The Dark Room

It's a shame that this hasn't gotton even one review (before mine) as it deserves some attention.

It's a well thought out two-part TV drama made in 1999. It's elevated by a good script and a cast of British acting luminaries. The Hitchcockian soundtrack and the sensible use of flashbacks also add to make this a pleasurable viewing experience.

A brain injuries consultant attends to a patient who awakes from a coma and remembers nothing about how she got there. As they both try to piece together what happened to her life, family tensions cause complications.

Red herrings, family secrets, and powerful people jostle for posititon and the police procedural side of the story gets a good chunk of the attention, too. A rather old fashioned and stubborn senior policeman is struggling with his female junior who clearly knows her job.

The female leads are particularly outstanding here. Dervla Kirwan is especially effective in the exhausting role of the coma victim.

It's a product of its time, of course, but even today (2018) it's still perfectly watchable. The story runs at a brisk pace leading to a satisfying conclusion.