This is the fourth episode from the very first season of the British successful cop show Luther, which means it is the first episode from the second half of season one because the entire season only had six episodes. At approximately 50 minutes, it is also minimally shorter than the previous three episodes. The formula is once again similar to the earlier episodes. We have one key crime/case in the middle of it all and at the same time Luther's private life struggles are elaborated on and so is the Alice Morgan scenario, even if with the latter Luther emphasized that he does not want to be in touch with her anymore. This does not keep Morgan from committing another murder though and the victim this time is the child killer from the very start of episode one who has been in a coma ever since back then when Luther lets him fall down into that hole. Here the man awakens and seems on the road to recovery, so that he will put the blame on Luther for what happened back then. But Morgan, the devilish guardian angel gets in the way of that. This attracts further attention to the guy from internal affairs who is in charge of observing Luther anyway, especially with that really loud phone call. And as Luther is not happy at all with what Morgan did, she is not happy either and is angry because she does not get the appreciation she thinks she should be getting. As a consequence, she goes and talks to Luther's wife's new man that his girl/woman has been cheating on him with Luther again. So this story gets some new spice again as well. At the end, it seems as if he forgave her because she apologized to him in a heartfelt manner. This was also the biggest moment where the other man is once again depicted in a negative light, almost boastful, as he pretends towards the woman that he saw through it himself when reality is he had no idea and only knew because Alice told him as an act of revenge. By the way, Luther's wife is also quite a handful with what she is doing with several men here. I mean it's just the two, but still a constant back-and-forth. As for "just the two", it's still always very nice when Luther and Alice share the screen, even if it's not that often anymore. But I also want to mention the seductive theme song now, which is so Alice/Luther in terms of atmosphere, tune and temptation.
Before we move on to the case at hand here, it can be said that it's snowing in London, which is pretty nice to watch and the moment we see the killer's newest victim when we are initially led to believe they (almost) have him was a thing of beauty (despite the horror), also with the music playing at the same time. So yeah, what can be said about the killer this time? He seems like a really normal guy who snapped at some point because he thinks he is not getting the appreciation he should have been getting, in terms of both his former profession, but also in terms of his wife who has been cheating on him. His ego was characterized in that scene when he whispered something naughty into the ear of his "friend". In general, this episode once again is mostly worth watching for individual scenes and strong attention to detail. When the killer takes in the woman who initially doesn't want to, it's a scene as memorable as heartbreaking. Flaws are there, but not too frequent. Once again, the investigation process is a bit exaggerated in terms of how they find him. The conclusion that he must be a taxi driver feels as rushed as how he is selected from these over 20 other potential suspects. Still nothing too serious and I was well-entertained here too. The scene with the call girl near the very end was also as atmospheric and dramatic as it gets and the level this show has after four episodes is still immensely high. If you like what happens at the very end with the murderer's hammer and wife is up to you to decide. I think it was a very spectacular finish and I did not feel it was unrealistic, so I think it was pretty good closure. Maybe it also had something to do with the way Luther let the woman understand what was going on with her husband when he left her alone in the interrogation room. Smart scene and also nice to see Luther's completely lack of sympathy there. The necklace inclusion was also pretty memorable. In general, this show is not scared of killing off characters at all, which is something I applaud. No need for false harmony. Take the victim in the snow I mentioned twice already or also take the man who is the killer's wife's affair. Another easy thumbs-up without hesitation from me here. Start watching this show or keep watching this show. I surely will do the latter.
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