Ridley - General Discussion

[chitowngirl]

DI Alex Ridley, who retired from the police force after years of dedicated service, is enticed back to work by his former protege DI Carol Farman, reviving their formidable and successful partnership. Created by Paul Matthew Thompson, this thought-provoking original series is inspired by real-life retired detectives re-joining police forces in consultancy roles.
 

Six episodes on PBS Sunday nights at 8:00 ET

[dleighg]

I just started this-- have been noticing a weird camera effect that is sort of a double exposure from time to time. I imagine it is some sort of artistic choice, but it makes me feel like my eyes are failing me. I don't think it's a streaming artifact, but who knows...

[Rickster]

6 hours ago, dleighg said:

I just started this-- have been noticing a weird camera effect that is sort of a double exposure from time to time. I imagine it is some sort of artistic choice, but it makes me feel like my eyes are failing me. I don't think it's a streaming artifact, but who knows...

Just watched the show that I DVR’d off the PBS broadcast last night. I didn’t notice any odd visual effects, other than the lighting during the snow at the beginning.

i thought they were giving a lot of clues on what happened to Zoe, will have to wait until next week to see if I’m right… (no idea on the murderer).

Edited June 20, 2023 by Rickster

[Driad]

I have a theory about Zoe too.  We'll see.

[dleighg]

I can binge the whole thing on the PBS app. Guess I'll have to be careful about spoiling.

[Driad]

Yay, I was right about Zoe!  [Pats self on back. Ow.]

[WendyCR72]

On 6/18/2023 at 8:10 PM, chitowngirl said:

DI Alex Ridley, who retired from the police force after years of dedicated service, is enticed back to work by his former protege DI Carol Farman, reviving their formidable and successful partnership. Created by Paul Matthew Thompson, this thought-provoking original series is inspired by real-life retired detectives re-joining police forces in consultancy roles.
 

Six episodes on PBS Sunday nights at 8:00 ET

I have never heard of these characters, but it sounds like something I'd like. Will have to check listings. The write up ironically sounds a bit like the premise for Michael Crichton's most-recent Bosch/Ballard book, Desert Star, too! (Great book, by the way.)

[proserpina65]

12 hours ago, Driad said:

Yay, I was right about Zoe!  [Pats self on back. Ow.]

The resolution didn't surprise me, but honestly, I had so little interest in the characters or the story that I didn't bother to think about what happened to the kid.  Ridley's yet another angsty cop/ex-cop and not all that compelling a one.  And the jazz!  Oh dear god, the jazz!!!!

Still, it's a British mystery, so I'll probably keep watching but hopefully it'll only be a small number of episodes.  I'm glad it isn't going to be just the one case for the whole series.

[dleighg]

58 minutes ago, proserpina65 said:

And the jazz!  Oh dear god, the jazz!!!!

yeah the jazz is pretty weird. I get a noir vibe that just takes me out of the present day pretty quickly.

[statsgirl]

On 6/25/2023 at 10:36 PM, Driad said:

Yay, I was right about Zoe!  [Pats self on back. Ow.]

Well done! It took me till the DNA tests came back negative.

So far so good for me. I like the jazz connection, still not sure about Ridley himself. It took me a while to figure out where I had seen the medical examiner before. 

[Rickster]

On 6/25/2023 at 10:36 PM, Driad said:

Yay, I was right about Zoe!  [Pats self on back. Ow.]

I need to pat myself too. When they said she had been home schooled and hadn’t gotten her vaccinations last week, the light went on. As a result, I guess I found the plot a little too simplistic, and was hoping for some additional twist. Didn’t need the singing at the end, either.

Hopefully since we got some backstory out of the way, the next episodes will be more case focused.

[AZChristian]

On 6/25/2023 at 10:15 PM, WendyCR72 said:

I have never heard of these characters, but it sounds like something I'd like. Will have to check listings. The write up ironically sounds a bit like the premise for Michael Crichton's most-recent Bosch/Ballard book, Desert Star, too! (Great book, by the way.)

I LOVED Desert Star.  Didn't really find the plot to be similar to Ridley.

(BTW, Michael Connelly writes the Bosch books.)  Fun fact:  He had a cameo in the original Bosch series.  Played a guy who worked at the police station who passed one of the female actresses in the cubicle maze in Homicide.  She smiled at him and said, "Hi, Michael" as they passed each other.

[WendyCR72]

2 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I LOVED Desert Star.  Didn't really find the plot to be similar to Ridley.

Overall, probably not. But the hard-worn detective being encouraged to come back by his protegee/former partner as in the description above made me think of Desert Star. And, as I said, I agree. GREAT book!

I knew Michael Connelly wrote them. Had forgotten about his cameo in the Bosch series, though.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, WendyCR72 said:

Desert Star. And, as I said, I agree. GREAT book

I loved it so much that after reading it free from the library, I ordered a signed copy as a gift to myself.

[howiveaddict]

On 6/25/2023 at 9:36 PM, Driad said:

Yay, I was right about Zoe!  [Pats self on back. Ow.]

Me too. That didn't take long for me to figure out.  

[ichbin]

On 6/26/2023 at 11:30 AM, proserpina65 said:

Ridley's yet another angsty cop/ex-cop and not all that compelling a one.  And the jazz!  Oh dear god, the jazz!!!!

Unfortunately accurate. I think I would have enjoyed the series more with less Ridley and more Farman...and none of the main characters singing.

 

[7-Zark-7]

Swansong Part 2

"I'm singing at Jacksonville in two weeks.  You'd love it there".

Run, Ridley, run.

[proserpina65]

That mystery was more interesting than the first one and didn't go in the direction I thought it would, but I'm not sure it really earned its resolution.  It just felt kinda out of left field.  Oh well, at least I was able to fit the show into the time slot I had by fast-forwarding past the singing.

[AZChristian]

As of last night, I'd like the show MUCH better without the singing.  A couple of bars would be one thing, but a whole song . . . too much.

Edited July 13, 2023 by AZChristian

[Driad]

I don't mind the music (although I too would prefer less of it) but what annoys me is that it is much louder than the dialogue.  I had to keep grabbing my remote.

[Mondrianyone]

I've loved Adrian Dunbar since forever, so I was very excited about the prospect of this series. But if it doesn't get better after the first two parts I've already seen, I may have to forsake my love. Or watch with the sound turned off. I'm finding the dialogue kind of shockingly trite. And as a lifelong jazz fan (and a lyricist), I also wish the music would be reduced drastically. The one song I've heard so far was pretty awful, and Dunbar isn't a great enough singer to warrant as much time as he was given. Fingers crossed for the rest of it.

[sempervivum]

Whew, at least I'm not alone in being baffled as to why Ridley/Dunbar is being allowed to sing. Must be one of his contract demands. 

[dleighg]

7 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

Whew, at least I'm not alone in being baffled as to why Ridley/Dunbar is being allowed to sing. Must be one of his contract demands

I found some article somewhere and, yeah, he apparently asked nicely and was accommodated. He was in a musical group in his younger years as I recall.

OK, here is the article: https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/ridley-adrian-dunbar-singing-explained-newsupdate/

[howiveaddict]

7 hours ago, Driad said:

I don't mind the music (although I too would prefer less of it) but what annoys me is that it is much louder than the dialogue.  I had to keep grabbing my remote.

Me too.  Then my husband gets annoyed because the tv is too loud. I tell him wait a few seconds and then it will be quieter.  But, when I lower the music volume, I can't hear the dialogue.

I also find this show too dark as in lack of light.  I guess they paid so much for the music, that they couldn't afford a proper lighting tech.  With  the dark rooms and night scenes, I can barely tell who is who in some scenes.

[Rickster]

15 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

That mystery was more interesting than the first one and didn't go in the direction I thought it would, but I'm not sure it really earned its resolution.  It just felt kinda out of left field.  Oh well, at least I was able to fit the show into the time slot I had by fast-forwarding past the singing.

I found the singing much more tolerable in the latest episode, but…I’d prefer that they devote the time to developing the plot more. I agree the resolution wasn’t really well earned. I think we needed more time with the podcaster to get a better picture of his personality. 

[Mondrianyone]

Sorry in advance if this is a stupid question. It may have been addressed and I just missed it. But do we know how Ridley, on a retired cop's salary, is able to afford a beautiful lakefront house with lots of shoreline and also own a jazz club? I'd like to sign up for that retirement plan.

[Rickster]

9 hours ago, Mondrianyone said:

Sorry in advance if this is a stupid question. It may have been addressed and I just missed it. But do we know how Ridley, on a retired cop's salary, is able to afford a beautiful lakefront house with lots of shoreline and also own a jazz club? I'd like to sign up for that retirement plan.

I could be wrong, and missed something myself, but I didn’t get the impression he owned the club. I thought he was just a friend of the owner.

[dleighg]

18 minutes ago, Rickster said:

but I didn’t get the impression he owned the club.

no, I'm pretty sure he's co-owner

[Mondrianyone]

Yup, that was stated explicitly.

[proserpina65]

1 hour ago, Mondrianyone said:

Yup, that was stated explicitly.

I guess that's why she lets him sing there.  It certainly can't be for the quality of the performance.  Adrian Dunbar is a fine actor but he's a mediocre singer.

[AZChristian]

Maybe Mrs. Ridley had a good-paying job.  He didn't buy the house as a retired cop.  I assume he was working when they bought it.  If that's the site of the house that burned down, he would likely have had insurance to pay for a new build.  And MAYBE the jazz club brings in a bundle. 

[dleighg]

it wasn't the site of the house that burned down. They showed that (I've binged the whole series) and it was in a more suburban area. I think though that the couple may have owned this house as a vacation home, as his wife had the idea of the boat refurbishment.

[chitowngirl]

Could someone refresh my memory as to who Ridley is visiting in prison? How are they connected?

[dleighg]

I don't know if this is a spoiler for how much has been shown so far (I binged),

Spoiler

but it's the guy who is in jail for killing his wife and daughter in the fire.

I don't think that it is really a spoiler in terms of the arc of the plot.

[chitowngirl]

I’m also binging ahead and am on the last story…that’s who I thought it was. Thank you!

[Mondrianyone]

I haven't been bingeing, and that's who I assumed it was as well. If they expect viewers to be shocked when that fact is eventually revealed, I think it's the writers who are in for a surprise.

[Driad]

In part 1 of the second episode, they showed a flashback to when his wife and daughter were alive. I thought we would understand why after part 2, but I don't.  Can anyone explain?

[possibilities]

I've seen two episodes. And I can't even remember any singing.

I'm also disappointed that it's more about him than Farnum. She seems to barely exist, actually.

[proserpina65]

On 7/14/2023 at 11:43 PM, possibilities said:

I've seen two episodes. And I can't even remember any singing.

I'm also disappointed that it's more about him than Farnum. She seems to barely exist, actually.

Lucky you.

We do get more Farnum, but the show would be more interesting had she been the main character.

[12catcrazy]

So this is on Sunday nights on my PBS station and just aired the third episode last night and I'm not totally impressed but it was still an okay way to kill 45 minutes (I guess that this show is on commercial TV in Britain).

I'm not familiar with the actor playing Ridley and he appears to be a better actor than singer.  I don't understand the trope that the main character has to be mentally "tortured" in some way (in this case his wife and daughter were killed in a house fire meant for him).  And what is it that the male detectives ALWAYS have daughters (and generally only one)?  Is that a written rule somewhere?   And what is with the Jazz Club in the burg where Ridley now lives?  Nothing like quirky places with their quirky entertainments.   I live in an area with millions of people and if a place that features jazz opens up, it's a miracle if they last 2 years.  I guess if the lead actor liked to sing hard rock instead of jazz, we'd have a joint that features Led Zepplin tribute bands instead of jazz.  

And speaking of the jazz bar, it's obvious that the co-owner/bartender has a thing for our hero and at this point, he thinks of her  as being in the friend-zone.   You wonder if they have had a "history" or if its always been this way between them. 

One thing that really sets this show apart from American shows is that it features a lot of middle aged people who actually look like "real people" of that age group.  People have wrinkles, double chins and are overweight.  And some of them are women!  Kudos show for realizing that folks can be 50 years old and not look like Jennifer Lopez.  I wish that American TV would get that radical.  

[possibilities]

The trope I hate is that he meets the woman who's looking for her brother and immediately it's romance. 

 

[AZChristian]

First thought:  "She sings better than Ridley."

Second thought:  "She sure packed a lot of fancy clothes for a funeral."

ETA:  Did anyone recognize Duncan Darwin?  He played the annoying Inspector Mallory on Father Brown for several years.

Edited July 18, 2023 by AZChristian

[Rickster]

17 hours ago, possibilities said:

The trope I hate is that he meets the woman who's looking for her brother and immediately it's romance. 

 

I thought it was weird that he is looking at her as a romantic partner when he knows she’s leaving in a few days, maybe a week at most. Maybe it’s supposed to indicate how desperate he is.

 

 

[12catcrazy]

27 minutes ago, Rickster said:

I thought it was weird that he is looking at her as a romantic partner when he knows she’s leaving in a few days, maybe a week at most. Maybe it’s supposed to indicate how desperate he is.

 

 

I don't think he's desperate.  I think he's lonely and maybe part of the attraction of her is that she is only in town for a few days.  Lots of times its what you can't easily have is what you want.  It could also just be pure sexual attraction  and a lonely guy who wouldn't mind getting laid.  

Edited July 18, 2023 by 12catcrazy
typo

[zoey1996]

We had thunderstorms Sunday night, so my recording was cutting in and out about half way through. Made it more difficult to follow the plot. Have we seen the brother yet? Were those flashbacks? I think I missed a lot.

Amusing that even Ridley mentioned he's just an enthusiastic amateur singer - I think that was the phrase he used. It sort of acknowledges what's been mentioned here, that he isn't a very good singer.

On 7/17/2023 at 6:57 PM, AZChristian said:

Second thought:  "She sure packed a lot of fancy clothes for a funeral."

Yup, I thought that too!

[sempervivum]

What is with these abandoned mansions that apparently can sit untouched for decades in the English countryside? The bedroom where the pedophile posed the girl (who was killed many years later) still has the pink satin sheets and bedspread? Sure, there were some cobwebs in the house, but the furnishings were untouched? 

Yes, I'll watch the other episodes of this, but it's really a waste of Dunbar.

[AZChristian]

I thought last night's episode was so convoluted that I'm going to watch it again today.  I want to love it, but I find myself happy to know that there are only two more episodes on PBS.  I know I could choose not to watch them, but the optimist in me is hoping for a good ending.

[Rickster]

42 minutes ago, AZChristian said:

I thought last night's episode was so convoluted that I'm going to watch it again today.  I want to love it, but I find myself happy to know that there are only two more episodes on PBS.  I know I could choose not to watch them, but the optimist in me is hoping for a good ending.

I was so confused, I wished I had not deleted last week’s episode so I could go back and review it.

[alias1]

The entire plot on this two part episode was so contrived.  It simply served as a way to give Ridley a love interest that I knew couldn't go anywhere.  So much of it didn't make sense.  

This series has great potential (I like how atmospheric it is) but so far it's been a lot of cliches.  Only somewhat saved by Adrian Dunbar and Bronagh Waugh.  And I like Julie Graham, although they have given her little to do.  I hope the last two episodes are better. 

 

[12catcrazy]

Well a few takeaways here:  the props dept doesn't seem to know that dried blood is not bright red and there are men who notice a woman's outfit (at least in the fantasy world of British tv).

Hard to believe that Ripley was going to go traipsing off to the US with this woman who he knew for like a week!   Also hard to believe if he is that lonely and ready to start dating again there aren't any interesting single women hanging out at that jazz bar (not counting the bartender who obviously has a thing for him) who are actually staying put in the area.

I wonder if this case was "inspired" by Jimmy Saville who apparently sexually abused hundreds of children and how it was covered up until after his death as he knew many people in high places.