunts his beautiful vary, expertly flitting between capturing the nuances of small-town relationships to mastering essentially the most high-tension scenes within the present.
Bridging the hole between the 2 plotlines is English investigative journalist Beth Davenport (Lydia West), who desires to write down a profile of the loss of life row criminologist, and who later turns to his providers herself.
Though West’s character maybe lacks the depth of the opposite protagonists – the drama is basically formed by the lives of these she is documenting – she nonetheless nonetheless manages to convey ardour and a profound likeability to the function.
With a star-studded solid and a multi-award-winning author, expectations for Inside Man have been understandably excessive. And people expectations ought to be met — it’s completely compulsive watching, typically disturbing in its rawness, with injections of darkish humour to melt the blows.
Regardless of grappling with essentially the most profound questions on faith and morality, there may be nothing didactic in regards to the present — it leaves the viewers to make up their very own minds. And herein lies his genius. Whereas few of the characters on this moral labyrinth might convincingly be described as totally ‘good’ individuals, we discover ourselves, generally in opposition to our higher judgment, rooting for all of them.
Inside Man continues at 9pm on BBC One Sept 27
