“Roadkill.” / “C. B. Strike” Series 4.

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“Roadkill” (Amazon Prime) British four-part drama thriller, starring Hugh Laurie as the Justice Minister whose private life is under fire from his enemies. 



       Would you sympathize with Peter Laurence? As Conservative politician? As a gallivanting husband? But Peter is not a cliché as you are prone to pre-judge such a man. Anyhow, Hugh's Peter is cool and breezy as mojitos and Cuban tobacco. That may cloud your reading. Chill a bit. This is a short series. The answer is in the final episode. 

       Meanwhile, everybody else around Mr Laurence, including Helen McCrory as the Prime Minister Dawn Ellison are jittery, nervous or anxious (though Dawn tries to look restrained). 

       “Roadkill” was written and created by playwright David Hare, whose best cinema work (according to me) was his smart and witty screenplay of 2002's “The Hours.” That's enough reason to watch this series, even if you are not a fan of Mr Laurie. 🎥💻📽


“C. B. Strike” (Amazon Prime) Series 4, British crime drama, based on the book series “Cormoran Strike” by J. K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. I was intrigued to watch the TV series version of Ms Rowling's detective books so I did. 



       I was pleased with the first three, mainly due to the restrained sexual tension between crime investigators and business partners Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. Tom Burke is effective as the grumpy, impatient but not so talky Cormoran; Holliday Grainger flawlessly essays Robin's alluring insistence and stubborn defiance.

       But I didn't enjoy Series 4's “The Ink Black Heart.” Cormoran and Robin are hired to investigate the murder of Edie Ledwell, a co-creator of a popular online cartoon called "The Ink Black Heart," who was being heavily harassed by a mysterious online figure known as "Anomie.” As Strike and Robin delve into the complex web of online aliases, business rivalries, and personal vendettas surrounding the cartoon, they must identify the true identity of Anomie and bring the killer to justice. 

       At first, it was fascinating. But the introduction of so many characters with their online nicknames proved confusing and circuitous. The whodunnit was convoluted. I got lost somewhere. 🎥💻📽

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