Neil Turner If you are a favorite of British crime dramas, the Second Sight series are a "must see." They star Clive Owen who has become more well-known to US audiences from his roles in the exciting and thoughtful science fiction shocker Children of Men and in the action mystery Inside Man which I found to be thoroughly entertaining. Owen, at first, appears to be very rough hewn, but he has the ability to express a tough vulnerability (an oxymoron?) that makes him perfect for the role of DCI Ross Tanner in the Second Sight series.Tanner is not a very likable man. He's a drunk, a womanizer, a neglectful father, and a tough boss, but he is very good at his job - thus he is the head of a police unit that investigates high-profile crimes - mostly homicides. Tanner begins to have some problems with his vision and finds that he has contracted a rare disease known as acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR). The symptoms are blurred vision, blind spots, and flashes of light. In many cases, full vision returns after a period of time. Tanner - being the introspective, shut off man that he is - decides to hide his condition with the hope that his normal vision will return.The flashes of light are used to dramatic effect in the series by taking on flashes of images that appear to Tanner which often help him to solve the crimes. This technique is overdone, but it serves to give us insight into the mind of this brilliant detective.The first series concerns just one crime which is the complex tale of the murder of a young man. In this first series, Tanner accepts the help of a female detective in his unit who perceives the vision problem. He and the detective also have a sexual relationship. It is through this relationship and his strained relationship with his son that we get some insight into the more human side of the man.In the first episode of the second series, Tanner's relationship with his paramour comes to an end. The second series comprises three different crimes and also offers us a further look into the human side of Tanner. All three are neatly tied together by Tanner's developing condition, and each crime offers exposes different aspects of the British personality and society. Especially notable in Kingdom of the Blind is a chilling performance by veteran actor, Peter Vaughan who his more often seen in lighter roles.British television drama has a special way of portraying the women and men of the police forces who must deal with the criminal element. Second Sight certainly ranks near the top of those dramas.

andrew-fenton-1 This series is a sensitive portrayal of a police investigator coping with an increasing deprivation of sight. This portrayal includes the personal pain that accompanies the gradual loss of a sense faculty that is taken to be essential to the profession of the individual concerned. What is impressive about the writing of this series is how this assumption about the essential character of sight (for such professions as investigation) is undermined without the use of clichés or cheese. Overall, the dialog is well written, the story lines interesting, and the personal lives of the main characters (when they are included at all) are seamlessly written into each episode. Well worth the time to watch, more than once.

harry-77 My TV watching is confined almost exclusively to PBS and the British shows, which are usually the only things on TV worth watching. BUT... this particular show suffers from an excess of unintelligible dialogue that only added to the confusion of the muddled plot and story, the jerky handheld camera work, the appallingly choppy editing and uncertain direction. May I suggest to Rebecca Eaton that she add sub-titles to this show (which still has a few episodes to run) so that American viewers can truly enjoy rather than endure the British dialects and poor diction of the performers.

Brucev-3 At first glance Second Sight is a crime drama like any other british murder mysteries. But don't be fooled. It goes deeper than most dramas. In other murder mysteries it always involves finding the killer with some character development and that's it. Second Sight is different. Solving the crime is important, but more importantly is how the main character Ross Tanner solves these crimes. Because at the first episode it becomes apparent that he has a rare decease, causing him to loose his sight and eventually going blind. In the course of the series he looses his sight now and then later accompanied by strange visions and surreal dreams (which helps him strangely enough to solve crimes). At first D.C.I. Ross Tanner (a very strict, but fair, well respected and succesfull leader of a crime squad who wants to be in controll of everything) ignores his problem. But then he has to face the music when D.I. Catherine Tully discovers something is wrong with his vision. She helps him and becomes his sight. After four episodes she cannot help him anymore because it is to much a strain on her and the team thinks she is trying to climb up the ladder by sleeping with her superior Ross Tanner, not aware of the main character's problem. As the series goes on his handicap becomes bigger, but at the same time it is enabling him to see things at a better perspective. It is amusing to see how Ross Tanner (Clive Owen) handles himself. More so if his second D.I. ( a very ambitious fellow) tries to take over things. Because only a few people have noticed his problem, he continues with his work, while we know he cannot go on any much longer. Will they ever find out? Clive Owen really makes this series work, if it was played by anyone else, it would not be believable. This crime drama is one of the best dramas ever to be broadcasted by the BBC. Go watch it!