Second Sight

Second Sight is a basic British crime drama but with a twist -- the lead detective might be going blind. So the show is not just an anthology series, it has a running plot about the man's increasing sight issues that may or may not lead to loss of sight. This leads to a bifurcated show: the story of the possible blindness is extremely well done; it's touching, effective, but not overly maudlin. But the actual detective stories are not very good: the plot holes are completely insane, the detective work is almost silly; it often feels as if no one cared about the story lines as long as the larger theme was well-developed.

However, what really saves the show is Owen. He is absolutely terrific dealing with the possibility of eye sight loss: the show never wanders far from his dilemma. Why this man never became a major star is the most baffling mystery of all here.

If you are a favorite of British crime dramas, the Second Sight series are a "must see." They star Clive Owen who has become more well-known to US audiences from his roles in the exciting and thoughtful science fiction shocker Children of Men and in the action mystery Inside Man which I found to be thoroughly entertaining. Owen, at first, appears to be very rough hewn, but he has the ability to express a tough vulnerability (an oxymoron?) that makes him perfect for the role of DCI Ross Tanner in the Second Sight series.

Tanner is not a very likable man. He's a drunk, a womanizer, a neglectful father, and a tough boss, but he is very good at his job - thus he is the head of a police unit that investigates high-profile crimes - mostly homicides. Tanner begins to have some problems with his vision and finds that he has contracted a rare disease known as acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR). The symptoms are blurred vision, blind spots, and flashes of light. In many cases, full vision returns after a period of time. Tanner - being the introspective, shut off man that he is - decides to hide his condition with the hope that his normal vision will return.

The flashes of light are used to dramatic effect in the series by taking on flashes of images that appear to Tanner which often help him to solve the crimes. This technique is overdone, but it serves to give us insight into the mind of this brilliant detective.

The first series concerns just one crime which is the complex tale of the murder of a young man. In this first series, Tanner accepts the help of a female detective in his unit who perceives the vision problem. He and the detective also have a sexual relationship. It is through this relationship and his strained relationship with his son that we get some insight into the more human side of the man.

In the first episode of the second series, Tanner's relationship with his paramour comes to an end. The second series comprises three different crimes and also offers us a further look into the human side of Tanner. All three are neatly tied together by Tanner's developing condition, and each crime offers exposes different aspects of the British personality and society. Especially notable in Kingdom of the Blind is a chilling performance by veteran actor, Peter Vaughan who his more often seen in lighter roles.

British television drama has a special way of portraying the women and men of the police forces who must deal with the criminal element. Second Sight certainly ranks near the top of those dramas.

Another Great UK Crime Drama . . . With a twist. A very interesting twist!

A young Clive Owens plays has DCI Ross Tanner, a cop who discovers that he going blind. Add to that a nasty murder case and a new DI as his deputy . . .

. . . A good basis for a story. Clive Owen makes it work so well, Claire Skinner manages to keep up and the always dependable Stuart Wilson (and his Crossworlds hat) is excellent as usual. The music harkens back to the 50s, 60s, 70s detective shows of my youth and almost makes it feel like a period piece.

I love British crime shows (Midsomer Murders, The Last Detective, Endeavour, etc.). I'm slotting this one into the rotation!

So I've started seeing Clive Owen here and there the last few months and I look him up to see what other work he's done. I end up searching for this set of TV episodes and Greenfingers. Both are movies I couldn't find in my neighborhood movie rental spot. Anyway, I loved this show. All eight episodes kept me interested, though I was disappointed with the Tully just suddenly moving along aspect, and Clive rules the small screen just as well as he does the big screen. I highly suggest anyone that enjoys Clive's work pick these up, especially the 1st two dvds (2 parts to each one). Oh, and some great cameo's but well known actors as well. Overall, an A- for the set.

I watched this on Prime (with subtitles) but spent most of my time forwarding it by 10 seconds at a time. I didn't even last 10 minutes with it. Why? Refer to the title of the review.