Anybody been watching this....?

 

Just got round to watching last week's two parter "Shadows" on the I-player, and I can honestly say that it's one of the most tense, frightening pieces of drama that I've seen for a long time on the BBC... It just tapped into the fears of the "lone gunman" in an educational establishment incredibly well.... Part one is almost unbearably tense as two of the main characters (Harry and Nicki), stripped of their security blanket of the lab and science itself find themselves trapped in a very real situation as a gunman stalks the corridors of a university killing at random, and part two takes on a whole different dimension as the motives for the seemingly senseless slaughter become slowly and horrifyingly apparent.... There is NOTHING I've seen on TV in the past year that's been quite as edgy and dramatic as this, not to mention as carefully structured and balanced....

 

If only shows of a similar type such as CSI Miami/New York and Bones were half this good.....

 

This proves that when we really try (and dont merely just try to copy the Americans - hello Spooks.....), Britain can, and does, make the best drama in the world...... I'm glad to pay a licence fee for even ONE show as good as Silent Witness....

I do like watching trashy FOR THE MASSES american crime stuff like Bones/CSI..but oh my, this just beats them to a pulp.

 

The two parter Bloodines was hands down brilliant. Apart from LOST, I have never seen a serious twist displayed so ruthlessly and effecitvely

when they 'killed off Harry'

. Seriously check it out on iPlayer if you've a few hours to kill. I was so glad I didn't watch the first part on Monday and chose to watch them both together yday.

I've just finished last night's episode on iPlayer and will be watching today's in my free tomorrow at Sixth Form if I can. :kink: This show has got me gripped; just the sort of drama I like. Will have to have a look at the previous series! Any particularly good ones to find?

I've heard really good things about Silent Witness, and when I get time I'm gonna hopefully start watching it.

I've only really got into it again the last few years after abandoning ship way back when after the departure of Amanda Burton. I hate that stupid slab of beef sidekick who's name I have mercifully forgotten, but Nicki is all kinds of brilliant. As are the stories, for the most part. Sometimes they veer a little too far into convoluted to work but the 2 so far this series have been excellent.

Apparently, this weeks story features some of the hardest scenes that Emilia Fox (who plays the lead charcter) has had to film. Given the subject matter seems to surround paedophilia, it's not suprising.

Why are there so many good things on a Monday night, Corrie, Broadchurch, Waterloo Road and this, then hardly anything the rest of the week?

You know it's been a good series when you feel sad it's finished! I've been hooked to this and I'll definitely be tuning in again next year! The second episode with homeless guy and the Tube was my favourite two-parter.

 

I'm a bit lost as to what happened to the sniper in the first episode. I was thinking this last two-parter may go back to that story and explain it.

The show returned tonight with its first two parter. The second part airs tomorrow!

I watched! Was a little confusing throughout and not as gripping as the last series opener, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's going by that preview!

 

I see Johnny is feeling better after having to miss Mick and Linda's wedding in Eastenders. :kink:

There are essentially two types of Silent Witness story these days. The Columbo style ones where we know the killer and watch them faff to find it out and the super confusing ones where every character we know and suspect is innocent (but guilty of another crime, of course) and the actual killer will only appear about halfway through the second episode. I much prefer the latter, purely because it gives Nicki lots more chances to look angry and or upset. She had a lot of that tonight.

I'm loving the cameos: Eastenders' Sarah Hills/Waterloo Road's Lorraine Donnegan, Emmerdale's Ruby and a second rate Jess Glynne. :P

 

These last three two-parters have been excellent - seriously gripping and at times emotional.

Yeah, these last 2 pairs have been great and the final one looks just as good.

The 20th series starts tonight!

I've seen no advertisement for this at all, but the show has always rated consistently so I shouldn't think that would effect it.

Didn't really grab me with this first episode but I seem to recall having similar feelings to the previous series opener. I've no doubt they've got some fantastic episodes coming up, particularly with this being a landmark series.

Well, the succeeding episodes definitely picked up the quality for me! I think the mystery format that John referred to several posts above is my favourite type of Silent Witness.

 

Again, I'm loving the guest appearances - Michael Moon from Eastenders last week and everyone's favourite Waterloo Road head teacher Rachel in this one (seriously, it made me remember how much I adore the heydays of Waterloo Road).

Truthfully I've found all 4 episodes/2 stories this series to be pretty rubbish. The first was outright awful, I liked the idea and there was probably a good story to be had in there but they just seemed to give up and it ended up being incredibly boring. The second episode was much improved, but still didn't really grab me and it didn't help that it felt very obviously signposted as to who did it.

 

This weeks first episode was much more interesting though, lots of complex story telling and no real idea who it might be. We shall see if they manage to hold that into the second episode.

For the third series in a row, I found the first two parter underwhelming, but tonight's episode seemed to up the ante and kept me interested throughout.

 

I'm liking the running storyline of Nikki's PTSD following the events of the last series' finale. Usually, Silent Witness seems to be made up of stand-alone two parters so it's nice to have something that loosely links everything together.