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S03.E06: The Incontrovertible Truth

weyrbunny

By weyrbunny
in Ripper Street [V]

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weyrbunny

weyrbunny

(edited)

Ep. 3.6 – The Incontrovertible Truth

 

It’s hard not to resent this one as filler or a reset that squanders the drama and momentum of the last two cliffhangers. Fortunately, the show had the sense to frequently acknowledge that the convenient return to business-as-usual is miraculous and mostly a façade…or “carnival mask,” to use Jackson’s phrase. Much of 3.6 is also thematically significant for Susan’s story, so even though she isn’t present, she’s never long from your thoughts. I saw this as another rumination on why women kill, on how their desires can be at odds with the moral double standards placed on women. I of course kept thinking back to Susan’s defining statement in 3.4: “I have brought him to his end. You believe a woman must become a man to own such an act. How little you have learnt.”

 

I also noticed a great deal throughout the episode about memory loss—“no memory…then oblivion”—which made the parallels between Lady Vera’s case and Reid’s circumstances evident. Actually, the whole investigation, especially the forensics, was all necessary preamble for solving the season-long arc, really. So this, it turns out, is a crucial episode. But I was still impatient throughout.

 

Reid’s subtle manipulations of Jackson and Drake were almost nostalgic. I kept thinking, though, how it was like he was already corrupting them by degrees.

 

I like the latest duckling, Constable Grace, well enough, but his scenes reemphasize how underutilized DS Flight was in Series 2. I kinda wish Flight had been able to return, just so the character and actor (Damien Molony) could’ve been better served. That wouldn’t make sense within the story, of course.

 

Heh—this is technically a bottle episode, but I’ll probably remember it as “The Toe Episode.”

 

The last image of Reid with his feet off the ground after leaning backwards in the chair was incredibly provocative, BTW. There was of course the callback to the opening image of the Sergeant’s foot, but it also made me think of a hypnic jerk, where a sense of falling causes you to jolt awake. (Yes, that chair thing from Inception.) It would be outstanding if Reid’s small jolt in the chair was symbolic of an awakening. It would also fit with the following scene of Jackson “re-awakening” the case by retrieving the gun for fingerprint analysis.

Edited by weyrbunny
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rallymantis

rallymantis

(edited)

God! I love those boys when they are like this: snarky besties.  And Reid tilting back in his chair, that rare smile* breaking out across his face (I'm discounting Jackson's mocking coda) -- why, I haven't loved an end scene so much since the last 30 seconds of Season One.

 

*also loved his "new toy" smile at Jackson's fingerprint reveal

Edited by gutette1
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attica

attica

Who can resist it when a brooder has a nerdgasm? Not this one, no sirree. 

 

I really liked Laura Haddock here. Her patience with her dialogue, slowing the pace and using such precise, unhurried diction, did wonders for those scenes. Sociopath characters tend to bring out the scenery-chewer in actors, and it's a palate cleanser indeed to have somebody buck the trend.

 

Jackson in a top hat? Bless the costumers' hearts. Also: Abberline has been wearing that plaid suit for years now. I hope dry cleaning comes to Whitechapel right quick.

 

I winced when Artherton was swigging booze for his gout: that's the exact wrong thing to do. Poor gingerbeardy boy.

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attica

attica

(edited)

Yep: new technologies take a while before they're accepted in the mainstream. A confession will still trump a fingerprint here, and the boys don't have any other evidence against the hubby.

 

I keep meaning to mention how much I love the arc-wide bit about Reid's archive. As a person raised by librarians, I get a nerdgasm of my own when well-curated information is catalogued well, so that good information can be found quickly, even by a constable. I keep wanting to reach into my teevee and start reading those files.

Edited by attica
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Snarklepuss

Snarklepuss

After all that excitement and all those subplots intertwined in previous episodes this season, this episode was very different.  It was like a time out or a side show from the excitement.  I felt like the scenes dragged, but at least I had time to focus in on the eye candy.  Plus Reid is suddenly OK with no bandage or signs of having been shot.  No interim phase?  I'm sure he didn't recover that quickly and I'd like a nice little segue between unconscious and walking around.  As a whole I didn't hate this episode but I didn't love it either.  I couldn't stay awake.  Did it have anything to do with anything previous to this?  Fortunately it looks like next week is back on track, although I'm just not loving this season anywhere near as much as I loved seasons 1 and 2.

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attica

attica

No interim phase?

 

Some of the dialogue early in the ep alluded to Reid's having had some convalescent time, although nobody said how much. Plus, he was using a cane and never took off his eyeglasses (he'd only used them as readers in earlier eps).

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tennisgurl

tennisgurl

 

I really liked Laura Haddock here. Her patience with her dialogue, slowing the pace and using such precise, unhurried diction, did wonders for those scenes. Sociopath characters tend to bring out the scenery-chewer in actors, and it's a palate cleanser indeed to have somebody buck the trend.

I totally agree. What an interesting performance. She seemed so polite and refined, almost considerate, even while talking about how she stabbed someone just to see what it was like, just so she could experience the "fun" of hanging. She seemed like more of the kind of sociopath that could exist, and blend into society perfectly, instead of the scenery chewers and evil cacklers. Its too bad she`s off to the noose, she could have been interesting to see again.

 

I`m  sucker for a time crunch/bottle episode, so I loved it. Next week looks great as well. So glad I finally caught up with this season. 

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SonofaBiscuit

SonofaBiscuit

I have to wonder if maybe this is Matthew Macfadyen's final season.  Maybe he was filming another project at the same time as Ripper Street, but it seems as though he's been missing from large chunks of episodes, and they completely dropped his romance storyline with Jane Cobden.  I'm glad that this means more Drake and Jackson, but I won't be surprised at all if Reid is gone next season.  

 

Speaking of Jackson...so sexy.  I don't find Adam Rothenberg attractive in real life like, at all, but everything about this role works for him.  Very happy that he exited his Wicked City role to continue on Ripper Street! 

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Happytobehere

Happytobehere

Just watched the episode. Right now my only thoughts are 1). with the lighting, I kept thinking the episode would be revealed to be a dream, and 2) what did Jackson see/discovery that brought that look to his face.

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attica

attica

(edited)

Happy, he picked up the gun that shot Reid, with some obvious fingerprints on them. Something new to test the new protocol! And figure out who really shot his friend!

Edited by attica
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weyrbunny

weyrbunny

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Rewatching...

 

Huh. I remember Reid reading about fingerprinting in an earlier episode. Was it The Incontrovertible Truth? If so, well done, Show.

 

This was sadder, more cynical than I remembered—a woman choosing her own death after not having the option to choose her own life/marriage. (Though, she certainly tried to subvert and pervert it as she could.) Thematically, this strikes me as seeding the ideas for ep. 3.7, which is also about women’s lack of choice.

 

I laughed when Reid and the guy he was interrogating looked at the ceiling during the Sergeant’s screamed, when Jackson’s girlfriend stepped on his gouty toe. Because it was a funny callback to Drake threatening to shoot off the prisoner’s toe. And, because Reid barely paused the interrogation with a look of “Huh, someone’s screaming. Now back to your confession…”

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