karenbutnotakaren

A fascinating, brilliantly constructed documentary series exploring the work of the Scottish police and the impact of brutal crimes on victims and their families.

The direction, editing and storytelling are second to none. Victims are centred in the narrative and bereaved families are given dignity and a powerful voice, but most of all this is a testament to the compassion, ingenuity and professionalism of all those involved in solving these crimes.

It's easy to drag the police, but this series is a reminder that so very many of them are genuinely good people, who work tirelessly in the face of real horror and dedicate their lives to pursuing justice on behalf of the communities they serve.

I enjoyed this sooooo much. Just a great piece of writing, brilliant ensemble cast, satisfying and heartwarming narrative arc. Deals with some difficult themes but is basically feelgood and very funny.

And the best thing? It's 2 seasons. The story is told. The resolutions are reached. It's not stretched thin with ridiculous plot lines and no-reason characters just so the studio can squeeze a bit more mileage out of it. I've been frustrated and disappointed so many times when amazing shows become watered down, inauthentic versions of themselves, with diminishing returns for the viewer, just to eke out one more season when there's nothing left to say. Much as I love it, I really hope Shrinking stops right there. It's perfect as it is.

Not quite sure where to start with this big ol' mess. Longlegs is supposed to be horror, but it's not scary and completely lacks tension or suspense. It's a kind of police procedural, but in that respect it's ludicrous. It's got some goofy, tongue-in-cheek bits, but it's not really funny.

I can't work out if the director intends this to be a winking tribute to shonky 70s screamfests, or something more elevated.

It's got one foot in reality and the other in some Satan-y shenanigans, none of which makes any sense, and is scripted and shot in a weirdly stylised, liminal-space way, which I guess is designed to pay homage to some of the great psychological horrors like The Shining, Rosemary's Baby, Silence of the Lambs and Midsommar - or perhaps make it seem that Longlegs belongs amongst them. Spoiler alert: it doesn't.

The one thing you can say about it is that if you're only here for the Full Nic, you won't be disappointed. As a devil-worshipping lunatic with a T-Rex soundtrack, he's bouncing off the walls and chewing up the scenery in a faceful of dodgy prosthetics, Baby Jane lipstick and a Beetlejuice wig. As I said, it might be so bad it's brilliant.