The Sweeney: Abduction

 "One by one they stopped inviting us. One by one the Christmas cards stopped coming. One by one I lost every friend I ever had."

Yes, there are the usual "look it's the '70s" moments here. A Wimpy. An old warm-up television set that I remember from my childhood at Regan's ex's house. Eight year old childsren walking to school alone. But damn... this episode knocks all of its predecessors into a cocked hat. This is a truly compelling bit of drama.

The conceit is simple: Rergan's daughter is kidnapped, and he's warned to take no action about an expected robbery if he wants her to go unharmed. But it's not really about the plot, which ends up being fairly straightforward. It's about character. And my God, Regan is such a nuanced, real character.

Once again we see how George's wife Alison is no fan of Regan's. But we also see that he's divorced, and he doesn't see his daughter as often as he should. And we get the astonishing scene in which his ex really lashes out at him, including the above quote. This, and the companion scene that ends the episode and shows them coming to a reconciliation of sorts, tells us exactly how the marriage unfolded, and how Regan's addiction to his job means he may never find happiness in his relationships.

The final confrontation with Haskins and the Inspector handling the investigation into the kidnapping is similarly dramatic, real... and, in the end, nuanced. The relationship between Regan and Haskins will never be smooth. Yet there's a genuine mutial respect, however grudging.

Extraordinary television. 

As we've come to theend of the first series, I'll be giving The Sweeney a rest for a while. But it'll be back...

The Sweeney: Jigsaw

 "He's got the Church and the Palace of Westminster on his side. Who have you got?"

On the surface, this episode is all plot, and very cleverly done. It's not a whodunit, it's a "howdunit". We know Eddie and Eric are the villains what robbed the payroll and coshed the nightwatchman, but they have cast iron alibis- with Regan himself and a vicar respectively. The episode is all about how Regan, with Carter's dogged support, try and ultimately succeed in nailing them despite pressire- including from the local MP- to stop "harrassing" Eddie.

It's all verty clever, centred on character; Eddie's cynical pose as a family man is his downfall. And so it's all tied up neatly.

And yet... this is really a character episode. We're five episodes in. We start to get to know them a little more. So we have Regan confronting Eddie at the school gates, leading to us meeting Carter's wife, who tells him what she thinks of Regain, and she doesn't like him... contrasting with Carter's genuine admiration. Itr's a nice little character moment.

We also see Regan annoyed by Eddie's family man act, cynically using the affections of a child for personal gain... and we learn that this is largely because Regan is divorced, can't see his own daugher, and his ex's new fella is the one who is "there". Ouch.

This series hasn't had a duffepisode yet, and it's slowly getting better and better. And, yet again, it's a fascinating glimpse into a Britain just a few years before my earliest memories.