I watch a lot of these BBC-produced mystery series. Its one of the few things from the TeeVee side that I can stand, though regular readers of my comments are used to me being disappointed by many of them.
Its because the BBC formula is fairly strict and apparently based on solid market research about how viewers want to spend their time unwinding after a work day. The problem is that these are mysteries and the way the mystery component is handled is dreadful, ordinarily. What they turn into is a storytelling form that has a surprise ending that we know is coming.
We aren't given enough clues to guess; we aren't supposed to. We are just supposed to enjoy the dessert when served. So what it boils down to is whether the writer and filmmaker merge into competent storytellers.
The director in this case is Michael Winterbottom, someone who knows his business. That makes this one of the very best made of any BBC mystery episodes. It really is superb and I recommend it. I came to this particular one because of Winterbottom, despite knowing that Ms Marsh's stories are inherently uncinematic. But this story is not hers and the combination of writer and director is quit sublime.
The way the story is told is a matter of flashes back and forward, blinking vision, confusing snippets, seeing and not seeing.
Winterbottom is a solid talent and he has given us something quite masterful where you have no reason to expect it.
Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.