La chimica della morte

If you're tiring of the Brit Forensic drama Silent Witness then Chemistry of Death should reignite some interest in the genre.

I haven't read the books the series is based upon, nor did I engage with the trailers or blurb - and sometimes no preparation is the best preparation for a whodunnit - and that's possibly the case here.

This is a stylish and moody show that also introduces a back story to give us some context to Treadaway's (Mr Mercedes) lead character. The opening case is suitably creepy to lay a good foundation, and, although I guessed the 'villains', it had done a pretty good job of creating multiple plausible subjects.

It does have the signature Brit vibe and claustrophobic locations and shooting technique which in this case adds to rather than diminishes the intrigue. A strong supporting cast who contribute well to the combination of pace and menace.

TV shows are made from many different ingredients and in the case of The Chemistry... some are good but unfortunately it's the bad ones that give the flavor. The good ones: main cast is solid, cinematography nice and the overall feel one of a high quality production inspired by shows like True Detective. But the main plot and every second scene just make no sense, so much so that you watch with growing resistance. And it's not just the emotionally incredulous things like having flashbacks of your dead baby girl running happily on a beach while you're in a ruined cottage with a horribly burned and disfigured murder victim or technicalities like having a SWAT team on standby in a small village. It's even mundane things like people wearing rain coats in a storm but never zipped and not putting hoods on, professional police investigators leaving bagged evidence scattered all over the murder scene or knowing a big storm is coming but not securing a body in an already weather damaged shack. I really wanted to love this show. Instead I just grew more and more irritaded with each episode. A shame cause it could've been a really iconic show and Threadway has potential to pull off a complex, disturbed yet charismatic character, the likes of Sherlock Holmes.

Pretty much end of the good news! Sorry.

Hope this guys books aren't this bad. I'm thinking someone grabbed a great story and made a HUGE mess of it.

So much promise with so little fulfilment. The plot has holes in it big enough to drive a truck through. Suggest you don't waste your time. There's so much tv out there it's not worth the effort to watch something this bad.

PS David Heyman is the only saving grace.

Ok first review from me. Now I've got to figure out why there is a character minimum on a review! I'm damn certain I've seen shorter ones than this. Still not enough, guess I'll keep typing unti...

Started well, but let's be honest, you've seen it a thousand times before. I personally get particularly frustrated by a father constantly chasing the shadow of a passed child, but then that's just me. It's difficult to invest in any one of the characters, especially the lead role. Thankfully it doesn't delve into the Dexter/Da Vinci's Demons style crime scene overview each time he assesses a dead body or that would be it!

It may improve as the series moves on, but I'm of an impatient nature so ep 3 was about my limit. If you like predictable, crime scene investigation then its not terrible, but if you prefer to be kept guessing then leave well alone.

Having read the books, I was excited to see this had been dramatised.

I was however shocked to reach the equivalent end of the first book by the beginning of episode 3. Everything just felt very rushed, with lots of important events and scenes missed. There was barely any building of characters or their back stories, with some characters completely missing who were important to the story in the books.

I'm not sure whether reading the books made it less enjoyable being aware of these ommisions, but it certainly felt underwhelming and decidedly rushed throughout.

I understand literary and poetic licence, but whilst it wasn't a bad production and the casting and acting was good, this didn't hit the spot if you've enjoyed the books.