Bodies

Bodies was much better than I thought it would be. It's one of those shows where you need to watch it and not be doing other things while watching. Pay attention because the story really pays off. Each episode just got better and better. The entire cast was fantastic, they really pull you into the story. Every episode just continues to add pieces of the puzzle in such intriguing and entertaining ways. I couldn't stop watching, I binged all 8 episodes in less than two days. After just finishing it I'm thinking of watching it again because now that I know the ending I think it would be fun seeing all the stuff I missed.

As a weaving of four stories this works well. The sets are great and even the thirty years into the future thread wasn't too out there.

There are a few good characters, some good light and shade and some that develop nicely as the series progresses.

Everything starts with a body being discovered in a lane in London and develops with four different time lines, Victorian, World War Two, present day and thirty years into the future. At first there is a lovely kind of what-is-going-on feel to the story, but come the middle of it, you realise that it's just the same thing that's been done so many times in so many other sci-fi programmes and films that it becomes more and more disappointing and eventually so incredibly and sadly predictable.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I first started Bodies. The reviews were mostly good but the only actor I recognized was Stephen Graham so I thought how good could it be? Well, it was pretty damn good as was the entire cast. It's a time travel series that reminded me of Dark but easier to follow along. It's about four different detectives, in four different time periods, all investigating the exact same murder. It may start a little slow for some but stay with it because I promise it picks up. The best thing about it is it doesn't end with some cliffhanger, it has a very satisfying ending. If you enjoy sci-fi and time travel then give this a try. You won't be disappointed.

Time travel. Hmm. It's so tough to pull off - the key is to make it entertaining, fill it with quality acting and writing, and just do enough to make it believable to you don't end up trying to figure out the science or poke holes in paradoxes.

Bodies is about as good as anything there is in the time travel sub-genre of science-fiction. If you liked shows such as Dark or The Devil's Hour, or loved Predestination or any of the smarter time travel stories around then you'll be very happy with this surprising gem. It's tense, atmospheric, genuinely original and wholly unpredictable.

The historical periods depicted are done so in a rich and convincing manner, particularly the 1890s. The modern-day cops are entirely believable, and the depiction of the future - always the trickiest to sell - kinda works too. After watching a seemingly endless run of TV shows with immensely dislikable characters, it's refreshing to have protagonists to root for - especially the antihero DS Whiteman played by the exceptional Jacob Fortune-Lloyd.

Among the sea of dross being pumped out by Netflix and Disney+ in particular, Bodies really stands out.

Hokum but I enjoyed it all except the WWII London police car sirens which weren't fitted until 1963 when they also introduced the blue flashing beacons. They just had bells but like all science fiction fans I do tend to be obsessively pedantic. I was prepared to accept all the other minor errors but those police car bells are a sound of those times which transport me back in time which the film makers missed. I suspect that those not liking science fiction will find the plot difficult to follow and the continual time shifts confusing but the production isn't made for non science fiction fans so if this isn't your style, don't bother struggling with the plot. :-)