A show like "Luther" came along at an interesting time in TV drama history: right on the precipice of the transition from the network once-a-week format to the streaming services dominating. While watching this first season, one can see both models very much in play in the show's tone and general pacing. It makes for an interesting mix that provides both thrilling and dramatic entertainment.
For a very basic overview, this first season focuses on DCI John Luther (Idris Elba), an absolutely brilliant profiler of serial killers. The problem? His personal life is a mess, what with ex-wife Zoe (Indira Varma) now off with a new beau (Paul McGann). To make matters worse, the "one that got away" killer Alice (Ruth Wilson) enters into a cat-and-mouse fascination with him, which he must tolerate because she knows his darkest secret.
While watching these six episodes, two things stood out to me right away and throughout:
In many cases, the villains/killers being investigated each episodes often have more interesting stories/backgrounds than the "good guys" pursuing them! Somewhat of an odd turn, to be sure, but it works to produce some excellent and memorable one-off episodes, Remember, this season was made before the heavy serialization of most television, so there remains a large focus on individual stories each hour.
Also, the plots of Luther and his investigative unit move incredibly fast. To be honest, I don't know if this is purposeful (what with only six episodes) or simply an excuse to manufacture high drama for each episode. On one hand, things seem to happen so fast as to be unbelievable or wanting for context/setup. On the other hand, the short BBC production slate would make this take forever to be accomplished, so it's always "full speed ahead".
One can't comment on S1 without making specific mention of Elba's acting performance. The auxiliary cast is fine too, but just the way this whole show is set up hinges on a strong leading performance, and Elba gives exactly that. His simmering tension carries many scenes that otherwise may have been sorely lacking.
Overall, the best way I can describe S1 of "Luther" is that it is about 10-12 episodes worth of material packed into six. It packs an enormous punch, but subsequently seems very awkwardly paced, with major events happening to certain characters that aren't given any time to "hit". As such, it might simply be best to just sit back and enjoy the ride here, without thinking too deeply about the overall structure.
For a very basic overview, this first season focuses on DCI John Luther (Idris Elba), an absolutely brilliant profiler of serial killers. The problem? His personal life is a mess, what with ex-wife Zoe (Indira Varma) now off with a new beau (Paul McGann). To make matters worse, the "one that got away" killer Alice (Ruth Wilson) enters into a cat-and-mouse fascination with him, which he must tolerate because she knows his darkest secret.
While watching these six episodes, two things stood out to me right away and throughout:
In many cases, the villains/killers being investigated each episodes often have more interesting stories/backgrounds than the "good guys" pursuing them! Somewhat of an odd turn, to be sure, but it works to produce some excellent and memorable one-off episodes, Remember, this season was made before the heavy serialization of most television, so there remains a large focus on individual stories each hour.
Also, the plots of Luther and his investigative unit move incredibly fast. To be honest, I don't know if this is purposeful (what with only six episodes) or simply an excuse to manufacture high drama for each episode. On one hand, things seem to happen so fast as to be unbelievable or wanting for context/setup. On the other hand, the short BBC production slate would make this take forever to be accomplished, so it's always "full speed ahead".
One can't comment on S1 without making specific mention of Elba's acting performance. The auxiliary cast is fine too, but just the way this whole show is set up hinges on a strong leading performance, and Elba gives exactly that. His simmering tension carries many scenes that otherwise may have been sorely lacking.
Overall, the best way I can describe S1 of "Luther" is that it is about 10-12 episodes worth of material packed into six. It packs an enormous punch, but subsequently seems very awkwardly paced, with major events happening to certain characters that aren't given any time to "hit". As such, it might simply be best to just sit back and enjoy the ride here, without thinking too deeply about the overall structure.