The Fall on BBC2

[LadyDeliah]

Just watched the first 5 episodes. Gillian Anderson's character is fantastic. Love the complexity of all the characters and the close up of the mind / character of the serial killer.

Brilliant series so far in my opinion.

Anyone else watching this?

[Huggers]

yes it was brilliant but episode 5 was the end...that was it, 5 episodes. Open ended or another series after a long wait?

[LadyDeliah]

No way! Shit, I want more. Gutted.

[mancity68]

A second series has been commissioned.

[LadyDeliah]

I'll be looking out for it. Hope it's as good as this one was.

[siousxiesue]

Had to watch with the sound turned down for a bit-terrifying!

[Saila]

I watched it too.

Found episode 4 difficult to watch though and ended up moving my toddler into my bed (partner away) cos I was so scared...

I read they changed the ending of 5 after they heard they had a second series.

Also - I found it slightly frustrating how they couldn't catch him.

They have a witness to recent attempted murder, the witness from his uni days, a sketch, poss dna from the daughter from sketch pad, a sighting on cctv at the park (with his daughter! - they know he has a daughter!!) a first name, age and where he was at uni. Plus he'd been into the station with a weak alibi... And even stared at main police-woman!

Surely... All they need do is an appeal for 'pete, looks like this, was in park x day, went to x uni, has a daughter, is religious and prob had a horrific childhood, and is a bit weird in bed!'

[northlondoner]

Is this on Netflix ?

[LadyDeliah]

It's on BBC iPlayer:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00wrk43

[UncleBen]

Found Andersons character ridiculous. Also the graphic stalking, and sexual violence to women was distasteful to say the least. I have noticed that many main stream progs routinely show graphic violence to women. Too much.

[LadyDeliah]

I found Anderson's character believable, being a woman in a man's world. Maybe you don't know many intelligent, focused, ruthless women. I know a couple and they are an inspiration.

What was refreshing was that she didn't have to be bipolar or otherwise mentally ill to excuse her single minded, high achiever, sexually Independant personality.

As for the stalker, it was interesting and disturbing to me to have an insight into what such a man might be like. The duality of his personality and separation of his two lives was fascinating.

No-one complained about the graphic violence of Silence of the Lambs. Please don't call for censorship of my viewing just because it offends your sensibilities. Just watch something else.

[LadyDeliah]

Salla, by the way, yes I think he can't exactly evade the police for very long given everything they have on him and if he isn't caught in the next season, I will be disappointed with the writers.

Exceptional writing so far so I hope they have other villains to pursue so it doesn't get rediculous.

[csaddleton]

I enjoyed this very much, the ending was shit though. I understand it's going for a second series, but it was shit.

[El Pibe]

UncleBen in negative opinion shocker.

I though it was terrific. I mean flawed, too many strands not really pursued properly, but it has good performances especially by the two leads and some great supporting roles. THere were moments when the underlying ideas are being left for us to work through and then the lopsided moment when they are paraded for us by the writers during Stella's phone call with Paul, like some Bond villain desperate to share his genius.

Great to have a really strong female character too, considering that she's a woman who refuses to play the roles that male society demands of women, it's rather telling that UncleBen finds her ridiculous!!

Anyway, nice to have something a bit cerebral too. The title clearly points to the Satan myth, and the ideas pursued are to do with the exercise of power and its relationship with temptation, each character experiencing different degrees of 'Fall' in relation to the nature of their sin.

Stella, far from being ridiculous is actually quite amoral, a condition which cushions her from the fallout of her decisions that can occur around her.

Even Paul who isn't a psycopath but severly damaged goods, reveals the very human dicvhotomy of being capable of great evil while still being capable of a strong (internal) sense of moral rectitude.

More like this please...

[JohnL]

Checked this yesterday and it seemed to expire from iplayer today.

Are the Beeb short of hard disk space ?

LadyDeliah Wrote:

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> It's on BBC iPlayer:

>

> http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00wrk43

['bout now]

I though it was excellent, dark, f*&8ed up in places and hugely watchable. It hasn't ended though, so I don't know how the "ending" was supposed to be shit. To Be Continued were the last things on the final scene, so all those strands with prostitutes, suicide, police murder and multiple murder are still there, flapping and ready for the next series.

Or am I missing something?

[DJKillaQueen]

I was entertained by it too but I did find Andersons performance a bit too forced. It was a very understated piece of acting and I am tempted to think drawn from Grabol's performance in 'The Killing' (if not by Anderson herself, by the director certainly). It seems to be de riguer at the moment for psychological drama thanks to successful recent dramas by the Scandinavians and French.

Anderson is one of my favourite actresses in UK drama at the moment but something just doesn't work for me in this one (without really knowing why). My reading of it is that Stella's coldness is juxtaposed with the killers brutal coldness, a kind of paradox if you like, where the same emotional level can be seen in both forces for good and evil. It's clever, and something we see more often with male characters in drama. Stella's (force for good) character is not meant to be likeable, which breaks one of the fundamental rules of narative screenwriting. Maybe that's what leaves me personally uncomfortable. Having said that though, 'Dexter' for example, flips those rules entirely on their heads and works brillantly.

[TopTree]

It?s only make believe?

[Cassius]

Dexter would have never caught him - breaks too many rules - family man, not a loner. Good TV though.

[UncleBen]

UncleBen Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Found Andersons character ridiculous. Also the

> graphic stalking, and sexual violence to women was

> distasteful to say the least. I have noticed that

> many main stream progs routinely show graphic

> violence to women. Too much.

- - - - - - - -

Did you see yesterdays headlines - 1 in 3 women worldwide have been subject to sexual violence/violence? Keep enjoying the programme because it's "make believe", and it definately won't influence any potential nutters, nor condone, reinforce or normalise such behaviours . .

[LadyDeliah]

Because not airing such issues and pretending life is full of roses for women works so well, doesn't it?

[UncleBen]

Issues were hardly aired! That behaviour glorified and relished in detail I'd say.

[LadyDeliah]

In your opinion.

In my opinion the writing was clever and allowed an intelligent look at the complex issues of good and evil, the possibility of someone doing appalling things but being able to show love and caring for other people in his life, the progression from violence towards a partner to becoming a serial killer.

Fascinating stuff if you don't suffer from knee-jerkitis.