Shetland - General Discussion

[Door County Cherry]

2 hours ago, dubbel zout said:

Wow, this was a grim season. The ending didn't work for me. If Kieran was going to kill anyone, it should have been Bobby, not Ellen. She couldn't help her parentage.

They wanted it to be a crime of "passion" (I don't think that's the right word.)  She was berating him for not knowing and he just wanted to shut her up and ended up killing her.  I don't think people die by suffocation that easily but alas...

One thing I didn't get is how Bobby knew that he was her father?  And I have a hard time believing Emma wouldn't have confronted her mother right away with the weird ish her uncle was saying.

I didn't love the resolution either.  It's not that I hate incest plots but it just seemed too convenient.  It'd be one thing if these two had been super isolated from the rest of the world but it doesn't sound like that was the case.  He had gone away and she was already dating Kieran.  I did guess it has to be either Kieran or Stella since they were the least likely.  

Overall, I did like the season, though.  I'd love for Jimmy to guest star again but I was impressed with how they developed the dynamic between Ruth and Tosh.  They had disagreements and butted heads and yet they weren't enemies.  They respected one another's skills and even when Tosh was pulling Ruth off the case, there was a tinge of regret that she felt she had to do it.  If there's another season, I'd like to see these two continue to work together. 

Ashley said she only signed for one season so it remains to be seen.  

On 1/4/2024 at 2:33 PM, kimaken said:

Yes, and she didn't want to do that because she'd either have to leave her family in Shetland while she worked elsewhere for a year or two; or her family would have to move with her, and I don't think her hubby/significant other (are they married?) wants to put his career aside or seek work elsewhere.

From what I recall, he works in IT and helped with a case.  This is how Tosh met him.  And based on how he has taken on caregiving duties, I suspect he works from home and has a lot of flexibility.  The next season could be Tosh returning from working elsewhere for a few years. I think what's holding her back is that there's no guarantee the job would be there for her if she wants to return.  

[mledawn]

So are we to believe that Cal really did just have a DUI accident and Bobby really hadn't done anything to his van? I wasn't sure on that but would like to take it at face value.

[dubbel zout]

1 hour ago, mledawn said:

So are we to believe that Cal really did just have a DUI accident and Bobby really hadn't done anything to his van?

Tosh said she had the accident team check the results twice to be absolutely sure, so I think we're to take that at face value.

Can Bobby be charged with anything? Do they have good enough evidence for a drug arrest? Another loose end. 

[Milburn Stone]

28 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

Can Bobby be charged with anything? Do they have good enough evidence for a drug arrest? Another loose end. 

I think if the kid starts throwing money around town, it'll make Tosh want to know where he got it. And since Bobby knows it was stolen money to begin with, that's not great for Bobby. So they could charge him with that, but I think they wouldn't.

[dubbel zout]

42 minutes ago, Milburn Stone said:

I think if the kid starts throwing money around town

Yet another loose end, as I doubt the kid using cash for everything won't have someone wondering what's up.

[isalicat]

Although there was problematic elements to the plot/story this season, I am definitely going to miss the breathtakingly beautiful opening photography that graces the beginning of each episode. What a glorious place! Hoping for a next season with both Tosh and Ruth.

[mellyf]

14 hours ago, isalicat said:

Although there was problematic elements to the plot/story this season, I am definitely going to miss the breathtakingly beautiful opening photography that graces the beginning of each episode. What a glorious place! Hoping for a next season with both Tosh and Ruth.

Agree. It's one of the openings I never skip (along with CB Strike and Slow Horses).

[enoughcats]

Sort of OT, but definitely Shetland crime. 

Shetland had a real live murder happen, and it's been solved with the alleged perp going to Lerwick. (Of course)

And the victim was a newcomer. Motive ? Complexity?

She moved there just months ago.

[LisaM]

BBC announces renewal for two more years! 

Shetland Renewals

[Rickster]

18 hours ago, LisaM said:

BBC announces renewal for two more years! 

Shetland Renewals

Interesting to see that Ruth will continue to be on the show.

[mledawn]

https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a60334809/shetland-season-9-filming-ian-hart/

 

"Production is officially underway on the Scottish detective drama"

[enoughcats]

And today BBC announced many cancellations.

I wonder if the potential to sell this internationally helped keep it alive? Let's hope so.

[enoughcats]

Sort of a neighborly topic, because some of us have used Google earth to drive the roads of the Shetland Islands,  today I found a description of the Faero Islands.  Farther out in the Atlantic, spectacular photographs, and just downright interesting, here 'tis

The European Nation ruled by sheep

[dleighg]

I've been to the Faroes. They are beautiful (assuming you find Scotland, Shetland, Iceland, etc. beautiful. I do!). 

[LeDucDiableBleu]

There's a show on the Roku channel that's a few years old called "Isles of the Queen" and it shows what daily life is like on the islands around the UK. Shetland I believe is the first episode of that series. There's also episodes on Orkney, Wight, and many others.

Edited August 15, 2024 by LeDucDiableBleu

[dleighg]

Shetland season 9 will arrive on BBC One on Wednesday, November 6 at 9pm. 

I haven't been able to learn anything about when it might show up on Britbox.

It has also been renewed for a 10th season!

[NJRadioGuy]

On 10/30/2024 at 9:29 AM, dleighg said:

Shetland season 9 will arrive on BBC One on Wednesday, November 6 at 9pm.  It has also been renewed for a 10th season!

Best news I've heard in a while. I truly love this series.

[abbyzenn]

Just watched first episode of the new season and it's quite gripping.  Think it's going to be another great season.

Looking at the scenery I thought on days like this I wish I was living someplace like that - - seems like it would be easy to forget the rest of the world.

Thanks to LeDuc above for mentioning Isles of the Queen - found it very interesting.  It's not as much as a travel show - would like to have seen more of the islands actually - but more about people living and working on those islands.

 

[dleighg]

13 minutes ago, abbyzenn said:

Just watched first episode of the new season

are you in Britain? I don't think it's arrived here in the US right? 

[peeayebee]

I was going to ask the same thing. 

[LGraves65]

It premiered in the UK last night. 

[mledawn]

The first ep was great, I am really enjoying the way the show has progressed without Perez. I miss the character in an abstract way but it's Ruth and Tosh holding everything down without missing a beat. 

[Rickster]

In the US market, Britbox says the next season is “coming later in 2024”.

[dubbel zout]

LOL. It's November! There's not much of 2024 left!

[mledawn]

Britbox has announced December 11th as the premiere date for season 9

[mledawn]

This season is really good so far - perhaps it's just that I am starved for some Shetland. I'm never clear on the spoiler policy with these shows but I think since it's airing soon in North America I will be safe and go with tags.

Spoiler

I am really enjoying the way the storylines are interwoven, and how they're able to include the more minor characters we love like Ruth's brother, and Alexander the PC.

I felt badly for Sandy being given to-do a list a mile long and then Ruth and Tosh were off to wait at the hospital. Off you go, Sandy - do all the grunt work!

As soon as I heard Noah murmuring I realised he was reciting prime numbers. Ruth catching the missing 3 was a great way in but she just had no idea how to get him to calm down. "Breathe normally" is so unhelpful! Another way to show her abrupt interpersonal skills...

Thumbs down to Alexander for losing Lisa at the gas station. We all knew she was circling back to the van, PC Grant - why didn't you?

Nice of Ruth to trip up the "professor"/spy at the end.

Exchange of the ep for me was with Tosh and Ruth in the car:

Tosh: I just thought we were arguing, like - based on your body language...
Ruth: Yeah, I get that a lot... [Tosh smiles]

 

[laredhead]

Watched the first episode tonight.  Wow!  I wish I didn't have to wait a week for the 2nd one. 

[dubbel zout]

12 hours ago, laredhead said:

I wish I didn't have to wait a week for the 2nd one. 

I'm going to try to wait until all of the episodes are up and I can binge-watch over two nights, but it's going to be hard....

[abbyzenn]

Just watched the last episode.  Thought this was a great season.  So many suspects and their plot lines all tied into the  story.   In previous seasons we'd see Tosh's baby (daughter?) or she'd talk about her but in the season I don't think there was ever a mention of her.

I think Sandy was much more of a main character in the earlier seasons.  Now the focus is almost exclusively Tosh and Ruth.

I find the architecture very interesting with some old stone crofts and some really modern houses with lots of glass with  gorgeous views.

I've never read the books on which this show is based but does the series follow the books?  I think the writers of the show are really good.

[Rickster]

17 hours ago, abbyzenn said:

 

I've never read the books on which this show is based but does the series follow the books?  I think the writers of the show are really good.

I could be wrong, but I know the first few seasons were based on the books but I thought at some point the series veered off into independent plots. Certainly Jimmy Perez is in all the books.

I know I started one of the early books (Red Bones) a while ago and couldn’t get into it having already seen the show.

[mledawn]

Season finale aired on Wednesday. Comments below in spoiler tags but I look forward to others' impressions as the season has started now in North America.

Spoiler

What a heartwrencher of a finale. I'm also sad for Tosh that those women (the one in particular) were such assholes to her.

I liked the season overall but I still had questions. How did Anton connect with Annie? Why was Annie helping? Did they confirm that Karin Jakobsen was the spy? Was anyone charged for assaulting/holding Angus? Where was Tosh's baby?

 

[Linderhill]

I enjoyed the season, a very intriguing mystery.  I've read all of the books and enjoyed them and just had to accept that this is completely separate from that world.  I guess I'm one of the few that preferred the book Jimmy Perez to the love action one.  Tosh doesn't exist in the books.  I am enjoying Ruthy and her foibles. 

[Enigma X]

Does Tosh not have a baby anymore?

[BlackberryJam]

There are a lot of TV cop shows with male detectives who only mention their children once or twice a season and are never seen with them, so I'm not sure it should be different for Tosh.

[mledawn]

3 hours ago, BlackberryJam said:

There are a lot of TV cop shows with male detectives who only mention their children once or twice a season and are never seen with them, so I'm not sure it should be different for Tosh.

To me it's different because Donnie is often shown meeting Tosh with the baby. We rarely saw Donnie WITHOUT the baby in prior seasons. Now there's just...no baby.

[Irlandesa]

1 hour ago, mledawn said:

To me it's different because Donnie is often shown meeting Tosh with the baby. We rarely saw Donnie WITHOUT the baby in prior seasons. Now there's just...no baby.

In the three episodes I've seen so far, the only time we've seen Donnie is when he and Tosh are at some sort of adult get together.  I will just assume babysitter. 

So far, I'm enjoying this season so much.  The mystery is developing nicely. 

I also appreciate the way they're developing Tosh and Calder's relationship.  It's pretty typical for shows to take the approach of the new partners clashing after the original (Jimmy) leaves.  Instead, they're pretty realistic at showing coworkers who are getting to know one another but generally respect one another and now even seem to truly like one another. It's not perfectly smooth but it's pretty smooth.

[abbyzenn]

I've rewatched episode 1 and there is a scene where Tosh at home is on the phone and in the background we briefly see a little girl (maybe 4-5 yr old) playing.  But it is strange that there is never any mention of the daughter in any of the shows.  And we do see alot of Donny because the murder victim is in their friend group.

[LeDucDiableBleu]

I'm in the US and only through episode 4 so far. I haven't read replies on this thread yet for fear of being spoiled, but I'm a little disappointed with how Tosh is handling the investigation, and how it's being presented to us the viewers. For instance, so far everyone has forgotten about Andrew being shot and killed in the opener, and his brother admitting to it immediately. I know it'll obviously come up later and be critical to the plot but Tosh/Calder shouldn't have forgotten about that yet. Annie Bett told Tosh at the party that she did Andrew's books. John Harris the fisherman said Annie did his books. Tosh should have put those two facts together. Malcom the brother admitted guilt right away. Annie left Ian suddenly. Anton Bergen broke up with his boyfriend suddenly. Someone was threatening these people and no one is putting it together.

Also the matter of their first suspect Ian Bett. His car was still at the party location, and Donny said they put him in a cab after the party. Tosh's first words after hearing that information should have been to find the cab company and ask where the driver took him. However, that information didn't come up until she was interviewing Bett and told him that they retrieved the cab info. I feel like that was a plot hole so the writers added the line during the questioning. But for nearly an entire episode I was thinking they could have traced the whereabouts on their prime suspect if they just got the cab info first.

I can't see how the spy Euan fits in at this time. This latest episode ends with him obtaining a gun, which is like ok I have no idea what his motivation would be to kill who? And I don't know why Calder is withholding the spy info from Tosh (as of yet). She didn't tell Tosh that Euan came to her house. And Euan also could have bugged her house and she didn't look for a bug.

There have been several scenes where the investigators aren't involved. It seemed like Shetland used to be more from the DI's POV. We were figuring out the murder with them. Now, there are a number of critical scenes the viewer is seeing but not the DIs. I know this will all come together brilliantly but I'm just a bit frustrated at the moment.

 

[Rickster]

Having finally caught up through episode 4, one other thing that struck me as odd writing was that they were able to get a record of Bergen's phone calls, yet the record didn't show that he called Annie Betts on the night they were killed, and the police had to find that out from Noah that she picked him up?

I am also not happy that this has become the Ruth and Tosh show. I'd prefer a bit more of an ensemble approach.