Taggart (BFS Season Two set)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: C- Telefilms: B
BFS’ second set of telefilms featuring the Scottish police
detective Taggart is as good as the first, including both installments
from the second season and the first form the third. To recap, the show stars Mark McManus perfect in the title role
of the clever Detective Chief Inspector and Neil Duncan as his assistant, Peter
Livingstone. The telefilms this time
are:
Knife Edge – Tartan blankets are the clue
that ties together a series of murders where body parts are tied in the
distinctive cloth. The only question is
whether this ritualistic killer is living in the past or trying to write a dark
new history.
Death Call – Is a young woman really
guilty of killing the woman whose dead body was found in a nearby river or is
it a frame up? Alan Cumming guest
stars.
The Killing Philosophy – A
psychopath with apparently unidentifiable motives or signatures known as
“Glasgow Bowman” is on the loose and Taggart rushes to find the least minute
common denominator before more people are brutally killed.
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. These telefilms are as strong as
the previous entries and are worth catching, but be sure to start with the
first set, reviewed elsewhere on this site.
Haldane Duncan took over the directing, but retained what
made the show work. These are (once
again) 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. BFS has another hit on their hands.
The 1.33 X 1 image continued to originate 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. Bring on the third set!
- Nicholas Sheffo
