User Reviews

When it comes to classic Taggart I think the last ten minutes of Death Call is the most vivid memory (multiple scenes from Nest of Vipers.)

Taggart and Livingstone are called in to deal with the murder of Eva Russell, a beautiful German woman and wife of a wealthy landowner, the prime suspect is young Jamie, a Pharmacy assistant, who kindly took a forgotten parcel to her home.

It's a very strong first episode, it introduces the characters and details some of the sory , it is a little slow in parts I guess, but there are lots of things going on, interesting questions are asked, attitudes have changed so much since then, but this provides an interesting snapshot of 1986 attitudes.

Kenny is definitely starting to come off the rails a little, I enjoyed his scenes with Peter, a shame he wasn't in more episodes, it's even better knowing that he wrote lots of Taggart episodes.

For my money Glenn Chandler wrote the best Taggart episodes and this is up there with Knife Edge and Nest of Vipers.

Who made that call, and what was the motive, you have to wait to find out.

Notable performances from a young Julie Graham and a young Alan Cumming, this show was especially good at seeking new young talent.

I really liked Jill Meager also, if you're a fan of mysteries, you'll definitely have seen her as the heavenly housekeeper Lucy Eylesbarrow in The 4.50 from Paddington, such a different character here.

9/10.

Have always adored detective dramas/mystery series. This has been apparent from an early age, half my life even, when getting into Agatha Christie through Joan Hickson's Miss Marple and David Suchet's Poirot and into 'Inspector Morse'.

Whether it's the more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' (and its prequel series 'Endeavour') and anything Agatha Christie. Whether it's the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' (though that is balanced brilliantly with comedy too). And whether it's the light-hearted ones like 'Murder She Wrote'. 'Taggart' is one of the biggest examples of the grittier ones, especially the Mark McManus years and the earlier James MaPherson episodes.

"Death Call" is very good for such early 'Taggart'. There is a sense of things still settling and not yet found its groove understandably, with it dragging slightly occasionally, but what made 'Taggart' such a good show when it was in its prime is evident here. The characterisation here is meatier than seen previously, therefore more interesting with more development to Taggart.

Really like the slick, gritty look and Glasgow is like an ominous character on its own. The music matches the show's tone and has a good amount of atmosphere while the theme song/tune is one that stays in the memory for a long time. The relationship between Taggart and Livingstone is nice enough and getting stronger all the time if still evolving.

As to be expected, "Death Call" is thoughtfully scripted with nothing ridiculous happening and things being taken seriously without being too morose. The story is involving in its complexity with nothing being what it seems, making the most of the long length (have generally found the 2000s episodes too short and rushed) without padding anything out. Some parts are not for the faint hearted but nothing feels gratuitous and the investigations are compelling and with enough twists to stop it from being obvious. One doesn't predict the ending at all, and am another person who found the little problems line chilling.

Good acting helps, with Mark McManus being a suitably tough and blunt presence throughout and Alistair Duncan being every bit his equal. The supporting cast and chemistry don't undermine them, with Julie Graham and Alan Cumming especially interesting.

In summary, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is the second episode of the second season of Taggart and was originally shown on February 9th, 1986.

Taggart and Peter Livingstone are called in to investigate when a woman's body is found weighted down with her own luggage at the bottom of a loch. She was last seen with her husband and a suitcase full of cash preparing for a flight to Switzerland.

This is not a brilliant episode of Taggart, particularly after the previous episode "Knife edge," which was outstanding. The writers often took 6 months to research and write the script often basing the story on real life events. So the disappointing end came as a surprise.

Taggart is credited for kick starting the careers of a number of big name actors. In this episode Alan Cumming is given a chance to show his potential. He later moved to Hollywood and appeared in Saturday Night Live and X men 2.

At the end of the day Mark McManus is Taggart and that is a good enough reason to watch this show.