User reviews

No one does family tragedy like the Irish. The cast is superb as is everything in this series, including the traditional music.

Great acting. Everyone. The commenter "Why?" sums up my sentiment. A few holes that don't add up in this show. Why? is right. It's as if the show plot line was going in one direction, then the writers said, "Nah, let's go this way..." But overall I enjoyed it, highly emotional. It does hit you in the gut. Worth a watch, but a bit depressing overall if you're not into that kind of thing.

Season One is enthralling viewing. It keeps you guessing throughout and all is finally revealed in the final episode. Season Two goes off in a completely different direction with occasional references to the first season. This is a different story altogether, but I found it held my attention nevertheless. Well written and impeccably acted. I enjoyed it, though season one was better.

This is a wonderful series, it manages to pack so much in, drama, intrigue, deception, it's moving and engaging.

Very well written, you will see so many minor events and incidents, all of which have significance, moat get explained.

You could be forgiven for thinking it's going to be The Adrian Dunbar show, and it's fair to say he is outstanding throughout, but to be fair this is one impressive cast, all of whom impress.

It's hard to classify this as a specific type of drama, regardless of type, it's excellent.

Loved it, 9/10.

The first 2 episodes were excellent. Intriguing and intense with surprises that sometimes unexpectedly lightened up the tone. It slowly declined from there. The twists kept coming but they started to feel a bit deus ex machina. I had a lot of sympathy for the main character but the logic of her choices got a bit slim. Not just hers actually. The ending of episode 4 is so grim it sucked the fun out of the show for me. And then the final episode (number 6) explains a lot but has no link whatsoever to the childhood trauma that set off the main character's suspicions. I would have wanted to see the characters deal more with the aftermath of that, like real people. Now the focus shifts and even though it puts events in a different light and gives some answers, it was unsatisfying. The slow pace and sentimentality of the final episode did not help. This series is not without merit but ultimately I was disappointed.

Unlike some recent serial dramas, this doesn't let you down in the last episode, everything that has gone before seems to fit. Why was everyone, especially the main character, behaving so strangely? Who did it and why? A logical and very emotional conclusion which will strike a chord with a lot of people. Well worth a watch and Adrian Dunbar is brilliant, as always.

Series one was fairly interesting, and broached an emotionally complex subject. Why they brought the series back for a second round is a total mystery to me. It was also the slowest paced program I have ever seen. Watch series one and skip the rest.

Great drama with an unusual storyline that had me jumping to conclusions early on. It all sorts itself out, working it's way to the poignant ending. Well worth watching.

Season 1 was was intriguing and interesting but suffered from the trope "I'm keeping this information secret for no reason". Season 2 was far worse, becoming a depressing grind.

Great cast, great acting, great story. Loved every minute.

Season 1 is good, season 2; no need to watch.

I have no problem when there is a text saying "two weeks ago ", and then the story continues. These episodes are constantly going back and forth in time without any information, and often very short scenes. It is confusing and makes me uninterested. Season 2 is even worse.

There is a story there, and the plot in S1 is good, but in the end of 12 episodes it feels like they torn out random pages from a book, before giving us these 12 episodes, so many things are never explained.

Starts off so well and loses the plot towards the end of the 1st season. The characters, motives, judgements and reactions do not hold the plot.

Intriguing and well acted drama which builds to an unexpected ending. Cracking performances by Adrian Dunbar and the rising star, Carolina Main.

Excellent script and filming. My only criticism would be that the ending rather begs the question - why so much subterfuge ?

First of all, you could put Adrian Dunbar on the set with 4 trained seals, and he would deliver a great story! Season 1 was concerning the death of his very sickly elderly wife, and, yes it took a while to get to the bottom of incident.

Season 2 has a brief wrap-up of those events and begins with Adrian returning home after a 'sabbatical' of sorts abroad. His extended family is supportive, but there are conflicts climaxed by the later discovery of a family member dead in the trunk of a car that skidded into a lake.

Dunbar must now serve as a sort of peacemaker & private detective, a role he nailed as the Head of AC-12 in the series LINE of Duty.

It's a departure from the specific Season 1 theme, but it's still about holding the family together. So far, so good.

Yes, below I defend the pace; however, a slow pace to s a y s o m e t h i n g is one thing--now, after finishing the series, I can't see any reason for 6 chapters--how about 4? I also dropped to 6 stars from 8. (I rarely revise these reviews).

For those who find the pace slow at times, we must compare the various mni-series from the Far East--Thailand, South Korea, etc. : the Director just refuses to be rushed--certain scenes are unfolded painstakingly slowly. If you watch the 1-hour American police shows, it's force-fed without a pause. My advice: view the Brit series as a piece of art in a museum--you dont race thru the Louvre in 30 minutes. Breath! Savor!

After full viewing, 6/10 (down from 8)

No problem giving this a 8/10 rating, but I feel thats maximum I can give. If some loose ends had been gathered it would have been an 9/10.

Compelling plot and acting was great - especially Carolina Main who was mesmerising!

Best series I have seen for some time and I'm looking forward to seeing more by Sophie Petzal.

Well done Channel 5!

The first series was an 8, the second was 4 at best. I wished I had read the other reviews before watching series 2 and saved myself 6 hours of my life. The first couple of episodes were quite good but even the return of a major character from series 1 in episode 4 could not save the second series. Slow, drawn out and characters you don't care about. Watch the excellent series 1 and pretend the second one never happened.

This is a masterclass of acting. The leading actors and supporting cast are peerless. The editing is smooth and sequential. The camera loves the beautiful Irish scenery. The story sees a family built around a loving mother. Doubt creeps in as to her death. Suspicions loom. A tale of historical acts of violence, infidelity, theft and death all woven together. The story is so moving. The denouement is the most realistic and devastating I've ever seen. No spoilers just praise. Totally plausible and moving. Incredible.

2nd series poorly written, no mystery here. Possibly the most disjointed series I have ever seen.. Very disappointing after such a great 1st series, what a shame - 6/10 for series 2

The cliched trend by DOPs and directors to saturate all modern dramas with blue or green filters is getting out of control. In this case it's green. I know this one is set in the Emerald Isle but please, give us a break and have an original thought.

A daughter returns for her mothers funeral and suspects her father is a killer. There is plenty of mounting evidence, and her father's behavior, thanks to a great performance by Dunbar, doesn't deter her. The time line switching is a little annoying, but not confusing The first season was well written. While the first season kept one on tenterhooks about who did what, and built the drama the second season is much weaker and at time comically trite in it's simplicity. Dunbar's character seems to have lost some IQ points, and his son in law, who was mostly absent in season, 1 is now Mr. Wimp. When Cat, the angry daughter from season 1, appears mid season, she reprises her role in spades. The show went from strong drama to weak soap.