Serial Killer Miniseries Dud

Channel 5’s The Game, which is now available in the US via BritBox, stars some very talented actors and kicks off with a promising premise. Then it squanders all of this on a preposterous plot that resembles nothing so much as swiss cheese by the end. Supposedly intelligent characters behave in spectacularly stupid ways. It’s further dragged down by far too many irritating genre tropes to count. Spoilers ahead.

The Game is basically a “game of cat and mouse” between two men, one an ex-cop and one almost certainly the elusive serial killer known as the Ripton Stalker.

Jason Watkins plays Huw Miller, a man who we learn went through something of a nervous breakdown in his hunt for the killer. He retires, though the failure to apprehend the true killer (compounded by the arrest of the wrong man) still haunts him.He lives with his wife, Alice (Sunetra Sarker). His relationship with his daughter, Margot (Indy Lewis) is strained from the years spent on the inquiry.

Robson Green plays Patrick Harbottle, a charming repairman who moves in across the street after the sudden death – ruled a suicide, but very suspect – of Huw’s friend and neighbor, Frank (Gordon Kennedy).Huw and Patrick hit it off at first, but when they part from a night of drinks, Patrick says “Catch you later,” echoing the words the serial killer uttered to Huw when the detective nearly caught him three years prior. From here on out, Huw begins to investigate Patrick, convinced that he’s the Ripton Stalker. Patrick, meanwhile, begins ingratiating himself with the neighbors and with Alice, and later Margot.The setup is pretty compelling, but what follows is a mess. Let’s go over some of the many, many ways this show drops the proverbial ball.

Huw Is A Terrible Detective

Huw is supposed to be a genius detective. We see an example of this in a pub scene when his friend, Paul (Scott Karim) asks him to do his “trick” which is to basically see every detail in a room and commit it to memory. He’s able to describe everything going on,the other patrons and so forth without looking. But Huw is not a very good detective at all. at one point he’s talking to the man wrongfully accused of being the Stalker who lets slip a key clue that I picked up on promptly. Huw missed this very obvious clue until much later, when replaying a recording of their conversation. Huw is such a bumbling nincompoop, you begin to wonder why Patrick ever bothered to torment him in the first place.

Worse, Huw is a total mess all the time. When his wife and daughter confront him about going off the deep end, he stutters and stammers and makes excuses and falls all over himself to apologize. He seems so nutty and

“The Tourist” Season 2 Struggles to Build Suspense

The second season of “The Tourist,” released January 26, 2024, on BBC One and available on iPlayer, relies heavily on convenient plot developments and tired tropes, diminishing the suspense established in its first season. While the series boasts a strong cast, including Jamie Dornan as Elliot Stanley and Greg Larsen as Patrick, the narrative execution feels contrived and predictable.

The character of Patrick, portrayed as a meticulous serial killer, suffers from inconsistencies. His supposed mastery of manipulation appears amateurish, and his plans succeed with implausible ease. Such as, he enters and exits homes undetected and appears instantaneously at his shop whenever anyone investigates. He successfully manipulates police into arresting Huw, and nearly abducts Margot, only to be interrupted by Detective Sergeant Jenny Atkins (Amber James).

The Nagging Wife Trope Is Getting Old

The series also employs the overused trope of the frustrated spouse of a detective. Alice, Elliot’s wife, and Margot, Elliot’s mother-in-law, repeatedly berate Elliot for pursuing his investigations. Much of the four-episode arc consists of arguments centering on accusations of recklessness and threats of abandonment.

Rather of seeking temporary lodging, Elliot initially spends a night at Patrick’s residence after being ejected from his home, and afterward sleeps in his car. This dynamic,featuring a critical wife,an exasperated daughter,and a seemingly indecisive detective,creates a frustrating viewing experience.