The image of the irish is always of a fun-loving, hospitable, humorous gregarious and musical culture set in a stunningly gorgeous place. Once you learn about its actual history l, though, you marvel at how they manage to laugh at and celebrate anything. Single-Handed is a stark view of how intensely Ireland's past informs its present. The scenery is breathtaking- and the reality of it is even more astounding. I drove through this landscape between Galway and Donegal, from where both sides of my family come- the Irish bits.
This show does focus on the darker aspects though, there are few light moments and Jack Driscoll is relentlessly dour and righteous (does Owen McDonnell ever get a role where he's allowed to smile? I see comedies in his credits, but I've only seen him solitary, conflicted and rather joyless) but one can see why he is like that- his father was a monster, who terrorized the town in an affable, sociopathic way. His mother's a perfect example of an abused woman who was given just enough freedom to think that she wasn't. The oppressive weight of brutal Irish history weights Jack down and he is constantly trying- and succeeding- to Do The Right Thing, always needing to prove that he is not his father. The failure of so many to understand why he does what he does makes him crazy. He judges himself more harshly than anyone else, even his Mother - atypical of Irish women with one son, she does not dote on her son, mostly because he refuses to support her delusional view of his awful father.
The stories are mostly very credible, realistic portrayals of the bad choices, sheer stupidity and casual cruelty that cause most small town problems. The intrusions of Big City Crimes seem organic and are viewed by Jack as no more important to the people he protects than the day to day ones that define his job.
He is the epitome of the Celtic Warrior Hero - flawed, but unbowed and determined to protect and avenge (if possible) the vulnerable and even rectify the wrongs of the past. No wonder he never laughs.
I recommend this series for its thought provoking themes, its excellent writing and cast and its breathtaking beauty.
