Hollington Drive

From the writer of 'Blood' for C5, which was great, so was looking forward to this one.

Pros: the premise when it was eventually revealed at the end of episode one after a very slow start, is an intriguing one. There's also a fairly decent ensemble cast led by the excellent Anna Maxwell.

Negatives: the Protagonists family setup was very confusing - the Direction was weak - lots of pointless drone shots and static chat scenes and the tempo was way too slow. The Score was busy and intrusive with some of the dialogue inaudible. I agree with other reviewers that the parents of the missing child bizarrely didn't really seem that bothered..

For me it needed more sympathetic and interesting characters and more pace. I gave up on it.

The live of sisters Theresa and Helen, and their families are turned upside down when a young boy, Alex is found dead.

It's a slow burner it's fair to say, it improves as it goes on, and ends with a cracking episode, unfortunately episode one is a real clunker. You wouldn't be blamed for switching it off after fifteen minutes, the opener is painful.

It's very well made, smart looking, and features some wonderful acting, Anna Maxwell Martin and Rachel Stirling give amazing performances, particularly in Part four.

It's a clever murder mystery, a whodunnit, you'll guess and wonder, I'm not sure you'll get it, I certainly didn't.

This would have been better over two nights. It's a slow burner, but ultimately rewarding in the end.

Overall, pretty good, 7/10.

Count me among those who found this series to have much to recommend it. I'm glad I didn't let the low ratings deter me from watching.

Although I may be the only viewer who truly enjoyed the Eddie character, he struck me as a real, believable person who obviously had enough warmth and compassion so that David reached out to him for friendship and understanding. The scene with these two wounded men was well acted and quite touching.

Relationships can prove complicated in the best of times; in the case of a missing child who is later found dead they must be unbearably strained. I think the actors brilliantly portrayed the various emotional and ethical struggles they were facing. The continuing lies and complicity among the protagonists created a tenseness, albeit a frustrating one, that carried the story along to its conclusion.

And, yes, as someone mentioned, four episodes was just enough to develop the action, lead us astray, and reveal the truth.

I enjoyed this little series. I liked how bland and cold it all was. The houses, the schools, the streets, the people, shops, atmosphere. It all had an empty and cold feeling to it, which I believe was the intention. It looked beautiful and had a dark and good story, I just think it was executed poorly.

For those who don't appreciate this drama or give it a chance, look up Brecht or 'verfremdungseffekt'. It is slow moving and the characters are unlikeable - set against a stepford housewives backdrop - but I think this is deliberate. You are supposed to be forming a moral judgement about the characters, their behaviours and role in the story. It is a snapshot of modern middle-class living from the writer/ director - presenting their viewpoint/ opinion.