Review: Fargo (S3 E5/10), Wednesday 28th June, Channel 4

After the brilliance of episodes three and four, we were back to relative normality in episode five of Fargo. And I say that with some regret because the weakest part of this story – in my opinion – just happens to be the main part of the story. Yes, we were back to witnessing the ever-disintegrating relationship between Ray and Emmit Stussy, and in this episode, they really did get to the point of no return.

Mark Billingham’s In The Dark transmission date confirmed by the BBC

Mark Billingam’s 14 Tom Thorne novels have helped to establish him as one of Britain’s most popular and best-selling writers. Sky’s adaptations of Sleepyhead and Scaredy Cat were a success, but we heard some time ago that two of his stand-alone novels (although they have connections to the Thorne novels) – In The Dark and Rush Of Blood – were to be broadcast by the BBC. Now we know when In The Dark will be appearing.

Michael Nyqvist, 1960-2017

 

“I think the whole mission here on Earth is to accept what you have, and my journey was to accept my own life and not pretend anything else. I think that’s what we all struggle with.”

Review: Twin Peaks (S3 E8/19), Tuesday 27th June, Sky Atlantic

The first thing to say about this episode is, “wow”. The second thing to say about this episode is, “wah?” It was that kind of episode. Again. Constantly throughout this third series of Twin Peaks, you think you kind-of-maybe-sort-of-know what’s happening and can perhaps kind-of-maybe-sort-of-predict what might happen. But then all your assumptions are ripped up in the most unexpected, mind-frazzling, dazzling way possible, to the extent you sit there in stony silence wondering what the fuckety-fuck just happened. This was one of those episodes.

Review: Ripper Street (S5 E2/6), Monday 26th June,

There’s a touch of the Burke and Hare about this episode, as Reid and Jackson, still on the run from Dove and Shine, find need for a corpse fresh from the mortuary.

The 10 Best Crime Dramas This Week (Monday 26th June – Sunday 2nd July)

From what I can see, there’s nothing new starting this week. So that means series like Fargo, Twin Peaks, Ripper Street, Fearless and The Loch rumble on. However, there is one noteworthy thing happening this week – Netflix’s Better Call Saul makes its digital TV debut on AMC this week. A prequel to Breaking Bad, many say it’s one of the best things out there. Enjoy!

Review: Fargo (S3 E3&4/10), Wednesday 14th and Wednesday 15th June, Channel 4

 CR: Chris Large/FX

I’ll say it right off the bat: episode three of this third series of Fargo was so good, so head-scratchingly and brilliantly tangential, it helped to breath new life into the series and was easily my favourite episode of the series so far. It was one of those delicious Fargo flights of fancy, a real tangent, and yet it managed to pack in loads of stuff: really interesting philosophical stuff, while being pure procedural. And yet it shouldn’t have worked – or at least, we shouldn’t have cared too much – because it didn’t further the narrative of the tangled web of the Stussy brothers in any way, shape or form. As I said, it should have been a throwaway episode. It so wasn’t.

More4 confirms transmission date for series two of Dicte

Danish series Dicte might have stretched the bounds of credibility on numerous occasions, but it did feature a character that bucked the trend in so-called Nordic Noir – crime reporter Dicte Svendsen was messy, sociable, funny and hung out with a group of female friends that made you laugh and snort and feel for them. She was hugely likeable, as was Iben Hjejle, who played her. So it’s great news that series two is looming large on the horizon, and Channel 4 has now confirmed its transmission date.

Will there be a fourth series of Fargo?

I’m soon to post my review of last night’s fourth episode of Fargo, but in the US the third series is concluded last night (Wednesday 21st). Even though where we are in the UK it hasn’t hit the heights of previous series, there’s still much to enjoy. The talk is now whether showrunner Noah Hawley – who’s a busy boy these days – can and will commit to a fourth series. This week he came out and said some interesting things.

Canal + releases series six trailer for Spiral; series seven to be the last?

Things are hotting up in the world of superior French crime drama, Spiral (Engrenages). We know that series six is just around the corner, and wrapped filming earlier in the year. Although it looks set to premiere in France in September, there’s still no word as to when it might appear on British screens. In the meantime, the wheels of publicity are starting to turn. Not only was the first episode screened at the recent MIP TV event in Cannes, a new trailer has been released. Read on for more!