DOWN CEMETERY ROAD

Artist Sarah Trafford (Ruth Wilson) becomes a nosey neighbour when a child goes missing after a house explosion in a nearby residential street. She teams up with gruff private eye Zoe Boehm (Emma Thompson), who comes dressed in black boots paired with a trench coat, to track down the child. Together they unravel a kidnapping caper orchestrated by a politician but carried out by a team of bad-guys who are mostly black men. Hmmm. Trafford spends the entire series huffing, puffing, panicking and faffing around, while her compete opposite Boehm is a blunt-mannered tough-nut who aims to outwit everyone with her acid tongue. Some action kicks off along the way but the eight episodes are mostly filled questionable decision making, unlawful behaviour from nurses and police, and odd comedic moments mixed in with the drama. A scene at the end of episode seven involving a beach and land mines, which is meant to be tense, made me laugh out loud instead. Not even talented British actresses Thompson and Wilson can save this show from its writing – not sure if that’s the fault of the original book it was adapted from or the screenplay itself? I can move past the plot nonsense but I don’t understand why Trafford walked away from her home and career to obsessively search for a kid she has no connection to – and to constantly put her life on the line by doing so. Her motivation was never explained and it makes the whole premise feel disconnected right from the beginning. The final showdown offered some redemption. Started with a bang and ended with a whimper.