Luther Isn’t Quite My Cup of Tea
Another week, another new show consumed and ready for digestion. Over the past year, I’ve been on a decidedly British kick, with Misfits, Sherlock and Doctor Who (well, two seasons of it) under my belt. I’ve loved them all to various degrees, and so I was ready to accept another UK recommendation, Luther, with open arms.
It was suggested to me by a couple of readers when I was talking about these previous shows, and Idris Elba, whom I’ve loved since The Wire, actually just won a Golden Globe for his portrayal of troubled cop John Luther. Surely, a recipe for success.
Luther is by no means a bad show. It’s very well made, well acted and a few of the story arcs are actually quite gripping. At only ten episodes total across two seasons, it manages to be a serial that allows for stories that are more complex than a 40-minute murder mystery.
That is a well-dressed man.
The show is quite a bit more procedural than I’d like, but it’s hard to deny that the cases are indeed interesting. The crimes are quite a bit more brutal than what we’re used to over here in the states with CSI. A man executes cops on the street, another kidnaps women and drinks their blood in a satanic ritual. It gets pretty hairy.
Where the show is best however, is when it deals with elements greater than a single case. I really like the season-long relationship Luther forms with Alice Morgan, a sociopathic genius who kills her parents in the pilot, but no one can prove it. When her character becomes integral with Luther’s own drama with his wife in the finale, it’s the show’s finest moment. I applaud the show not being afraid to go completely out of control, and warp good characters into bad and murder those you would imagine sacred. The final two episodes of season one are phenomenal, and I was starting to understand why people raved about the show.
But then season two happened. I thought that being a mere four episodes, that meant it would have the opportunity to tell a concise, season-wide story. Rather, what we get instead are a pair of two-part episodes that focus on one killer who wants to by a myth, and then an unrelated case of two brothers trying to score real-life kills for “points” in some sort of bizarre sibling competition. Luther’s cases are known for being rather wonky, but the final “video game” themed one is just beyond the realm of believability to the point where it actually caused me to lose respect for the show.
There’s much more potential in this relationship than the show allows.
The over-arching plot of the season, Luther helping a young porn star/hooker escape her evil masters, is wrapped up in an extremely clumsy fashion. Completely abandoned is his relationship with Alice Morgan, and the bond he was starting to form with his wife’s new lover disappears completely in the latter two episodes. In short, there’s very little compelling about the season, and it undid most of the goodwill that the thrilling finale of the first season garnered.
Then there’s Luther himself. I like Idris Elba, but I’m not sure I understand why the character himself is so praised for being iconic. In season one, Luther is a good cop occasionally doing bad things to get the result he wants, hardly a new concept. Then, sporadically, he flies completely off the handle when anything remotely bad happens with his estranged wife, a-la-her finding a new man. He’s borderline schizo in this season, and only really pulls it together when he must outsmart a foe in the finale.
Then, in season two, he’s something else entirely. He wakes up and plays Russian roulette every day in what I viewed as a really cheap gimmick to make him seem more dark and edgy. Gee, how can we show how tortured our lead is? Instead of having him eat a bowl of cereal in the morning, let’s have him play Russian roulette. Seriously?
Anyone out there who still didn’t realize Idris Elba was British?
But then the rest of season two, he’s just flat and boring. He chases bad guys and solves cases, and comes home from work to relax with his adopted surrogate prostitute daughter. At one point, a crime boss jams a nail through his hand and spends the rest of the season treating him like a misbehaving puppy. “Don’t do that,” an ex-cop warns. “Not with Luther.” You wait and wait for the glorious vengeance when Lucas snaps and dispenses of these trifling foes, but it never comes. The storyline is ended hastily in a way that has little to do with Luther at all. In fact, in all of season two, I can’t remember seeing him lose his cool once or make a truly hard moral decision. That’s supposed to be the central conflict of the character, but they seemed to have lost sight of that as the show went on.
There are certainly many, many worse crime procedurals out there, and even if Luther is uneven as a leading character, I still vastly prefer him to the pun shouting morons that populate our American crime shows. But after seeing how a crime procedural can be SO brilliant with such compelling and deep characters as is the case in Sherlock, it’s hard to say that Luther measures up. Can’t win ’em all I guess.
Disagree? Let me know why.
You are correct sir! Season two really lost a step
I actually lost interest after the first 3 episodes of season 1. It all seemed so very predictable. It’s as if the writers were reading a “How To Make A Crime Show For Dummies” book.
tow other shows that you might like are shameless and being human, both have british and american versions
I loved the first season, but can’t make it through season 2.
I thought the first two episodes of season two were really good and there was a lot of tension and atmosphere, but for some reason I just can’t keep going.
At first I thought it was because Luther was taking a backseat to the criminals, but the points you make hit it on the head. Luther just isn’t as compelling this time around.
I definitely think it also has a lot to do with Alice having nothing to do. They built up this weird psycho-sexual relationship and then went nowhere with it.
Maybe it’s just a sophomore slump and, if it does come back, season three will be more like season one.
Might as well give Inbetweeners a shot if you haven’t already. It’s light and crude, but I thought it was worth a watch.
I can’t say I can vouch for Luther either way, but if you want another suggestion for a wonderful British drama then…you should watch This Is England!
And by that I mean the 2006 film, the 2010 series This Is England ’86 and the 2011 series This Is England ’88.
Its essentially a drama set in the 80’s which follows a group of skinhead friends in Yorkshire, and the lives they lead. It stars two actors you might just recognise Joseph Gilgun (i.e. Rudy from Misfits) and Stephen Graham (i.e. Al Capone from Boardwalk Empire).
The film mainly covers how a young boy devastated by his father’s death in the Falklands ends up a misguided stern white nationalist.
The first series covers the lives of the friends a few years on, with quite a lot of hijinks, but all the while there are some really harrowing moments most notably a really eye-opening (for me anyway) arc involving rape.
The second series covers the lives of the friends a few years on again, and the main crux of the story revolves around the aftermath of the first series with guilt, shame, anger, heartbreak and suicide all bubbling forth to make such a touching climax.
I only got round to watching it a few weeks ago myself funnily enough, after months (probably years actually thinking about it) of hearing about the film and then the tv series I finally sat down to watch it and I haven’t regretted it one bit. It may not be the most known of the drama that the British have to offer but I can assure you it is an absolute hidden gem.
Yeah you might have ruined Luther a bit by watching sherlock first, but you have to give props to season one. I think I give it more of a pass just because I find the cases more interesting than its American ilk.
Also, maybe just to give Paul a break from all the British accents, can anyone recommend good tv shows that aren’t american or british? Do they exist? I’d personally love to expand my horizons.
Ok, here are some foreign shows for you guys.
Ultraviolet (no i am not talking about that Mily Jovovich crapfest) – british vampire series consisting of 6 episodes.
Spaced – you like Simon Pegg Paul right? Well this is British comedie series that launched Nick Frost and his carriers to stratosphere. It should probably be mentioned that the series itself is created, written and directed by Edgard Wright (of the Scott Pilgrim, Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz fame)
Jekyll – now this is also great modern twist on classic tale of Jekyll and Hyde. It’s by no means Sherlock – but it’s very good show.
Coupling – a classic british comedy. It’s a real classic. Don’t bother with american remake. It’s ten times better then how i met your mother.
Thanks for the recs everyone. I watched Spaced a looong time ago (and it’s amazing), but I’ll have to check the others out.
In season 1 I didn’t like the “I do bad things and the rest of the police does not like me” theme. Come on! He solved the cases!
He busted the killer of several policemen. In any country in the world if somebody kill 5 cops whoever caught him would be hero, even if he had to put a gun on child mouth to get the killer!
I’m from a third world country, but british police can’t be that p*ssy about procedures.
Cheers! Diego, from Argentina
Should check out ‘The Shadow Line’ some good stuff 🙂
banko:
can anyone recommend good tv shows that aren’t american or british? Do they exist?
The Swedish show Wallander is a bit like luther… but unique in its own ways, and I enjoyed it.
Also Australia has ‘Wild Boys” which is their sometimes serious, sometimes light-hearted take on a ‘western’.
Also ‘Underbelly’ is a serious drama lovechild of ‘Blow” and “THe Sopranos”.
Canada also has decent stuff like “XIII” A action/spy kind of thing and ‘King’ an extremely well done crime drama along the lines of The Shield and The Closer.
Luther is amazing but the second Alice Morgan left everything went down hill, she was an amazing character. Jesus i mean episode one when he lets Henry Madsen fall with in the first 3 minutes, gripping from the go
the last two episodes of season 1 are phenomenal.
same goes for for the last 2. you may think the two brothers were silly but i found them menacing. they were brutal and remorseless and totally out of way to reason with them. they were a chaotic power of evil that can’t be stopped with simply being a “normal” cop.
and you ask when luther loses his shit? the whole scene when he brings down the 2nd brother. the scene where he is throwing gasoline on himself was like: ITS ON!!!
of course the 2nd season has its up and down and wasn’t as good as the last parts of season 1, Luther is still a damn good show. Luther is iconic. it wasn’t just a gimmick him playing russian roulette. i rather found it earnest. he IS a sociopath. much like sherlock without the deductiv power and his “watson” being a murdering genuis. so yeah its thorougly logical that luther would want to try to shoot himself every morning after his wife died. for other heroes there might be a silverlining but luther has none. his life falls more and more into shambels. there is no good ending for this guy.
i always believed that what the show shows is deliberate. maybe thats stupid to do? but this way i enjoyed the show because i could find a good reason to about everything.
I’ll watch Idris Elba in anything. I’m still pissed he’s not the new Alex Cross.
Red Dwarf… great Sci-Fi Comedy (that description doesn’t really do it justice)
The first few series (or seasons as you know them where you are) are a little dated visually, but the humor is spot on.
I beg you to give it a shot
Why you no review House of Lies? I am disappoint.
@liepardestin
“King” is a great show, especially since it’s a female detective, not necessarily trying to fit in the boys or be a “tough” cop deal. it has great crime and the sidestories of her life are quite interesting to see.
“XIII” on the other hand seems much too contrived and farfetched, much like the american “nikita” with maggie q.
“prime suspect” from america was good too. sadly, it’s been taken off air due to lack of viewers, but it was intense and characters were entertaining and developed (though cliched).