Shetland - General Discussion

[whatsatool]

Editor's Note:

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run.

Original Post:

This is a beautiful Scottish mystery series.

[alias1]

This is a beautiful Scottish mystery series.

Is it being shown in the U. S.  I don't see it on my PBS schedule.

[SusanSunflower]

It seems it's being shown on WGBH in Boston ... oh goodie Endeavor is coming in June 19- July 10

Doesn't seem to be streaming ... I found a preview on my PBS (generic) Roku station, but that's it. 

http://www.wgbh.org/search/?q=shetland

Edited April 15, 2016 by SusanSunflower

[Hyacinth B]

Is it being shown in the U. S.  I don't see it on my PBS schedule.

 

Right now it's showing last season's reruns on our local PBS Create channel in Chicago. Check all your local PBS stations but if you don't get Create you might be out of luck until the new season starts. VERY good program, BTW, and lovely if stark locations with a minimum of blood-and-guts, kind of like Midsomer Murders but with more angst, rocks and water, and much less in the way of trees, flowers and gardens. 

 

(And it doesn't hurt that the male lead Douglas Henshall looks almost EXACTLY like a guy I was head-over-heels in Wuv with about 30 years ago  ; - D )

Edited April 15, 2016 by Hyacinth B

[whatsatool]

On SCETV. very Green

Edited April 15, 2016 by whatsatool

[alias1]

My PBS station has been advertising Endeavor (which I'm looking forward to) but not the Shetland series.  I'll have to see if I can get any other PBS stations.  Thanks everyone for the info.  I've read all the Shetland books and the setting seems perfect for television.

[abbyzenn]

I do like the show but it is rather slow - wish it moved just a bit faster.  The scenery is gorgeous and the music is haunting. 

This is also one show that I have to watch with closed caption because those accents are really hard to understand.  I remember the main guy from Primeval.

[proserpina65]

Right now it's showing last season's reruns on our local PBS Create channel in Chicago. Check all your local PBS stations but if you don't get Create you might be out of luck until the new season starts. VERY good program, BTW, and lovely if stark locations with a minimum of blood-and-guts, kind of like Midsomer Murders but with more angst, rocks and water, and much less in the way of trees, flowers and gardens. 

 

(And it doesn't hurt that the male lead Douglas Henshall looks almost EXACTLY like a guy I was head-over-heels in Wuv with about 30 years ago  ; - D )

Doug Henshall?  Oh man, I really wish my PBS station was showing this!

[Eliza422]

Our PBS here in Chicago started the 2nd season this past weekend - but again, not on the main channel.

[Bunty]

Shetland season 1 and 2 are available on DVD (packaged together) from Amazon.  Also check with your library, mine has it available.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Shetland-Season-Two-Douglas-Henshall/dp/B00UA00EPQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461282248&sr=8-1&keywords=shetland

 

 

[abbyzenn]

Surprised that no one has  commented on the new season (3).  Just finished watching it - unlike past seasons this was one mystery for the whole six episode.  Was surprised at the ending.  I thought it very good.  Love the scenery.  Quite a few familiar faces as guest stars

[Brattinella]

I'm not sure what season is currently on PBS.  I watched last night and enjoyed it (especially the scenery!).  I think it would be a pretty raw place to live, though.

[editorgrrl]

On September 12, 2016 at 0:30 PM, Brattinella said:

I'm not sure what season is currently on PBS.  I watched last night and enjoyed it (especially the scenery!).  I think it would be a pretty raw place to live, though.

Shetland's not part of Masterpiece! (or even PBS), just a show which some stations purchase independently. (Like Vera or Midsomer Murders.) So you have to check your local listings to see which (if any) seasons are available.

According to Wikipedia, Shetland has "average peak temperatures of 7°C (45°F) in March and 18°C (64°F) in July and August. Temperatures over 25°C (77°F) are very rare." Sounds heavenly to me, here in New England!

[magdalene]

I am currently watching the third season of this - the one with Ciaran Hinds, speaking of him - I had a rather shocking surprise regarding his character last night at the end.  

I was happy to see it has been renewed for a fourth season.

I had a hard time finding this thread - this series is not part of "Masterpiece".

[Brattinella]

So, we get to see Shetland tonight on our local PBS station, but none of the other UK shows they always have (some political crap instead).  Thank heaven for small favors.

[Brattinella]

Last night's episode "Dead Water" featured one of my favorite actors,  David Hayman.  He's been on TV stage and movies since 1966, was in Sid and Nancy, The Paradise (one-armed Jonas),  Eye of the Needle, and hundreds of other shows. Crackling Scot's accent!

[magdalene]

OMG, what has happened to Tosh? That was a very ominous ending. It's going to take a lot of willpower for me not to spoil myself until next Thursday. I am glad the young detective who got hit over the head seems to be okay.  I know this actor from "Luther" where he was excellent as  a very bad guy.

This show is so tense.

[Brattinella]

Poor Tosh!  I had no idea what happened last week.  I hope they catch that bastard and string him up by his thumbs!

Such a great show!

[gingerella]

I am surprised this show doesn't have more comments. I've stock piled a bunch of episodes and find it makes great cold winter night viewing. Yes, it's slow paced, but I reckon life in the Shetland Islands is slow paced so it rings truer to me. Also Doug Henshall is pretty easy on the ol eyes, so there's that.

[izabella]

I like the show a lot, but it's hard to find.  I wish they showed it on the main PBS channel, and wish they played repeats so I could see the ones I missed.  Even with my DVR, I somehow only saw epsiodes 1,2,4 and 6 of Season 2.  It's very confusing.

Edited February 19, 2017 by izabella

[Brattinella]

They took it off PBS in our area.  I wish they would show the whole thing.

[gingerella]

I can't decide whether Doug Henshall is a poor mans Kenneth Branaugh, or if Kenneth Branaugh is a poor mans Doung Henshall...

[editorgrrl]

On 2/19/2017 at 3:44 PM, izabella said:

I like the show a lot, but it's hard to find. 

 

That's because Shetland isn't a Masterpiece show. It's a show that individual PBS stations can purchase—thanks to member support. So each station decides which programs to air, which season, and when.

[SusanSunflower]

Shetland just appeared for me on NETFLIX streaming (while Hinterland 2013 just appeared on my #2 PBS station after I had just finished watching it on Netflix (still available)). 

I've only watched one episode and have no opinion except about the green green greenness of the region ... certainly could have used that in December and January (we're having a premature Spring here like everywhere else).  I liked the Shetland detective and crew as less macho-man posturing and scowling than Hinterlands / Mathias and his two pretty female detectives.  I can't recommend Hinterland, though there are worse ways to waste an hour or so.  

Netflix also has 3 new episodes of Missomer Murder that I found a bit too self-aware, iykwim. 

[SusanSunflower]

I've watched about 6 episodes of Shetland and I'm liking it (rather than getting irritated by quirks and mannerisms). It's not nearly as melancholy Hinterlands (which seems to take place in a rust-belt of dysfunction) or wistfully sad as Wallander (as a good-man, ancient warrior Lion in Winter).  I really like how relaxed and congenial most folks are -- a bit less of this universal bristling distrust of everyone and everything -- with some nice twist surprise endings.  I thought it was going to be bedtime story time, like Midsomer or Grantchester, quite a bit grittier but not despairing or unhopeful -- or off-puttingly dysfunctional.   In these difficult times, I have little use for stories about despicable people.

Edited April 15, 2017 by SusanSunflower

[SusanSunflower]

goodness, that last season 6-parter was engrossing and everything but oh-my the holes and double-doses of trauma the final untangling left behind ... the fallout just within the police department will be enormous and the fall-out in the community even more so.    I found it almost immediately unbelieveable that 

Spoiler

the librarian would have known Lena from before and known about her getting shot and yet somehow the local newspaper did not cover this "twist of fate" story ... I had suspected something -- not anything like the story -- simply because it seemed implausible that a young woman on a holiday from work (or newly unemployed) would be quite so directed about exploring such remote, inconsequential parts of the island  solo, even more so with no anxiety or fear ... consequently, I suspected she had been there before at some point, but then forgot about it as the story moved to Glascow. 

I really like this show and even really enjoyed this season --love Ciaran Hinds in almost anything, but my goodness the shift from self-contained episodes to a season-spanning single story took some adjustment, and then with the finale quite so inexplicably jam-packed and head-scratching.  Oh well, can't wait for next season. 

I've been wondering for a while if organized crime is a big-deal in the UK versus how Kray-inspired these stories are.  There have been quite a number of blackmarket/organized crime episodes, particularly in shows set in the 1960-70's ... but this one was contemporary, yet very old-school mobster/drug ring stuff. 

Edited April 18, 2017 by SusanSunflower
six parts, not 5 ...

[Irlandesa]

On 4/11/2017 at 2:01 PM, SusanSunflower said:

I liked the Shetland detective and crew as less macho-man posturing and scowling than Hinterlands / Mathias and his two pretty female detectives.  I can't recommend Hinterland, though there are worse ways to waste an hour or so. 

Damn.  I wanted to to watch Hinterland next after finishing this series. 

Over the past week, I streamed all three seasons of this series on Netflix and I absolutely loved it!  I loved the scenery, the characters and the mysteries.  I was impressed with how the mysteries managed to be hard-to-guess, for me at least, yet didn't feel like the resolutions came out of nowhere. 

I didn't find it slow.  I was worried when they moved to doing one mystery over the course of six episodes and away from the original author's mysteries but I think they did a great job.

The one glaring hole that stood out for me, though was how the killer

Spoiler

Knew who to contact to report Michael being on Shetland.  I understand her realizing that Michael was likely witness protection but how did she find out his identity well enough to realize who she needed to contact?  And it wasn't just the person he was going to testify against but the lawyer.  That was a bit of a stretch unless I missed something.

[SusanSunflower]

Re Hinterland:  I would recommend letting some time / air pass between episodes ... there is some "business" and mannerisms that I found repetitive/annoying by episode 3**.  There are worse ways to spend time, but character development (suggested in the first episodes), of both the lead and his "sidekicks" got abandoned and IMHO a number of episodes had rather glaring loose ends (not fatal plot problems more just "wait a minute"). IIRC, stories have a relatively large number of characters (suspects/other threads), hard to keep track -- so, after the fact, it's a bit hard to tell if the "solution" was just convoluted or actually implausible. 

I "liked" Mathias (the detective) less as time went on -- and I like Wallander and Morse, even (with a bit of trying) Robbie Coltrane's Cracker.  Mathias is opaque, hard to imagine him ever as a happy husband, father, family man... he's been troubled and isolative for a long time, want to say, "get some help man" 

**

Spoiler

for example, late night, usually solo explorations of empty buildings by flashlight ... without establishing that there was no power, that there was urgency sufficient to not wait for daylight and/or backup. 

Edited April 24, 2017 by SusanSunflower

[Pyralis]

I see via "thekillingtimestv" - one of my sites to keep up with British and other crime shows -that the next season of Shetland has started filming as has the new season of "Endeavour".

[jeansheridan]

On Sunday, February 19, 2017 at 0:31 PM, gingerella said:

Also Doug Henshall is pretty easy on the ol eyes, so there's that.

He looks like a tall Martin Freeman to me.  I liked his season 3 hair too.  I like how no nonsense and matter of fact he plays his character.  He is droll.  And emotionally open.  It's very appealing.  

On Thursday, June 09, 2016 at 9:30 AM, abbyzenn said:

Surprised that no one has  commented on the new season (3). 

I kind of wish they had stuck with the usual format of two eps for one mystery.  That said I loved seeing him make a romantic move (being vague on purpose).  When Jimmy finally decides, he has some good moves.  He is sexy in a responsible dad sort of way.  Cirian Hinds is great too.

[kieyra]

I'm kind of ambling through the very long first episode of Hinterland and decided to search for it here to see if I should carry on. It appears I should be watching Shetland instead. 

(July programming is thin, and I can only rewatch Happy Valley so many times.)

[SusanSunflower]

There were two things about Mathias that gnawed at me ... first, his abandoned wife and other daughter ... what's up with them??? and, since I'm not sure we ever saw him take a drink, why does he look perpetually deeply badly hungover and unwashed ... I don't think he's hanging out at strip clubs or pubs night after night, rolling into his "home" in the wee hour and dragging his stinking self back to work without time or inclination to bathe ... seriously.  How does this man spend his "off-hour" that he looks like drunk, but for some reason TPTB never actually define his malaise (and/or habits).  

The first, wrt his abandoned wife and other daughter were acknowledged even less than the circumstances of his dead child's death ... but they're alive, a (expectant) phone call away ...  The latter seemed like the writers somehow failed to appreciate that this would not be "self-evident" even though people -- irl -- cope and grieve in different ways ... Rather like the (implausibly overinvolved cop in Broadchurch (Tennant), Mathias seemed almost grotesquely not-fit-for-service, and should have been on medical and psychiatric leave ..

[Brattinella]

Please refresh my memory; who is Mathias?

Whoops, I thought you were referring to Shetland.  Mathias is on Hinterland. 

[Pickles]

Just binged thru Shetland on Netflix. Loved it. I got the overall gist of the series 3 storyline, but felt like I got a bit confused with some of the details. Really enjoy the whole cast. Love the scenery.

Currently watching Hinterland. Lord, Mathias needs therapy and possibly anti depressants. Enough already with the self pity, depression, etc. I don't know how he can abandon his daughter and wife. I do like his voice.

[gingerella]

Has anyone seen Series 4 of Shetland yet? I read that it's up now on Britbox, but wont be available on Netflix for a while yet. I'm tempted to get a Britbox trial just to check it out, but honestly, I find most of what I want from Britbox is already duplicated on Netflix...

[Meredith Quill]

A place to discuss particular episodes, arcs and moments from the show's run. Please remember this isn't a complete catch-all topic -- check out the forum for character topics and other places for show-related talk.

[gingerella]

@SilverStormm, is there any way to copy over the threads from the Masterpiece are to this show heading now? We had some good discussions going and it would be a shame to lose that...thanks!

[Door County Cherry]

59 minutes ago, gingerella said:

@SilverStormm, is there any way to copy over the threads from the Masterpiece are to this show heading now? We had some good discussions going and it would be a shame to lose that...thanks!

The old thread is now here.  However, moving forward, all episode discussion will take place in this thread.    

If you'd like to respond to any of the posts in the Old Shetland Thread, you can copy them into this thread. 

[gingerella]

1 hour ago, Door County Cherry said:

The old thread is now here.  However, moving forward, all episode discussion will take place in this thread.    

If you'd like to respond to any of the posts in the Old Shetland Thread, you can copy them into this thread. 

Thanks so much!

[Irlandesa]

To kick off discussion, what do you feel about the move to six part new stories instead of the two parts per book of the first two seasons.  I thought the third one was successful.  I hope the fourth one was as well. 

[gingerella]

I didn't like the running season where Tosh was assaulted. It was just toooooo much depressing shit for an entire season. I like the shorter stories. They're satisfying and I get to meet more interesting characters that way.

[Irlandesa]

It was kind of depressing but I respected how Tosh's story was handled in that it was mostly told from her POV and what she needed.

[Fireball]

On ‎5‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 11:20 AM, gingerella said:

I didn't like the running season where Tosh was assaulted. It was just toooooo much depressing shit for an entire season. I like the shorter stories. They're satisfying and I get to meet more interesting characters that way.

 I agree. Season 3 was depressing; I finished it but I didn't  enjoy the season.  I also prefer the 2 part episodes. 

[gingerella]

3 hours ago, Fireball said:

 I agree. Season 3 was depressing; I finished it but I didn't  enjoy the season.  I also prefer the 2 part episodes. 

Does anyone know if th new season is one long story or shorter ones.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, gingerella said:

Does anyone know if th new season is one long story or shorter ones.

1 story.

Quote

This gripping drama’s latest season sees Perez and the team re-open a twenty-three year old cold case after Thomas Malone, a convicted murder, is released from prison.

[BindsTheTuna]

I just finished Season 4 (am a Britbox subscriber) and it is very good. I didn't spoil myself reading UK sites, and I was kept guessing all the way until the end. 

[Irlandesa]

This current season is coming to my local PBS next week.  I wish I had the patience to wait and watch on Netflix because I don't like the edited versions but I know I won't be able to.

I am glad the was already renewed.

[Enigma X]

I finished season 4 a month ago and enjoyed it.

[AuntieL]

Just finished the 4th season on Britbox. When I started watching the series I wasn't sure I'd like it because of the differences between the books and the tv show and the books are favorites of mine. But I love the show as well. 

[Rickster]

My local PBS station just finished Season 4, and I have to say I thought it was the best season so far. I was bothered though by the out of left field plot twist for one of the characters in the last five minutes of the series, which cast a bit of a pall over my enjoyment of the rest of the season.

Edited July 23, 2018 by Rickster