Its kind of pathetic that people will take a couple of small instances of something they don't appreciate (no handshaking) after one single broadcast episode, and exaggerate and extrapolate that into an entirely false persona. Early reviewers were just cribbing each other's words to beat the drum of "wooden," "wooden," "dull," "dull." So lame! The acting for the Ellis character is just fine, as is much of the other acting in this production, though not all.
The main character is black and middle-aged, is serious, direct and plain-spoken, is practical, asks for exactly what is called for, is very capable, and it seems like maybe the first two characteristics might be the main problem for some individuals... is she supposed to be deferential, congenial, giggly and tap-dancing? She's thoughtful and compassionate in her interviews, jokes around in a very low-key manner with her colleagues, smiles when significant progress is made in the investigation, and expresses gratitude. Is the problem that she's not a total suck-up?
At first, she has an overly needy colleague who is petulant, and a bit desperate for social connection. I don't think the main character is the issue, here. Some people aren't interested in fluffy getting-to-know-you stuff, and it certainly doesn't influence the outcome of an investigation, nor does pointless over-sharing of every thought, as if everything needs to be a collaboration. This relationship evens out to be more functionally cooperative.
The main boss-dude on home turf is overly defensive, territorial, jealous, and he's both sexist and racist, while under-performing at his job. It hardly seems unusual, and looks to be a fairly realistic portrayal. The main character wastes no time at all trying to get him on side, or bothering to aim to correct his wrongheadedness. What would be the point? He's totally shut down and thoroughly unfriendly, and depicted as spending too much of his time being undermining, gossipy, and angry, while taking sloppy shortcuts.
In Ep 2, the out-of-town boss and his toadie are even more off-putting! Much of the episode shines a harsh light on the injustices women suffer both in the workplace and as community members affected by crimes. The investigation is intriguing, if a bit sloppily presented.
In the 2nd Ep, Ellis' tone has somewhat changed, and not for the better. Although, the reasons are pretty clear: being accused of something one isn't guilty of, being treated with smarmy insincerity and false cooperation, being manipulated, lied to, and obstructed. There's no reason to be 'friendly' under the above circumstances.
Still solidly average and watchable.
