kikkapi20 Grisly murders, weird and wonderful characters, more than a hint of an underlying, occult evil and the top notch acting you expect from a British TV drama. How could it possibly fail to be enjoyable? Rupert Penryth-Jones and Phil Davis are both excellent, as is always the case, and the supporting cast isn't far behind. The cases they encounter are delightfully convoluted and the dark and spooky atmosphere is created very effectively on a budget which might suffice to pay for 60 seconds of special effects animation in Hollywood. If I have one negative criticism it is that DI Chandler's affliction is somewhat exaggerated, in the sense that it seems so severe it would be a drawback, not an advantage, in his work. Still, that's just a niggle.

pensman Not a typical series. The show is based on a sort of premise that crimes repeat themselves and for the first season it was tracking down a Jack the Ripper intent on replicating the original Ripper's crimes. And the following season follow suit to a degree but of course everything is updated and frequently contains a twist. The series relies on atmosphere and character relations, especially the growing respect between DI Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones) and DS Ray Miles (Philip Davis). Chandler suffers from OCD and his fast track career is ended when he chooses to save his sergeant over capturing a criminal. Miles is a hard-nosed by the gut street smart cop. The two find themselves enmeshed in eerie crimes assisted by civilian researcher Edward Buchan (Steve Pemberton) who is a crime fan who surfers from guilt when his research can't save a victim. The shows get better from season to season and the third season two parter (episodes 3.5 and 3.6) will have you watching with the lights on. If you don't have patience for character development, I would suggest you just start with season two.

marie d What makes television different from theater or film? There's far more cliché and plot holes in television dramas. Whitechapel is no exception. Taking the premise and plot by itself its an awful idea: someone's re enacting famous crimes. Exactly re enacting them which should make it easy to solve. The Krays shot up a pub or boozer in the vernacular so it would be sensible to avoid the boozer on the anniversary that the same pub was shot to pieces. Machine guns replacing shotguns.The first episode is the most documented and notorious of all: Jack the Ripper. A homicidal maniac that decapitated women and yet has a legendary cache due to the incompetence of the police to catch his bloody trail.As expected the program follows the exact path, dates and places of the killings. The places, and they still can't catch the killer! But this is an enjoyable drama because its parts are greater than its whole.Rupert Penry-Jones and Phil Davis as the two contrasting police officers are the heart of this drama. It maybe a cliché that good cop and cop that bends the rules will butt heads but find a real respect and loyalty to each other; but without this central teamwork the dram would fall to pieces.Rupert Penry-Jones is the university graduate who has been fast tracked in to promotion and thinks the rule book is always right and the law can be trusted. Phil Daniels is the hard living police sergeant who, again the hackneyed, knows the streets he patrols. He has a chip on his shoulder about his Superior officer Rupert having been to university.What makes this drama better than it really should be is Penry-Jones arrogant certainties breaking down in realization that a degree and faith in the law doesn't solve everything and that there are people more ruthless than he even as a police officer realized. Phil Daniels snearing contempt is tempered as his sympathy for Rupert's confusion and sense of helplessness and a growing respect for him.Penry-Jones gives his best performance consisting of subtle but intense emotion and realism.Steve Pemberton gives a performance similar to a couple of characters from the League of Gentlemen but with the over the top exaggerations toned down- slightly. He plays a wildly enthusiastic tour guide of London's criminal past. Ever happy to show off his in-depth knowledge of brutal killings, dates and places, Phil Daniels sergeant is understandably irritated by the amateur detective's fascination with the savage of Jack the Ripper. But its the same enthusiasm that provides the knowledge they need to hunt the killer.If people find this program offensive, especially the Jack the Ripper episodes then they have a point. To appreciate this drama you may need to suspend reality, which is one of the purposes of television and appreciate the performances and the production

abrogard I really enjoyed this series but find it hard to put my finger on why. The filming, the locations, the atmosphere, the music, the acting and direction. They are all excellent. That must be why.But when thinking about it I realise there's virtually no story, no police work, no plot development. So if you are a fan of them you'd be disappointed perhaps.We just wait for the new Jack to do his thing without ever getting closer to finding him. We go down a couple of wrong directions thanks to the prompting of DS Miles. And that's all there is for 'police work'. It's all a frustrating no progress until the last reel when suddenly we go directly to the killer... well, as directly as circumstances permit. The touted 'teamwork' of the three simply doesn't exist. One of the three the other two have locked up for a while. Another of the three keeps us going down blind alleys. And the third does nothing until suddenly pulling the rabbit out of the hat like a magician.That's the kind of movie it is.