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Tweaked Out Violent Criminals BBC Style

I inherited a great deal from my mother. We have the same nose, the same eyes, and the same love of crime drama. I remember sitting as quietly as I could come nightfall, in the hope that my mother would forget I was still up and I could sneak an episode of Law and Order past bedtime. Though I seriously doubt she ever forgot I was there, I did see my fair share of one of (if not the) best crime dramas television has ever produced.

When the magic of BBCAmerica first came to my house, I was in Doctor Who heaven (I also got my love of sci-fi from my mother). And then one day, randomly, I caught my first episode of Wire in the Blood.

I was in love.

Wire in the Blood is the story of London psychologist Tony Hill who assists the police in capturing the more tweaked of violent criminals – murderers, rapists, serial killers. Hill is a bit tweaked himself – he visualizes himself in the place of the victims and perps, often providing some very interesting and schizophrenic shots. Like all good investigators, Hill always gets his man with dramatic flair. Told in a two hour format (which makes me giddy, as it opens up so much more plot and intrigue), the show is sometimes predictable, but always good.

In Prayer of the Bone, Tony is called to rural Texas (yay!) to give testimony against Darius Grady. Grady is accused of having brutally murdered his wife and two small children after returning from active duty in the Middle East. While the defense cries post traumatic stress disorder, it is Tony’s job to discover whether the claim is accurate, or if Grady is a cold blooded murderer.

Robson Green, who plays Tony, is the only series regular here, though Alex, his partner, for lack of a better term, is often mentioned. The mystery is good, if not one of the more predictable ones. I had figured out whodunit and why halfway through but it’s still a good episode. Green plays the spastic yet brilliant Hill with his usual aplomb, and is humorous as he sticks out like a tweed colored thumb. Brad Hawkins (Darius Grady) did an excellent job with his role, but the rest of the cast is about average.

There are no bonus features save a perfunctory overly dramatic commercial for seasons one through five of Wire in the Blood. Prayer of the Bone isn’t the best episode by a longshot, but it’s still entertaining and still very much worth a watch.

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