Taggart (BFS Season One set)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Telefilms: B
A police procedural series from Scotland, Taggart
is still running since its debut on the mid-1980s. The show stars Mark McManus perfect in the title role of the clever
Detective Chief Inspector and Neil Duncan as his assistant, Peter
Livingstone. BFS is issuing each
season, starting with this set that includes the following telefilms:
Killer – Their first case is finding a
serial killer who preys on young blonde women.
Handled more tastefully than you would expect, it is a solid inaugural
outing.
Dead Ringer – A dismembered young woman is
found, now in skeletal form and the duo investigate. As they look further into the situation, when rigor mortis set in
could be the key in finding the killer.
Murder In Season – Did a top female opera
singer kill her husband’s mistress?
Taggart wonders if a frame-up is in the works and all he and Duncan have
to do is follow the money, but there could still be a catch.
Unlike later police procedurals, which have become so
clichéd, clinical, cold, tired and predictable, care is taken to really write
out the characters and some of the best talent in Scotland is working on these
shows and it shows. Creator/writer
Glenn Chandler has come up with a winner and if the show stays this good, this
could be a Mystery TV event that has remained a big secret for far too long.
Credit should also go to the directors involved, Laurence
Moody and Peter Barber-Fleming, who offer more than the usual colorless drab,
filling the scenes with the actors, story, narrative and form that makes them
constantly compelling to watch. These
are characters you want to get involved with and for all the right reasons. Instead of a “reality TV” freak show, you get
mature adults interacting in a world all too real. Yes, it is a TV show and that has some limits, but I now see why Taggart
is such a big hit. You have got to see
it to believe it!
The 1.33 X 1 image originated on analog PAL video with
outdoor shots in 16mm, but are each sourced from PAL copies. They look a bit hazier than expected, but
the color is appealing enough to offset some of this. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is simple stereo at best, with Mike
Moran’s music never overdone, while text on the cast and character appears on
each DVD.
- Nicholas Sheffo
