s k The utter stupidity of the so-called detectives in this show is mind numbing. For example, despite "rumors" of their affair, Bradfield and Tennison CONTINUE to flirt with each other in plain view of the other officers. And while the bank job is going on they don't bother to cover all the exits? Or stake out Bentley's flat? Pffft. A total waste of time watching this nonsense.

t_kam Before I start, this review is solely for episode five. Up to this point, I'd give the series a ten but I was to some extent disappointed with this episode which is as far as the ABC here in Australia has got to. The story line is by and large good but there are a number of points that had me annoyed. The first was that Tennison did not need to give the lie she told as witness to O'Duncie's beating. She could easily have contradicted Flowers assertion that she witnessed the events merely by truthfully saying that she had already taken Flower down and that Flower could not have witnessed the beating. If she had to lie, she could have said she did not witness the events as she was walking back up at the time. I realise that this was a plot device to make her 'one of the team' but it seemed clumsy. Secondly, was when Ashton approached the neighbour as the crime was being committed. As he knew they were under surveillance from David Bentley he could have spoken to her then walked of with her thereby appearing to know each other and to remove her from the possibility of a violent outcome. Thirdly, when the police entered the bank why was there no officers entering through the cafe at the same time to prevent any escape that way. Lastly, why wait for them to start opening up the safety deposit boxes. Bradfield said that he wanted to wait until Bentley actually broke into the bank to make his arrest in order for him to get the maximum sentence. The officers could have been waiting in the vault or have the door ready to open and as soon as the gang entered the vault that would have been enough to arrest them. Waiting only makes the damage to the vault and it's contents worse for no possible benefit.

david-vanderschel I did not find the Jane Tennison character as portrayed in this series to be credible as the same person portrayed in her later life by Helen Mirren, either by appearance or personality. I can certainly appreciate why La Plante walked away from this production and why the show was not renewed for another series.I also found that there was much about the story which was not all that credible because it depended too much on a number of coincidences. In spite this shortcoming, had they not represented the story as a prequel to the later Prime Suspect, I would have given it higher marks.

Eliz Willingham It seems to me that the series was engaging in character and situation, regardless of what you may have read in Variety, and it was—and is—well worth watching. Having seen every "Prime Suspect" episode in real time, I found this series continuously interesting on several levels, and compelling for a die-hard "Prime Suspect" fan. Performances of the principle players and supporting cast were splendid, and I am awed in particular by the supporting cast. Production values were dependably high and convincing. The error in Tennison's chronology, reported here, is an unnecessary bit of slippage. One can hardly say too much about the skill and all-in performances of the fairly large supporting cast, and IMDb records them all. The sketchy guys and the police performances were superb, and I single out Alun Armstrong's and Ruth Sheen's performances as examples to watch; the performances of their "Bentley family" was award-winning. But so was that of Anthony Skordi, whose role as Silas Manatos, owner of a Greek café, got much less screen time. Among the supporting roles, those written for Tennison's "parents" have been negatively received, but I found them to be just what they needed to be—conventional, hovering, a counterpoint to other parents (those of a victim) presented in the series. I viewed the Tennisons as multi-dimensional and developing as the series progressed, and the roles were well-performed, certainly. The 1970s London ambiance was convincing, but that is hardly where "convincing" stops with this all-too-brief series. We hear of a creative war behind the discontinuation of the series. Sad for BBC and PBS viewers who wanted to a future for the series.