weyrbunny

I just read through Den of Geek's Series 5 reviews. They have a high opinion of this last season, praising its storytelling. Some of what they say is thought-provoking. I'm now wondering if I would appreciate the series finale more if I rewatched season 1, or at least the pilot.

This finale was… unexpected, unusual—the conclusion was so joyless, like gears grinding to a halt. I didn’t go in expecting a happy ending either, but still... I found the episode thematically fitting, at least. It also struck me as a companion to the season premiere, but unfortunately, much as ep. 5.1 didn’t feel consistent with Ripper Street, neither did this. Looking at it objectively, I can say that I respect the finale, though I didn’t find it fully satisfying. Holy Hell, the flashbacks to Jack the Ripper were gruesome! They were needed though, because they gave weight to the reminders of how the show began: in the horror and frustration of not being able to catch a serial killer. And so Nathaniel’s story brought the show full-circle, but with the opposite resolution: Reid was finally able to see a serial killer brought to justice. Or, serial killers, if you include Dove and Susan. I have mixed feelings about Reid’s many crimes being ignored, though. Was it consistent with the show’s portrait of police corruption? Certainly. DI Shine was a fucking nightmare of police brutality who overdosed in a drug den, for example, but when Dove and the higher-ups eulogized him to the press, he was a paragon to be mourned (ep. 5.5.). Ms. Costello and the press had also seemed oddly surprised that the police would suggest executing Reid, like it was something they’d never done to one of their own before. And in fact, they wouldn’t do it to Dove, so she was right. Also, Dove’s actions may have always been personal, but he still embodied a corrupt institution. It was no surprise then that the corrupt institution protected itself by burying Dove and overlooking Reid’s crimes, for appearances-sake. But it was dissatisfying that Reid didn’t face some consequence—besides the existential—and too convenient that Jackson was provided as an excuse. They really were the best part of Series 5, and the focus they received this season may have even added depth to Series 4. BTW, the straw on the floor made Dove’s cell look like a zoo enclosure. How deeply ironic that he was now the caged “beast of prey” instead of Nathaniel. I really wanted someone to check on Mimi, after learning that she had scarlet fever. (I still associate scarlet fever with Little Women and expect the worst.) But, they were too busy with their hasty hostage crisis/forensics… The manufactured melodrama like that is my least favorite aspect of S5. The angst from manipulating Drummond into betrayal seems like a waste of time, especially. If Dove or Shine had simply targeted Reid’s house... he was checking the window nightly! They didn’t even need to light the candle. And I’ve since realized that Leonard, the handyman, was “fridged” to provide Susan with guilt. One every season, I guess. The finale’s conclusion did help to re-frame Drake’s death, and even Rose’s resigned departure, I think. My theory: the unifying theme of S5 is about leaving Whitechapel, or trying to, all as contrast to Reid. Ripper Street was dispassionate about Drake and Rose as foreshadowing I suspect, because they were simply the first to go. I saw echoes of their exits with Jackson, Mathilda, Mimi, Deborah, maybe even Thatcher. Dove and Nathaniel also spent the season trying to leave Whitechapel for Hackney, literally and figuratively. And, of course, Susan, who’s been trying to escape since last season. When Mathilda said, “He won’t come. He won’t ever. He cannot.” about Reid never visiting them, I found it very sad. His pragmatic daughter sees him for what he is, but it seemed like a curse, like she was denying him hope. I appreciated Abberline’s directive to Reid: “Then work, Edmund. Fight!” It recalled Drake’s last words from the season premiere—“No, my friend, I won’t fight.”—bringing season 5 full-circle and giving further meaning to the show's last image of Reid simply setting about his work. The S3 finale is pretty perfect, and more satisfying than this episode, certainly. But I think ep. 5.3, "All the Glittering Blades", is also stellar, and I would miss rewatching it.

Jackson: “I have a goddamn plan, that’s what!” Series 5 has not been a barrel of laughs… but I cracked up for several minutes at the above line. Jackson’s exasperation was just so funny. All but the ending of this episode was quietly riveting. The showcase scene here was probably intended to be the exchange between Reid and Dove. But, while beautifully ominous, there was nothing new in what they said, so I found the later scenes in the marsh, and even Nathaniel and Susan’s scenes, much more compelling. It was nice to have Reid lay out their two differing world views and even to connect the dots back to Isaac Bloom’s belief in entropy (a belief which Reid now shares). As soon as Dove put on his boots, I knew Thatcher was in trouble. Was Dove wearing hunting clothes? He looked like such a country gentleman out of a sporting catalog. The pristine clothes were both a wonderful compliment and contrast to his coldly ruthless actions when he was dragging Thatcher’s body to the river. And then he went back for the boy’s body like it was nothing… well, to him, it was nothing. I was surprised that the entire scene played out almost in real time, that it wasn’t short-handed or cut away from. It made Thatcher’s fate more tragic, somehow. Such an amazing scene. And again, all lives, all rivers, lead to the ocean on Ripper Street. Part of me wishes Dove had been swallowed by the marsh. It could have so interestingly thwarted Reid’s attempt to bring Dove to justice, if he had just vanished. I kept thinking about what Reid said to Dove about the “pitiless murk of the past be obliterated and forgot”—it was almost like the marsh mud was that murk, dragging down Dove until he was obliterated and forgotten (never found). How ironic it would have been for Dove to be swallowed by a symbol of what he most wanted to overcome. Susan has been under-served in S5, I think, perhaps even last season, too. So, while her conversations with Nathaniel were moving, her decision to surrender felt inconsistent and rushed. I can see how, as she was convincing Nathaniel, she was supposed to be convincing herself, but I don’t think the scene got there, especially after she had just rescued Connor. Susan has needed reassurance this season from Jackson and Mimi, and has had to face her past actions with Mathilda, so there has been a sense of guilt about her—but the time was spent on exploring Nathaniel’s conscience, not Susan’s, and I think the character suffered for it. Did Reid call Drummond a “mallard duck”? That’s now an image I can’t get out of my head. I immediately connected the dots to Drake, since "drake" is another word for male duck or mallard. I suppose it’s better than Jackson calling him “fairie queen”... Drummond is so in over his head—he seems to equate yelling at his underlings with leadership. I can’t believe Mathilda just let everyone out of the jail cells, and they took the station hostage! It was such an irritating return to theatrical hijinks, and it spoiled the episode's gravitas. Plus, it made the police look incompetent. Abberline running roughshod over everyone, including Dove, was fun, though. When Dove quietly said, “I do not know you, sir”, the look on Nathaniel’s face was heartbreaking. Well done, Jonas Armstrong.

Good job spoiling a major plot point with so few words, Amazon.

A return to form, to the urgency of the investigation, and one of those episodes that puts all the pieces together. Ep. 5.4 payed off so many plot details, it felt like a season finale, really. (And, it reminded me of the Series 2 and 3 finales, which speaks to its quality.) I especially appreciated how the multiple plot twists managed to be surprising but ultimately organic. I was surprised to see Shine exit so quickly, for example, though it was heavily foreshadowed. Weirdly, he got a happy ending—Drake didn’t even get a happy ending. It was happy in that he physically triumphed over Reid, was his “own master” after getting the better of Dove, and, thinking back to Reid’s words in the S3 finale, chose his own conclusion. At least Ms. Costello and Mimi can spit on Shine’s grave now. Speaking of happiness, Shine giggling during his interrogation by Reid and Jackson was really disconcerting. I couldn’t figure out if he was hysterical or in pain or what. Later, I realized that Reid had been confirming everything Shine needed to know to overpower Dove—that’s why he was giddy, I think. The public brawl between Shine and Reid struck me as showy melodrama. Sure, it mirrored the fight in the S2 finale, as Shine himself said. But it didn’t fully pique my interest until Reid put his hands around Shine’s neck, in a pose that was a callback to Reid murdering Buckley. For a moment, I didn’t put it past Ripper Street to have Reid truly strangle Shine in front of a crowd. (Because apparently the police don’t intervene at these things.) Dumb Drummond, such a pawn. It’s too bad he was so easily persuaded and manipulated by Shine and Dove. He had no good options, really, since either could’ve ruined his career. (Or killed him.) Better to blame Reid, perhaps, for not telling Mathilda and Drummond, to begin with, that Dove and Shine were monsters. I shook my head at Jackson saying “It is broad daylight! We can’t just go…” followed by Reid finally being recognized—three episodes too late. Of course, I must mention the return of the water-as-death metaphor. In the beautifully done scene where he and Reid find the boy’s body, Jackson says, “Let the ocean take him. It’s coming for us all.” It’s lines of dialogue like that that make me love Ripper Street. The frequent mention of London’s River Lea also brought to mind the River Lethe references in S3, as did Reid saying “I will not see your memory washed away…”. The River Lethe is the river of forgetfulness, if you recall. Ripper Street’s Gothic ambience returned fully, too—the mist, fog, and shadows playing a part in the story again. There were even a few Gothic horror tropes, like when Dove and the evil governess emerged from the carriage shadows to loom over the little boy. (Seriously, that Abel employed this amoral woman to raise Dove makes Abel look terrible.) The music at episode’s end was very evocative, like something you’d hear at the end of an opera. It complimented both Shine’s demise and the way that Dove entered frame, blade first. It was also fitting that Jackson and Susan simply stopped overthinking things and pulled a heist for Connor. It’s what they do…

That’s more like it. I really enjoyed the return to poetry here. Both poetic imagery and language have been largely missing from S5, and Ripper Street has seemed lesser for it. (As well as seeming like a different show.) There’s beauty here, too, in the pastoral visuals and even in the “screams and hooves” tragedy of Nathaniel and Dove’s backstory. A French phrase has come to mind: “L’heure entre chien et loup”, the hour between dog and wolf. It’s primarily a reference to dusk or the gloaming but also to dawn and other low-light times. It’s also synonymous with transition, ambiguity, uncertainty, and I’ve seen it used as an idiom for when you can’t tell who is friend or foe, dog or wolf. It fits Nathaniel’s psychology well here, as well as his dawn and twilight fishing activities. The show has now peeled back the layers of a serial killer’s psyche in full, and Nathaniel is certainly a three-dimensional character because of it. I was interested to see that he has quite a lot of self-awareness and interior life. Susan and others have reused the phrase “child-like” to describe Nathaniel, but I see now that reflected how Croker and Dove treated him like a child—or how his submissive behavior was construed as simplistic—not his level of awareness or intelligence. Nathaniel sometimes understands Dove and Croker better than they do themselves—his protectors, but also very selfish in their treatment of him as a “beast of burden…beast of prey”. The saddest moment here: when Dove is angry and steps towards him aggressively, Nathaniel backs up and cowers, not making eye contact. This is classic submission behavior from dogs. It was a sad reminder that Croker beat and kicked him sometimes, and Dove has likely always dominated him. By showing his depth, one thing lost focus, though, that killing was an animalistic compulsion for Nathaniel. Ep 5.3 was about him resisting his compulsion—almost a “sinner’s journey” exploration of how he was faced with triggers and temptations at every turn. But by the end, he was so provoked and attacked, it lost meaning. It didn’t help that the Sumner family were such a stereotype of domestic abuse that it made the ending a forgone conclusion. I appreciated that we got a break from Shine’s manic violence. He seems to have some of the same vague symptoms—headaches, unsteadiness on his feet, blurred vision—that Reid had at the end of Series 3, after being shot. Nathaniel’s story was still brimming with violence and threat though—a knife in every scene seemingly, challenging how we take their utility and domesticity for granted. Even the beauty of nature was filled with threatening blades: the corn stalks, the grass blades, the eels. Good point. In retrospect, Dove and Nathaniel were too underdeveloped in S4, maybe because the show didn't want to give away how central they would be. The depth they're receiving this season is still very relevant thematically, but you're right that it would've felt less like a delay if it was presented earlier. On a lighter note… Mathilda’s grape-purple, paisley shirt is hideously ugly. And she’s worn the thing every S5 episode, even to Drake’s funeral!

I’ve been waiting for this episode since the Series 2 finale, "Our Betrayal", when Reid’s corruption took full hold, I think. I’ve certainly been waiting for it since Reid murdered Buckley with his bare hands. It was a surprise that Dove finally pulled the trigger and released Reid’s police file and its damning evidence, actually—it had been an un-dropped shoe, for so long. I still want Reid to persevere against Dove (and Nathaniel), to get justice for Drake, but it felt right that Ms. Costello barely hesitated before publishing the evidence against Reid. She chose the “moral imperative of the truth”, and I respect her for it. In some ways, she is mimicked by Mathilda, who accepts that there were mitigating circumstances to Reid’s crimes, but sides with the evidence, anyway. Mathilda’s betrayal is personal, of course—and she technically gave Dove a way to catch/kill Reid. At first, it irritated me that Mathilda so easily betrayed her father to Dove, much like Rose so easily betrayed Drake in Series 4. But, in hindsight, I like the twist and see how it was seeded throughout eps. 5.2 and 5.1. It goes back to the conversation in 5.1, between Drummond and Mathilda, about whether to side with the law or with Reid, I think. They chose Reid before, the opposite now. I could’ve lived without the symbolism of Mathilda and Drummond having sex in her father’s bed, of course. Because, A) it’s an overused trope, and B) I liked the gender reversal of Drummond not being ready for sex earlier in the episode. (And how Mathilda respected his decision.) It was so overt, it reminded me of that scene in ep. 4.3 where Reid over-explains the episode’s Dracula symbolism by actually saying “This crime is just like Dracula!” Bad writing… Hello Deanie87! I agree with much of what you say—Series 5 does seem to be “off”. I’m now noticing one poor production or writing choice after another: Reid and company have escalated to carrying bodies past people... in broad daylight. And, as you hint at, Reid spends so much time standing in the alley watching for Mathilda, Dove and Shine could’ve caught him immediately if they’d simply posted police AT HIS HOUSE. It seems illogical also that Dove constructs a plan to kill Susan’s spy, Leonard, but not one to kill Reid. I realize that his priority is to secret Nathaniel away, but Reid can terribly expose both Nathaniel and Dove if he is arrested. And when Dove finally sees Reid, he doesn’t shoot at him, and then leaves. Also dumb: Russian wolves conveniently acting like guard dogs. That said, ep. 5.2 was better than 5.1, IMO. Shine and especially Dove needed depth, needed to display how calculating and dangerous they are, and they certainly did. (Last episode, we knew more about Nathaniel’s psychology than we did Dove’s or Shine’s, for example.) Dove’s diatribe to Ms. Costello, arguing against the chaos and “naked savagery” of Whitechapel’s streets and people, is a particularly interesting glimpse into his true personality, and his need for control, I think. (But it was also bullshit, since he was trying to manipulate and control her.) This episode even managed to rationalize Reid and Jackson being seen in broad daylight through the idea that Whitechapel’s people wouldn’t turn them in because they’re folk heroes, because they oppose the police. It was a good reminder that the London police are distrusted by many and that their history of violence is not a secret. Shine never hides his brutality, certainly. Shine threatening to rape Ms. Costello—and physically threatening Mimi, too—was hard to watch. I commented last time that he didn’t seem as physical as he was in Series 2. Well, he proved me wrong here. Or, at least, he practiced what he told Thatcher and Drummond: he was physical with women whom he knew he could win against. His need to dominate everyone he comes in contact with makes him such a stereotypical thug sometimes… but, interestingly, it has put Dove in his crosshairs.

Midnight Caller came up in conversation with a coworker, so I rewatched Season 1. Holy crap! It is very different than I remember. It's so... tawdry. I appreciate that it purposefully covered every politicized social issue - from AIDS to the death penalty to gun control - in a way that most current shows are scared to do, but there is an element of sleaze in its stories. In retrospect, I'm not sure it was appropriate for me to have watched it, and liked it, as a child. Still a fan of Gary Cole, of course.

I’ve been putting off watching Series 5 of Ripper Street, I think, because I’m not ready for it to end. But, it’s the New Year, and I finally have a moment to concentrate on it, so here goes. All spoilers, all the time, of course. An episode of menace and scars… So many characters’ faces are scarred from fights here: Drake, Dove, Shine, Nathaniel, Drummond, the dogfighter, the dogs themselves. It all sets the stage for S5 being an ugly, brutal, animalistic fight, I think—wolves versus dogs, at first thought, but never so clearly bisected. The recurring images here of dead dogs are gruesome—sad for the dogs’ sake of course, but made worse by the way that they recall Drake’s body lying in the dirt. An episode of dead fighters… dogs and Drake. (Even Abel, come to think of it, since Nathaniel named his rescued fighting dog Abel.) Frankly, before I noticed the symbolic callbacks to Drake, it felt like everyone had moved past his death too quickly. Reid certainly mourned—MacFadyen’s acting was excellent as he silently conveyed Reid’s inability to focus—as did Rose… but then Rose quickly exited like she had served her purpose and the various plots took over. It didn't seem right for Ripper Street not to dwell on the death of such an important character. I’m hoping that because the show is so novelistic, it’ll return to Drake in many forms. Drake’s dying words, “No, my friend, I won’t fight,” seem really meaningful, in hindsight. They fit perfectly with S5’s dogfight theme, and it must be a callback to the climactic Drake vs. Shine boxing match at the end of Series 2. (Recall that Reid talked Drake into fighting Shine, urging Drake to kill him, and that it was a severing in their relationship.) With Shine returning, I’m glimpsing references to that fight everywhere, in Reid contemplating his own morality, in Shine’s subdued or emotional behavior. DI Shine is… well, being beat by Drake scarred him more than just physically. It’s truly creepy when he’s nice to people (like Mathilda). He’s also cagey now, which makes me even warier of him. I spent the episode waiting for him to erupt, just so that the sense of menace Mawle brought to every scene would dissipate. Of course, I shouldn’t expect a physical climax like the S2 boxing match, because that’s no longer how Shine fights. I did find Shine’s reintroduction overwrought and cheesy—the music practically went “DUN DUN DUNNNNNN.” This wasn’t the best-directed episode, really… overly dramatic zooms, oh, and Susan’s reveal was cheesily drawn-out, too. And the hats! Jackson, Reid and Susan think no one will recognize them because they change hats?! Ripper Street’s attention to detail is always so good, but that’s all they could come up with? A good detail: the Egyptian god that Reid stares at on the theatre entrance is Anubis. It’s a jackal or wolf image, and Anubis is associated with death and entombment, i.e., caskets. I respect how the show subverts expectations by treating Nathaniel as just another character, even showing his compassion. S4 was ultimately the hunt for a serial killer, for Nathaniel, and a lesser show would concentrate on vilifying the character, to make the outcome black and white. But here, he’s just part of a pack, less villainous than Shine or Dove.

Heh. Thanks for the laugh.

Yes, Jackson knew Susan wasn’t going to die (as long as his plan worked) and no, I don’t think the issue was Jackson expecting Susan to forget about their son. There was a disconnect between Jackson and Connor in much of S4. Jackson didn’t forget about him, so much as leave him out of his impetuous escape plans. Why? Because Jackson’s instinct was to revert to the “guns and fast horses” (4.1) mentality that afforded them escape from Susan’s father and brought them to London in the first place. And that original relationship, where Jackson and Susan were first bound together by secrecy and conspiracy, consisted of only the two of them. I don’t know how much Jackson bonded with Connor while at the prison either, since Jackson was trying to keep his distance. I’m guessing also that Jackson preferred not to be a single parent after Susan’s hanging. It would be a level of responsibility that interfered with both his work and criminal plans. And, Rose and Drake could take better care of Connor, simply because they weren’t criminals, they weren’t on the run. This was Susan’s rationale for placing Connor with them, just as much as it was Jackson’s for leaving him with them, I think. The other reason Jackson distanced himself from Connor (and Susan) was the conspiracy itself. (I used “long con” before; conspiracy seems more fitting now.) Recall that Rose bitched at Jackson for not visiting Susan in prison, not comforting or supporting her. Well, he did of course, in secret. It wasn’t well-explored, but it was mentioned that Jackson operated like this to prevent their escape plans from being discovered. He knew that he would be the prime suspect, Drake’s first stop, at the first hint of trouble. And so to perpetuate the ruse that he wanted nothing to do with Susan, he extended it to Connor. Jackson and the show conveniently forget this detail every time they needed to interact with Connor, of course. There are better, less-melodramatic ways that Ripper Street could’ve handled this, I’m sure. Rose used Mathilda as an on-call babysitter apparently—so might’ve Jackson—and hell, Deborah oversaw an orphanage. The Obsidian Clinic could’ve continued its progressivity by offering resources to single dads, even.

Money was the reason given, as you say. In particular, Susan and Jackson owe Abel money for facilitating Susan's escape from prison and then sheltering her, so... they're stuck at this point in the story—can't leave without paying Abel. Jackson really should be planning some way to get more money. Instead, mostly, he spends time at work. Also, it's mentioned that Susan was too recognizable—a media sensation synonymous with 55 deaths—for them to get on a ship to America immediately after the hanging. Susan and the show conveniently forget this detail every time they want to go outside Abel's, of course.

I don't recall a giant griddle in the anime... is it griddling human flesh? Otherwise, I don't know the reference. The anime is gory on occasion since it's a horror show—there's an extended torture scene in Season 1 that even I had to fight the urge to fast-forward through. The existentialist debate during the torture was important for moving the story forward, so you can't skip that scene, ultimately. I gave up on the couple anime that I started in the Spring/Summer. They were too mediocre, too unoriginal even by anime's trope-soup standards. One of them was Hell Girl, which I had enjoyed watching years ago. Not this time. I need to go back to catching up on classic series that I've never seen before, I think.

Yeah, you're right--there are similarities to DC Flight's story. Fortunately, Dove's power dynamic is ultimately different. (Damien Molony was so underused in Series 2, I actually forgot about him here. I need to rewatch Series 5 of Being Human as apology or something.) I never found it creepy, because I took it as just a form of teen rebellion or perhaps Mathilda showing off/bragging about her worldliness to her presumably sheltered friend. Now, I also interpret it as another sign that Mathilda is driven to know about everything, like her father. Her matter-of-fact description of the sex act also fits with her rejection of romanticism, which is a theme this season.

A week later, and I am still thinking about Series 4’s ending. (That “to be continued” is very… vexing.) Augustus Dove interests me much more now, retrospectively. I’ve found myself wondering how he could kill Abel in such a quick turn and looking for reasons beyond “plot device.” Dove was on the offensive at that point in the story. He was striking out at Reid and Drake to silence them, and so an attack-first response with Abel is consistent. It was just in stark contrast to the lengthy discussion and planning between Dove and Abel in the previous episode. Their conversations established that they were partners in protecting Nathaniel and, vaguely, protecting Abel’s criminal enterprise. They were also bound together as adoptive family. I suppose Abel deciding Nathaniel had to die was all it took for Dove to turn on him. He chose a little brother over an adoptive father. But the insult of Abel making the decision without Dove is important, IMO*. Abel didn’t discuss killing Nathaniel, and so Dove didn’t try to talk him out of it in return—again, attacking first. No more partnership. Perhaps Abel knew that Dove would never consent and thought that, because he was the father figure, he could rely on overruling Dove. The power dynamic had shifted though, tipping in Dove’s favor. In 4.1, Abel was the authority—all that I-raised-you-don’t-forget-your-roots talk. But Dove’s professional power, institutional power, subtly grew across S4. Recall, for example, that he was freshly promoted in the season premiere, a reward for effectively resolving the Isaac Bloom case. Then, he received “a bauble”, further professional commendation, in ep. 4.5, I think it was. He was now celebrated. So, as we saw when he set the police force to hunting Reid and Drake, Dove had a great deal of power. “Who here overrules me?” as he said in ep. 4.1. I had wondered why Croker and Nathaniel seemed underwhelmed by, if not wary of, Dove receiving that award. It was because he was outgrowing them, I think. He now outmatched Abel, and how he would react with that power, even Abel underestimated. *BTW, I see now that a prior c**** in Dove and Abel’s partnership was Abel not telling him about Susan. Abel prioritized protecting Susan over sharing with Dove, and Dove took it as an insult, I think. ------- One of the few details released about Series 5 is that DI Jedediah Shine will return. I look forward to seeing how/if Dove and Shine will intersect. It seems significant that the corrupt cop from Series 2 is returning, just when Reid and Co. are threatened by the awful power of another one (Dove). Shine was called a monster at various points, IIRC, and I wonder if S5 will move away from exploration of the “animal” monster, the uncontrollable killer, to reflect more on corruption of power as the monster. I forgot to mention a callback in ep. 4.6 to A White World Made Red: the mother’s blood on the snow. The event and image that shaped Nathaniel and Dove, both. Not that everything in Ripper Street isn’t a callback, at this point—it’s incredibly novelistic.

Oh, those cocky bastards and their early renewal!!! After the breathless cliffhanger, I immediately went looking for episode 7, only to discover that there wasn’t one! It was announced that S4 would have 8 episodes, but I’m guessing that ultimately meant 8 hours—two-hour-plus, movie-quality premiere and long runtimes on each episode. It’s surreal how badly it turns out for the group. And it was both fascinating and frustrating to see the characters fraying—you could tell their actions would come back to bite them (uh, literally): Jackson threatening Croker with his gun set Croker’s betrayal in motion, Croker threatening Nathaniel set Dove’s betrayal in motion, Drake threatening Dove pushed Dove to strike, and Rose’s spilling secrets… dammit, Rose! I was pleasantly surprised by “Edmund Reid did this” as Swift’s lasts words. I didn’t see the reveal coming, and it fit perfectly in this episode about consequences. Susan was so resigned and small after realizing her dream of escape was dead and that Croker had a hand in ending it. I also think she was still numbed by the fact that, for the second time, her heist went wrong and people died collaterally. (The first heist being the train accident in S3.) Croker calling Nathaniel “the teeth of the hurricane, your kraken waking” was an evocative image, tying back into S4’s ocean and monster motifs, both. But after Mathilda’s talk with Drummond about realism—“there are no princesses and no monsters, only humans”—I found Reid quoting the “man is wolf to man” proverb much more thought-provoking. It occurred to me that Mathilda rejects the “fairy tale” because that was part of her captivity by the Buckleys. She was a princess in the story that was her coping mechanism, IIRC, and to now be called a princess by Drummond reconnects to that trauma. So it’s not only about Mathilda pursuing truth and logic, like her father. I was impressed by Mathilda’s subversion of romantic stereotypes, regardless. Macfadyen reading the rabbi’s journal was beautiful to listen to—he can literally stand around and read aloud and it’s compelling. ------- In sum, I’ve found Series 4 to be very strong, though never quite reaching the heights of Series 3. That’s not a fair comparison, perhaps—the surprises of Susan shooting Reid or Mathilda’s return or Swift’s murder may be impossible to top. But there was a go-for-broke sensibility to S3 that was missing this time, and by hinting at the serial killer from the beginning, it made the story feel more conventional.

Hey, thanks for the compliment, Anothermi. I often waffle on whether or not to root for Susan, as well. She continues to be a sympathetic, intelligent character, but then I remember that she shot Reid in the head!! You brought up Reid and forgiveness... two thoughts: He seems to have forgiven Susan for shooting him quite well (unlike me), unless he's simply being matter-of-fact about it, because he believes it's in the past. Because Susan is, um, dead. Also, Reid feeling guilt over his wife and needing forgiveness ties in greatly with Drake and Rose's story this season. I did not make that connection until you mentioned his wife's "madness", so thanks!

I really enjoy episodes where all the hints and details finally fit together or pay off, and so I loved this. All the forensics, all the strife in S4 has been leading here. The best word to describe ep. 4.5 might be “cumulative,” but that’s not nearly exciting enough. No Wolves in Whitechapel is exciting and riveting, but a bit saddening, since Drake is at his lowest, embattled from all sides. Drake’s day just gets worse and worse, and Jerome Flynn is outstanding at conveying an amazing spectrum of emotions, of course. There are so many important, showcase conversations here (and a funny monologue from Jackson!), that I’m actually impressed at how urgent the story feels. To the credit of the direction and always-moving camera, perhaps. My favorite moment might be: Susan: “I have been seen.” Croker: [smacks forehead on book] It’s a facepalm, in effect, which made me laugh out loud. Hee! I appreciated also that Rose made a dig about first Mathilda and now Susan coming back from the dead. Because somebody needed to. The one beat that annoyed me, though, was Dove corrupting the investigation. Instead of being about Drake and Jackson making a tragic mistake, or how lack of forensics on the bite marks meant that the evidence didn’t lead to the truth, Dove being the architect just… let’s everyone off the hook. Well, not exactly. They still have to live with Isaac’s hanging and Thomas’ death, but Dove’s malfeasance gives them someone else to blame, conveniently. (BTW, in Series 3 comments, I brought up tragic flaw vs. tragic mistake. Here, Reid actually says “we must look elsewhere for the flaw,” meaning Dove as the flaw. That ties Dove into Ripper Street’s exploration of the choice to commit a crime, I think. Had Reid not said “flaw,” I wouldn’t have noticed.) It’s interesting how communicative Croker and his “family” are: Susan admits feelings to him that she won’t tell Jackson, Dove and Croker talk unguardedly about details of the case and their crimes, even Nathaniel confessed his worst to Croker and Dove, apparently. It’s a sharp contrast to Drake and Rose and the scene where they… don’t. Helluva cliffhanger this time...

It’s partly sleep deprivation from caring for the child, as you (and Drake) said. I also think it’s the culmination of her frustration and resentment that’s been building throughout S4. (In the years between seasons, as well, since the stresses between Drake and Rose seem habitual and recurring.) Rose seeing Susan’s “ghost” is a good way to integrate her in with the Gothic horror story and monster references. Her scenes in the misty graveyard and the lit-by-dusk streets have nice ghost story touches to them, too. Also, her hunt for Susan works nicely in parallel to the main investigation. Both are about proving a monster is not dead and not just a story—Susan and the wolf/golem, that is. But it’s still problematic that Ripper Street turns Rose into a mad woman, into a female hysteria cliché, even if that also is a Victorian horror trope. It’s been difficult for me not to be judgmental towards Rose this season, because she’s become such a… desperate housewife. Her neediness and resentfulness are so unrelenting, and her spite towards everyone from Drake to Mathilda this episode is galling! So, in the scene where Rose screams at Drake at his workplace, almost ruinously, I had to stop myself from condemning Rose and consider her behavior objectively. She may be an unlikable woman, but is her behavior understandable? I think it is, for several reasons. First, Rose is right about Susan—not just that Susan is alive but that she’s a murderer and pimp whom Mathilda and others forgive too easily. (Rose is mad at herself for enabling Susan, really.) She also guessed right that Susan and Jackson are threatening her family by planning to snatch Connor. Rose’s behavior also makes sense because she’s truly struggling “trying to mother a child who will not have me,” (from ep. 4.4). Her frustration from being constantly overruled by Drake must be overwhelming, too. (Examples: Drake won’t agree to adopt Connor when Rose asks, but does when Jackson OKs it; Drake shelters a drunk murderer in their home, over Rose’s repeated objections; Drake shuts down Rose’s insistence that she’s seen Susan.) Rose is not blameless in their relationship, of course. This season also has the simple theme of hearing and being heard. To explain: in ep. 4.1, Drake shouts at Rose, “I will not hear it!” (The context is, Rose was bursting with insecurities over not having children, which Drake had clearly heard before.) And just last episode, I noticed that Drake insists “You will hear me, Edmund Reid!” as a way to assert his authority. So, Rose shouting at Drake works as the apex of that theme. She can’t take being silenced anymore and targets him at his place of authority and in public. Her voice is one of the character’s few sources of power—she was a celebrated singer, IIRC. But I still barely feel sympathy for Rose. Her lashing out is now endangering Drake, Reid... everyone. By the way, the prison guard calls Rose a “mad woman, all a sea” in a brilliantly subtle callback to S4’s ocean motif. More on this episode later. It’s actually the best episode of S4 (so far) and likely one of the best of Ripper Street. So, lots to mention…

Cripes. I was too busy to sit and concentrate on this show in May, and suddenly June went by, too! I must need Amazon to release Ripper Street in December, like they did with S3. Anyway… --------- Well, we know who the killer is now, the one from the season premiere. And it's not surprising, to say the least. I suspect that’s why the episode ends with a double cliffhanger. It needs a second twist, because learning the serial killer's identity is more of a "yeah, that figures…" moment. (At least it was for me.) Ripper Street is usually more interested in the how or why of a crime, so I'm guessing (hoping) the show will put its efforts into that instead. The other reason I was underwhelmed by the murder was because it "fridged" another character to cause Drake pain and guilt. Not a wife this time, but a figurative son. Thomas' death was compelling and pitiful, even, but the episode was already guilting Drake over how he hadn't saved Thomas by sending him to the army. So, Thomas' murder felt like piling on. It's dissatisfying when the story mechanics are so easy to see. The best line was Thomas calling Drake “black wings casting shadow over me”. References to monsters and animals have been seeded throughout S4, all hinting back to the golem, I think, and this was a provocative addition. And to say it about Drake… I did chuckle at a few things here—it wasn’t all guilt and arguments, of course: Reid as the awkward third wheel during Drake and Jackson’s spat Rachel and Mathilda discussing “taking an axe to” Drummond’s virtue (oh, my!) Reid menacing Drummond with his “I know where you’ll be” comments I also got a kick out of Rachel, Mathilda and Deborah all contributing to the Isaac Bloom investigation—a gender twist on the Reid, Drake and Jackson trio. Oh, and on behalf of the fake rabbits bludgeoned for the sake of fictional forensication: HOW DARE YOU, JACKSON! I suppose he just got the rabbits from a butcher shop and refrigerated them to ensure accurate blood spatter—as we learned in ep 4.3, during the discussion on postmortem blood clotting. And, sure, Jackson has committed many, many crimes, but still… he bludgeoned bunnies!!

I did not recognize Jonas Armstrong until I saw his name in the credits. He’s been here since the 4.1 premiere, it turns out. He looks fairly different as Croker’s thug/lieutenant, but also he’s not whiny and petulant and paling in comparison to Richard Armitage like on Robin Hood, which is probably why I didn’t recognize him here. His character is interesting so far, if underdeveloped. Of course, I love the poetry of the episode’s title, A White World Made Red, and it was really engaging to see how it symbolically and bloodily permeated the episode. I just wish ep. 4.3 were more subtle, less obvious. Dracula was a foreigner seeking blood like the killer—yeah, we didn’t need Reid to (over) explain that connection at the end. Or how this was a continuation of ep. 4.1’s exploration of immigrants living in Whitechapel—a white(chapel) world now populated by red, as in foreign blood and skin color. Again, obvious. Jackson’s story about the blood on the snow while he was in the American West—the original “white world made red” reference—served a lot of purpose, I see now. Not only was it beautiful Wild West imagery to remind us of Jackson’s past, but by bringing up “red” Indians, it tied again into the race theme. I’m starting to dread when Jackson pulls his gun or acts “Wild West,” though. The progress and urbanity that’s taking place in Whitechapel may just be a veneer, as the show suggests, but Jackson threatening more modern criminals with Wild West tactics seems out-of-place and increasingly foolish. He’s going to threaten the wrong person—I'm guessing Croker. Croker continues to defy my expectations by being the father-figure that Susan has needed all along. I did not expect their story line to be about parenting! (Other than Connor…) It’s totally Ripper Street of course, since he’s mentoring her in murder. Nice callback to S3’s obsidian story when Susan talks with Croker at the end: she calls herself “blacker in my heart” and then uses “dark secret” to refer to her father. The other callback I noticed was to Merrick’s death from S2. I’m sure Ripper Street is just reusing characters out of narrative economy, but it’s starting to seem like a farewell tour. Oh wait, one more: Mathilda sneaking looks at Reid’s Isaac Bloom files, just like she did with the Jack the Ripper case before her accident. I enjoyed Mathilda and Reid’s conversation about Drummond, too. Mathilda articulated herself well and used logic not angst, which Reid responded to. I must look up the word “lobcock” now…

Mathilda said her research was "Mr. Booth's categories," so I suspect the project was Charles Booth's Poverty Maps of London. Again with the callbacks to Series 1. I don’t remember much about Reid’s wife, but it feels like the show is retconning her “madness.” Her symptoms seem to grow worse with each season, and now Mathilda remembers her as mad all along. Looking up S1 just now, Emily did hallucinate in ep. 1.3, but she was feverish with cholera at the time, and if she was an alcoholic, there was no mention of it until S2. So, I’m skeptical. Regardless, this was a touching episode, full of yearning, if a bit Dickensian in its details. The scene where the workhouse boys mistake Leda for their mom is... haunting. Leda’s syphilis-borne delusions—that one after another is her son—were sad enough, but the look of hope and confusion on the boys’ faces as they rose to hug Leda was breathtaking in its sadness. Not only did they not remember what their own mothers looked like, but they seemed desperate for the dream that she came back for them. I suspect also that we are supposed to draw parallels between these workhouse boys and Susan giving up Connor. This is another of Ripper Street's tightly-written episodes, where every subplot ties back to the show's central theme of losing a child. I realize now that 4.2's story is a variation on Susan’s Obsidian Clinic. Both Susan and the workhouse master tried to run charitable institutions, to care for the poor, and both were undone by the financial costs. They both became murderers trying to pay for their “great purpose.” Also, yet again, Ripper Street implies that the “order and hygiene” that represents progress in Whitechapel is a fallacy. Heh. Susan and Jackson couldn’t keep their promises for even an episode. Neither is being smart, and no doubt it’ll bite them in the ass later. I knew that Susan wouldn’t last in that room—she had a look of horror on her face in ep 4.1 when she realized that she had traded one prison for another. Jackson comforting their son was a bit of a surprise though, since it endangers the plan. I am pleasantly surprised by Crocker: instead of denigrating Susan or trying to dominate her like so many other men have, he actually recognizes her intelligence and treats her as a business asset. By comparison, Reid and Drake look like children with separation anxiety, uncertain about their power dynamic until they reestablish their relationship. The funniest moment: Jackson and Reid noticing Drummond noticing Mathilda. Boy, you in danger.

Progress has come to Whitechapel, and the show has never looked better. Ripper Street never slouched on its cinematography or production design before, but ep. 4.1 really is cinematic. And it’s not just the letterboxing, though that does add to the grandeur. There’s an energy here—an urgency even, in the second half—that I don’t remember much of in prior seasons. This is an impressive start to S4, and I'm really looking forward to the rest of it. It’s still very much a continuation of season 3’s (parenting) themes and (water) symbolisms, though. Now, it’s not just the river, it’s the ocean. Honestly, I wasn’t noticing much depth or philosophy at first, at least not like in S3. But then… Croker’s and Reid’s separate conversations at the end about the “vortex” of the ocean’s currents driving new people, new power and certainly new death to England’s shores re-contextualized many details for me. The first murder victim, an Indian, is pushed by the currents to the riverbank, for example, and thus begins the metaphor for immigration. And of course, Reid is first seen standing in the ocean studying a vortex. He likewise is pushed back onto land from the sea, back to Whitechapel. This is one of those episodes where the crime might be the least interesting part. The exploration of xenophobia towards immigrants and their race, religion and politics is certainly topical, but it’s also well-covered ground. And unfortunately, I didn’t remember Isaac Bloom AT ALL from Season 1, so his story just felt like a plot device to set Reid in motion for a while. Isaac’s ending was heartbreaking though, especially when compared to Susan’s. We know she’s guilty. We may never know if Isaac is. I really enjoyed Mathilda and Reid’s new dynamic. (MacFadyen excels at exasperated parent—the “Soot!!” lecture was so funny.) Yeah, so, Mathilda recovered really well, really quickly, after years of trauma and imprisonment, but regardless, it’s great to see the combination of rebellion and intelligence that she now inhabits. Mathilda finally looks her age too, which also helps. I suspect Mathilda was off-putting in S3 in part because she looked like an adult but spoke and dressed like a child—some of the “my daddy” scenes were creepy, as a result. Not an issue anymore. Reid is a dog, though. We knew this from his prior relationships, but damn, the look of realization on that woman’s face during sex—one of the most intimate and honest moments ever on Ripper Street. And then Reid moves away without a word! Sheesh. Nice to see that the Stanhope from episode 3.8 was actually foreshadowing of police technology. I don’t trust Commissioner Dove, possibly because the character seems to be borrowed from The Departed— Dove did have one funny, snappy comeback: “Who here overrules me?” It’s good to be boss. I keep thinking about how Isaac described the golem: “a monster made by other men.” That seems too laden with meaning not to become relevant later. Adam Rothenberg is the episode’s acting MVP, IMO. I found the later scenes where Jackson lies in order to maintain the long con very compelling. Jackson’s “guns and fast horses” attitude, we’ve seen for years. The ambiguity and helplessness he conveys this episode add a welcome depth and range. Amazon UK’s cut of this episode is 2:11, btw. For the inevitable BBCA comparison…