BRITISH CRIME DRAMA. “The Capture.” / “After the Flood.” Season 1. / “Hijack” Season 2. / “Grace” Season 5.

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“The Capture” (Amazon Prime) Season 1. British mystery thriller. Deals with the terrifying, modern-day dangers of AI, deepfakes, and manipulated surveillance footage. 



       Storyline: After his conviction for a war crime in Afghanistan is overturned on appeal, former British army Lance Corporal Shaun Emery finds himself accused of kidnapping and murdering his barrister Hannah Roberts, backed by CCTV evidence. Whilst Emery works to clear his name, fast-tracked Detective Inspector (DI) Rachel Carey of Homicide and Serious Crime Command begins to uncover a complex conspiracy surrounding Emery, calling into question the validity of the footage.

       The timely subject offers a binge-watch allure and it didn’t disappoint. Although the characters are pretty much cliches, Holliday Grainger as lead cop Rachel Carey and Lia Williams as cool villainous DSU Gemma Garland manage to inject their individual charm in their roles. Bottomline, the tension and suspense that this thriller generates wins. Looking forward to Season 2 and Season 3. 🎥💻📽


“After the Flood” (Britbox) Season 1. British crime mystery thriller. Stars Sophie Rundle as a police officer investigating the death of an unidentified man after a flash flood strikes a small English town.



       Anchored on Ms Rundle's PC/DC Joanna Marshall, very involved and nuanced, this small town crime drama, woven into a global warming backstory, is an engaging watch. 

       I can't wait for Season 2. 🎥💻📽


“Hijack” (Apple TV+) Season 2. Action thriller. From a plane to a Berlin underground (U-Bahn) train, with negotiator Sam Nelson once again at the center as a group of terrorists take the commuters hostage, forcing him to use his skills to save lives while authorities try to manage the crisis from the outside, with early hints suggesting Sam might even be suspected of involvement. 


       Idris Elba is Sam. That's the show's attraction, obviously.

       Compared with Season 1, however, Season 2 is a repetitive, unmoving bore. The thrill is gone and the drama gets static. Not even an involved Idris, with all his magnetic charisma, could save it. And this is one of a very few British shows that are annoyingly dimly-lit. 🎥💻📽


“Grace” (Britbox) Season 5. British crime drama. DS Roy Grace, a dogged detective, is haunted by the disappearance of his wife some years previously, and solves a variety of cases. Based on the bestselling novels by Peter James, this series is no nonsense detective work. No flash, no chasers, not much backstory dramas among the regular characters.


       The team is led by John Simm as DS Roy Grace. Mr Simm's acting is cold but cool, none of the whispery brawn of a hardened cop. Actually he always comes across more as a lawyer or accountant than a police officer. 

       Roy's crew is pretty much the team players that we'd probably imagine in real life: Richie Campbell as Det. Sgt. Glenn Branson, Laura Elphinstone as DS Bella Moy, Brad Morrison as DC Nick Nicholl, and new addition, Juliette Motamed as DC Vee Wilde. 

       But the scripting is tight and the direction is no fuss, non-meandering. All business. One full story in a 1 HR and 30 minute episode. Intellectually exhilarating and non-hysterical police procedural. 🎥💻📽

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