Whitechapel: Season 1 (2009)
Not Rated
Starring Rupert Penry-Jones, Phil Davis, Steve Pemberton
Created by Ben Court, Caroline Ip
The Story:
Jack the Ripper, or at least someone copying his infamous murders, is back terrorizing Whitechapel, London. Young Detective Inspector Chandler (Penry-Jones) is assigned the case by the top brass so that he can check off the "murder" block, and move up towards the higher ranks at headquarters. Of course, he doesn't realize it's a Ripper murder, nor does Detective Sergeant Miles (Davis) the gruff, streetwise detective that is forced to follow this rookie Inspector. It's only when Ripperologist Edward Buchan (Pemberton) shows them the connections that the department begins trying to stop the new Ripper before he strikes again. Yet, how do you stop a murderer who was never caught?
It's easy to become enamored with the BBC shows, as they are usually well acted, well written and well crafted.
They are also 3-6 episodes long, so they don't overstay their welcome, or get bloated with subplots that seemingly stall the narrative to barely keep the wheels of the plot in motion.
Season 1 of Whitechapel is 3 intense episodes that are focused on the Jack the Ripper killings, and the oil/water relationship between that of Chandler and Miles (and the rest of the Department for that matter).
It's always been a compelling narrative when you have two dynamic leads who both believe in their ideals and it conflicts with the other.
Each will bend, yet never break, and the partnership usually comes out stronger in the end.
I'm hesitant to try the subsequent 3 seasons, as they have nothing to do with Jack the Ripper, which was my initial interest.
However, the characters were compelling enough to pull me back, so maybe in the near future?
Currently streaming for those with Amazon Prime.
Final Grade: Solid B / B+
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