Gone Tomorrow: Part 1

I'm used to tv series and movies straying away from reality for dramatic effect and have no problem with that. This particular pair of episodes had the potential to be truly harrowing, heart wrenching and enthralling. However, it strayed so far from reality that it was ruined, at least for someone who had professional experience of how such incidents are handled. I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone, but suffice it to say that there is a well rehearsed procedure to deal with North Sea helicopter crashes, and these episodes bore absolutely no relation to it. The whole process appeared shambolic from start to finish. In reality, as tragic as these events are, the process would be anything but, with everything carefully managed and documented.

I know this is fiction; but the same effect could have been accomplished with at least a modicum of reality.

Sam, now a university professor, find herself called in to investigate when a helicopter with sixteen aboard, crashes near oil rigs. She arrives before any bodies are found. One man is comatose and one is brought in dead. But there are some odd things going on, including the possibility of a maverick pilot. This is one of those businesses where profit outweighs anything else. Of course, very high pay for those working keeps them from stepping away. Same realizes something unusual as the episode ends.

After a slightly underwhelming series three, the fourth opens up with a big story, they went for a huge story and for the most part they delivered. They'd wandered a little off track previously, making it too much about Sam's personal life, with love affairs and domestic issues, they had recognised it was in danger of becoming stale, so they moved her out of it. It was a good move, Gone Tomorrow is a very good, if sad episode. Sam has the possibility of examining multiple bodies, and learning just how a flight crashed, she's up against it, as conflicting forces are at work.

I enjoyed this, it's very nicely made, and well acted, I particularly liked Melanie Hill.

8/10