Shetland - General Discussion

[khyber]

I think Donna's letter to the solicitor says, "If anything happens to me, Duncan is to blame".

[mledawn]

1 minute ago, khyber said:

I think Donna's letter to the solicitor says, "If anything happens to me, Duncan is to blame".

OMG I didn’t even think of that but yes, probably. 
Duncan, you are so thick. How could he just ignore her inability to own that murder. 
 

Thanks, @khyber - I am so anxious now! 

[mledawn]

Season 6 Finale. 
I am so stressed. I can’t handle these cliffhangers til S7!

[Maren]

HATED that cliffhanger!! And I really can't stand Duncan. I've never liked him and now, I HATE how his incredible STUPIDITY is bringing JIMMY down too! Especially when Jimmy WARNED him!!! Ugh!!

Thank goodness they filmed s6 and s7 together!

[khyber]

Too bad I was right about the letter Donna wanted sent.

[mledawn]

 

[Enigma X]

I did watch the previous season but am so lost on what happened last season with Donna. I am on ep 4 of this season. Duncan is my favorite character by the way.

[dleighg]

15 minutes ago, Enigma X said:

I did watch the previous season but am so lost on what happened last season with Donna.

Donna killed Lizzie because Lizzie was going to squeal to Donna's (abusive) husband that the baby she was carrying was Duncan's. That pretty much sums it up. (And Lizzie was Kate's twin sister)

[Enigma X]

9 minutes ago, dleighg said:

Donna killed Lizzie because Lizzie was going to squeal to Donna's (abusive) husband that the baby she was carrying was Duncan's. That pretty much sums it up. (And Lizzie was Kate's twin sister)

Thanks. Seems like a lot of plant for me to forget.

[kimaken]

On 11/18/2021 at 9:48 AM, mledawn said:

The constable’s name is Alexander?! Two Sandys - prepping one to replace the other, certainly...

Is Sandy leaving the show? I always liked him but this season he seems to be rather incompetent for a DC. MLEDAWN's comment makes me wonder if the actor will be leaving and his actions this season are laying the groundwork for his exit.

[dleighg]

On 11/18/2021 at 10:55 AM, khyber said:

I think Donna's letter to the solicitor says, "If anything happens to me, Duncan is to blame".

I must have missed this. Which episode did this happen?

It does seem like she's manipulating Duncan-- she wants him to suffer for how he "ruined her life." I sense bad things ahead for poor, silly, Duncan.

And Sandy and the photos-- is this because he's still mad as hell about Lizzie's death?

[mledawn]

14 hours ago, dleighg said:

I must have missed this. Which episode did this happen?

It does seem like she's manipulating Duncan-- she wants him to suffer for how he "ruined her life." I sense bad things ahead for poor, silly, Duncan.

And Sandy and the photos-- is this because he's still mad as hell about Lizzie's death?

Khyber's comment was regarding S6 E5

[Rickster]

On 12/1/2021 at 10:41 AM, Enigma X said:

Thanks. Seems like a lot of plant for me to forget.

If I’m not mistaken, this whole plot line involving Duncan and Donna was two seasons ago in Season 4, not last season. I’ve had a lot of trouble remembering it too.

[dleighg]

On 12/10/2021 at 5:56 AM, Rickster said:

If I’m not mistaken, this whole plot line involving Duncan and Donna was two seasons ago in Season 4

yes, that's correct. I rewatched that season recently just because someone upstream mentioned it would be helpful. Thanks!

[buttersister]

Duncan's always been an idiot, imo, but "you ruined my life" now go mail my last will and testament for me--oy. Season 7 cannot come soon enough.

Tosh?!

[sinycalone]

I don't I think despised anyone as much as I did Donna in this series.  I agreed with Lizzie's sister, Kate...she should have died in true pain and in terror.  Not only did Donna allow an innocent man to sit in prison for 23 years....she would have let him go to jail again for another crime he didn't commit.  And in series 6, she sought to punish Duncan and Jimmie for getting her convicted for killing Lizzie.  

Edited December 15, 2021 by sinycalone

[RedElf]

Damn, Stephen McCole needs a BAFTA for his portrayal of Logan Creggan.  What a great performance.

 

[RedElf]

It looks like Alison O'Donnell is wearing maternity clothes.

 

[mledawn]

8 hours ago, RedElf said:

It looks like Alison O'Donnell is wearing maternity clothes.

 

Yes, she had her second baby during the shutdown, before S6 filmed

[WatchrTina]

Well . . . I'm annoyed.  The season 6 plots were so convoluted that I couldn't possibly describe them to a 3rd party (and I watched the first few episodes more than once.)  Also I hate, hate, HATE that Donna succeeded in her mission to leave behind as much misery and chaos as possible in the wake of her suicide.  Furthermore, Duncan is now officially as dumb as a box of rocks.  (He picked a fine time to stop being a selfish asshole.)  Donna could not have accomplished ANY of her malicious plot if Duncan had just kept his distance.  But of course the REAL architect of all this misery is the judge who let Donna come back to die in the same community she harmed with her crimes.  How ironic that the unforgiving twin sister of Donna's victim -- the one who waged a campaign to prevent Donna's return to the community -- was right all along.

I only watched the last episode once and now I find I can't recall what exactly it was that Jimmy did that made him subject to arrest at the very end.  And did they get the killer on the ship?  Was it the cook? (And if so HOW would she know how to sabotage the pressurization mechanism?  She's a COOK.)

But at least they did find the body of the girl who OD'ed at the party all those years ago and was buried by her "friends".  We'll just ignore the fact there were NO significant landmarks to indicate the location the grave.  (I was expecting to see some equipment brought out that used X-rays or something to locate the skeleton but no . . . the guys who buried her were able to find the exact spot all these years later.  Well alrighty then.)

I'm annoyed . . . but hopefully when Season 7 is available it will address the many MANY loose ends from this season and we can treat season 6 and 7 as one, long continuous story.

Note, one possible positive side-effect of all this chaos is that with both Jimmy and Duncan in legal difficulties they may be forced to put Jimmy's father in a secure assisted living facility that caters to patients with his condition. I hope so because that was a sad story line and I don't really want to see any more of it.

Edited December 17, 2021 by WatchrTina

[Rickster]

Yes, maybe I am unaware of UK legal procedure, but I was surprised Jimmy was immediately arrested, essentially on the basis of the claims in the letter. I might have expected him to be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation, but not arrested until there was more evidence.

[sinycalone]

Quote

But at least they did find the body of the girl who OD'ed at the party all those years ago and was buried by her "friends".  We'll just ignore the fact there were NO significant landmarks to indicate the location the grave.  (I was expecting to see some equipment brought out that used X-rays or something to locate the skeleton but no . . . the guys who buried her were able to find the exact spot all these years later.  Well alrighty then.)

Quote

 

 

I kept thinking of the movie Fargo....when they buried the money without marking the spot, lol.

[dleighg]

Douglas Henshall is in another short series (on Britbox) called "In Plain Sight." Also in that is Martin Compston (from Line of Duty, playing the bad guy). Since I could listen to Douglas Henshall read the Scottish phone book all day, I'm enjoying it.

[NJRadioGuy]

On 12/17/2021 at 12:11 AM, Rickster said:

Yes, maybe I am unaware of UK legal procedure, but I was surprised Jimmy was immediately arrested, essentially on the basis of the claims in the letter. I might have expected him to be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation, but not arrested until there was more evidence.

Yes, I also find it to be a stretch. Now granted I'm reasonably familiar with U.S. and Canadian law, but this seems like an incredible stretch. Likewise them coming in and seizing property without a warrant (the Doctor's phone comes to mind), and also suspects being interviewed without a barrister present--who would tell them to make no statements under any circumstance.

I also find it a stretch to think they'd even be handed a custodial sentence for unlawful burying given their collective actions going forth. Ruined reputation and a very substantial fine, plus community service or probation would be far more likely given their ages at the time, and that there was no foul play involved. And is there such a thing as the statute of limitations in the U.K., and if there is, I wonder what it is for that particular offense.

EDIT: So curiosity got the better of me, and interestingly enough Great Britain has no equivalent to the U.S.'s statute of limitations. They can prosecute even relatively minor offenses so long as you're still alive! And if I read a report correctly, there have been two prosecutions for unlawful burying since 2017, but no mention what sentence was handed down.

Edited December 27, 2021 by NJRadioGuy
I looked it up.

[TaraS1]

Why do so many shows like this have to have a dementia/Alzheimer's storyline?  As if the subject matter of Shetland isn't already dark and sad enough lol.  I know it's true to life, but it just hits too close to home for me and I ended up having to fast forward through a lot of those scenes with Jimmy's dad.

Still great to see the regular gang back, though - especially Jimmy and Tosh!

[Daff]

On 10/6/2021 at 2:46 PM, Door County Cherry said:

BritBox.  The rest of us will have to wait until our local PBS stations air it.

What does it say when your local PBS has never aired this (and many other great series-Vera comes to mind)? Instead, they choose to RE-run the droll and uninteresting. 

[Daff]

On 10/23/2021 at 3:00 PM, isalicat said:

so I have found it the most worthwhile of streaming services!

I switched from Acorn to Britbox about 4 years ago. After I renewed my subscription, I had the devil of a time logging on, (and Acorn seemed to be so slow with adding new content). When that year was up, I didn’t renew. Haven’t found a real reason to be sorry yet. 

[lidarose9]

Finally binged season 6. It's like they're torturing Jimmy, it's almost too much. I just lost my mom, she'd had dementia the last few years -- it feels like every other story on TV has someone coping with a parent with Alzheimers. It's excruciating that Jimmy lost his mom and found out about his dad basically at the same time. All while shit was hitting fan at work. 

I felt there were too many storylines and way too much stuff unexplained. I am fine with a cliffhanger if it all makes sense but I don't think this did. I just have trouble with a hospice patient with terminal lung cancer would be lolling around without even an oxygen nose tube. She seemed pretty hale and hearty to me.

And waaaay too much time spent with horrific flashbacks, I mean, we got the point ok? I'm kind of over the PTSD-wracked veteran storyline, which has unfortunately become a tired TV trope now. Sister What's-It living on the beach for X number of days, why?

A politically ambitious spouse is *always* your first suspect in a murder, don't we all know this, with her campaign manager as backup? How did she get the antique gun and homemade bullets? If she was going to kill or frame all the people who participated in the nonsensical coverup of Mary Anne's death, she had a lot of work to do cuz it sounds like everybody and their dog was involved. And the kitchen sink.

I also rolled my eyes: they decide to cover up her death why? and not just call 999?

And what did the the druggie woman with her cocaine boyfriend have to do anything? Or just a coinkidink? Did I miss anything? Was there another kitchen sink they forgot to throw in there?

I do give props for having Sandy fuck up again. It's unfortunate since we like Sandy but it's totally not realistic to have people never take a wrong step, never screw things up sometimes. It happens!

(They never figured out who was the in-house leak back a while ago when someone tipped off the creepy bearded trafficker guy who was holding the Nigerian girl. When he was sitting in his van supposedly doing the exchange, where he got a text warning him. We are left to assume, i guess, that Jimmy blabbed to his old girlfriend who then blabbed to her husband -- while their marriage was imploding. Right.) 

Also, if you had Mary Anne's ghost come back to take revenge on these guys, you'd have the plot of a really bad movie called "Ghost Story" from back in the 70s.

Also, I agree that Jimmy should not get involved with the friendly nurse. NO chemistry. But he needs a woman. Whatever happened to Archie Panjabi?

I just rewatched all of the previous seasons to prepare for this, and I have to say this is my least favorite season, and not just cuz there was a cliffhanger ending. 

Edited January 10, 2022 by lidarose9

[mledawn]

Late to the game on this but if they haven’t wrapped on S7, they’re darn close

 

[laredhead]

I'm a new watcher of Shetland, and I love the series.  The scenery is beautiful, and the cast is outstanding. I just finished watching Season 4, and hate to admit it, but I got very confused at times with all of the various story lines, and characters.  They certainly packed a lot of plots and sub-plots into that season.   

[mynextmistake]

On 5/9/2022 at 7:52 PM, laredhead said:

I'm a new watcher of Shetland, and I love the series.  The scenery is beautiful, and the cast is outstanding. I just finished watching Season 4, and hate to admit it, but I got very confused at times with all of the various story lines, and characters.  They certainly packed a lot of plots and sub-plots into that season.   

The first two series were adaptations of the books, although they took some pretty extreme license with the plots and characters, and I found the standalone nature of the 2-episode stories pretty easy to follow. Once they started S3 and switched to the 6-episode story format I also started having more trouble following them, because I never have time to watch 6 episodes in a row, and I find that waiting even a week between episodes makes me forget some details I need to decipher the stories. I was also pretty disappointed in the far fetched “soap opera” storyline of S6.

But honestly, I primarily watch for the scenery and Douglas Henshall, who is just pitch perfect in his portrayal of Jimmy as a smart cop and decent bloke who has some major trauma lurking just under the surface of his pleasantly cranky manner. I don’t think that’s an easy role to play, and he absolutely nails it. 

[Andyourlittledog2]

On 12/26/2021 at 12:47 AM, NJRadioGuy said:

On 12/16/2021 at 9:11 PM, Rickster said:

Yes, maybe I am unaware of UK legal procedure, but I was surprised Jimmy was immediately arrested, essentially on the basis of the claims in the letter. I might have expected him to be suspended pending the outcome of an investigation, but not arrested until there was more evidence.

Yes, I also find it to be a stretch. Now granted I'm reasonably familiar with U.S. and Canadian law, but this seems like an incredible stretch. Likewise them coming in and seizing property without a warrant (the Doctor's phone comes to mind), and also suspects being interviewed without a barrister present--who would tell them to make no statements under any circumstance

I've been watching a lot of British detective shows lately and in absolutely all of them I see them suspecting someone, arresting them immediately, questioning them without an attorney usually (although they are told their rights etc) and even if they have an attorney the attorney never seems to say or do anything but take notes. They use the arrest to grab their phones and search their homes  and cars at the same time. There may be warrant obtained after the arrest but they never mention it. It's just 'You're under arrest' and the patrol cops an detectives march in and search whatever they please. It's all so jarring. I've watched them go through half a dozen 'suspects' in a single episode, one right after the other, and they just release them after they've finished their fishing expedition.  I would just credit the writers with playing loose but it's dozens of British detective shows, shows produced over a twenty year period ending this year. I honestly don't understand it.

[NJRadioGuy]

8 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

I've been watching a lot of British detective shows lately and in absolutely all of them I see them suspecting someone, arresting them immediately, questioning them without an attorney usually (although they are told their rights etc) and even if they have an attorney the attorney never seems to say or do anything but take notes. They use the arrest to grab their phones and search their homes  and cars at the same time. There may be warrant obtained after the arrest but they never mention it. It's just 'You're under arrest' and the patrol cops an detectives march in and search whatever they please. It's all so jarring. I've watched them go through half a dozen 'suspects' in a single episode, one right after the other, and they just release them after they've finished their fishing expedition.  I would just credit the writers with playing loose but it's dozens of British detective shows, shows produced over a twenty year period ending this year. I honestly don't understand it.

Yes, it's very unsettling. Ditto with the few Irish procedurals I've seen as well. I just don't know enough about U.K. and EU criminal law to comment intelligently. In the primary caution "you do not have to say anything, but anything you do say may be taken down and given in evidence," or words of that nature should basically be enough to tell the rozzers to get rooted. And I agree with you regarding having a barrister in the interview room who's not actually advising the client (unless it's convenient to further the plot).

Now what I do love is that it's about the detectives' wits, not how much firepower they have or how freely their big brass gonads swing in the breeze. And the fact they cast normal people, not just Central Casting A-listers with perfect hair and makeup. 

[dleighg]

18 minutes ago, NJRadioGuy said:

Now what I do love is that it's about the detectives' wits, not how much firepower

Yes I really notice that as well. They have to "talk the bad guy down" rather than just shoot-em-up.

Of course the bad guys there rarely have guns either....

[Andyourlittledog2]

6 hours ago, dleighg said:

Yes I really notice that as well. They have to "talk the bad guy down" rather than just shoot-em-up.

The fact that the cops are unarmed seems to prompt a lot of running and actively resisting arrest in a manner that is pretty intense though. I always think 'if you had a gun on you they wouldn't be so free with their punches when you try to arrest them' but at least no one gets shot for bad reasons. The cops are very quick to enter creepy places and look for people and seem to have no fear of being caught off guard and killed doing so. Again, I keep thinking, 'you don't have a gun, what the hell are you doing?!'  lol

But I love these shows. And Shetland is at the top of the tier for me. I am so happy it's on it's way back again. I can't wait.

[NJRadioGuy]

17 minutes ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

 The cops are very quick to enter creepy places and look for people and seem to have no fear of being caught off guard and killed doing so.

But what gets me with these things is how they can go snooping around inside someone's property without a warrant to search the premises. Obviously the laws are different Over There, but I cannot imagine the police can just barge into a locked building, snoop around, and seize evidence without a magistrate's signing off ahead of time.

[Rickster]

1 hour ago, NJRadioGuy said:

But what gets me with these things is how they can go snooping around inside someone's property without a warrant to search the premises. Obviously the laws are different Over There, but I cannot imagine the police can just barge into a locked building, snoop around, and seize evidence without a magistrate's signing off ahead of time.

I am not a lawyer, in either the US or the UK, but a little googling around seems to indicate that warrants are generally required in the UK, but there are loopholes, like being in pursuit of a suspect, or if the police believe evidence is going to be destroyed. Maybe more loopholes than the US?

[dleighg]

I am also not a lawyer but AFAIK the UK does not have a bill of rights as we do, so perhaps the protections for unreasonable search and seizure are not quite as "baked in" as they are here, where the final arbiter (SCOTUS) is going to have an opinion on it.

[orza]

I've seen plenty of UK programs in which police show up at someone's home to arrest them and state they have a warrant to search the premises. It doesn't add anything to the narrative to include an obligatory line of dialog mentioning a search warrant to every scene. Just like in American shows we don't always see a suspect being read their Miranda rights but we know it happens, or else it would be a plot point about improper arrest or something.

1 hour ago, dleighg said:

I am also not a lawyer but AFAIK the UK does not have a bill of rights as we do, so perhaps the protections for unreasonable search and seizure are not quite as "baked in" as they are here, where the final arbiter (SCOTUS) is going to have an opinion on it.

Individual constitutional rights and protections are very much "baked in" to British law going back to Magna Carta.

[NJRadioGuy]

4 hours ago, orza said:

I've seen plenty of UK programs in which police show up at someone's home to arrest them and state they have a warrant to search the premises. It doesn't add anything to the narrative to include an obligatory line of dialog mentioning a search warrant to every scene.

if they have an arrest and/or a search warrant then fine, no issue. My issue with this show, and shows like it, is Perez or Tosh come up to a lived-in (i.e. not abandoned) house where nobody's home. They go through the house, the shed, and so on and search for clues. Again I don't know from UK law, but I can state unequivocally here under US law evidence gathered from such a search wouldn't be admissible ("fruit of the poisoned tree") and could even get a case tossed, unless it was in plain sight. By that, I mean the coppers look into a window from outside and see an AK47 propped in the corner and baggies of what appears to be dope, or TVs or electronics that exactly appear to match stolen goods, etc. And even there, they'd just need to phone in a search warrant to be able to seize it.

Edited June 15, 2022 by NJRadioGuy

[orza]

US law is not relevant in the UK or to this show. Having an issue with a British program for not following US law makes no sense at all.

[Andyourlittledog2]

2 hours ago, orza said:

US law is not relevant in the UK or to this show. Having an issue with a British program for not following US law makes no sense at all.

It's not having 'an issue with it', it's just pulls me up short because I don't expect it. I am so used to US laws that seeing something different throws me off in the middle of a scene. I have no issue with how other democracies choose to handle police matters it just surprises me in the midst of watching a scene is all.  I think what's 'baked in' is our understanding of what flies and what doesn't when watching a US show and it's not easy to make the shift sometimes. That's all. I intend no disrespect to UK law.

[Door County Cherry]

On 6/13/2022 at 11:22 PM, Andyourlittledog2 said:

I've been watching a lot of British detective shows lately and in absolutely all of them I see them suspecting someone, arresting them immediately, questioning them without an attorney usually (although they are told their rights etc) and even if they have an attorney the attorney never seems to say or do anything but take notes.

I think that's due to the British version of the "Miranda rights."  In the US, suspects are told they have the right to remain silent.  Anything they do or say could be used against them in a court of law. There's heavy incentive to not say anything in case of unintentional incrimination.  And the lawyer is there, in theory, to make sure you don't do that. 

Although if you look at Dateline episodes, the lawyer often doesn't do or say much either. That's more of a TV thing. 

In the UK, it's the opposite.  Their caution explicitly says that it could harm a suspect's defense if they rely on something in court, like an alibi, that they don't mention to the police while being questioned. A suspect doesn't need to incriminate themselves but it does sound like it's expected that they are forthcoming about why they're innocent. 

[mledawn]

Sad news but S7 will be Dougie's last. The article says "new actor in the lead role".

Shetland lead Douglas Henshall quits show as DI Jimmy Perez
 

Still no premiere date for S7

Edited July 20, 2022 by mledawn
Removed confusion regarding the character being played by a different actor - not the case, thankfully.

[Door County Cherry]

Oh man.  This makes me sad.  So much of the show is powered by unique relationships and, unlike Death In Paradise, it hasn't had major cast shakeups so those characters/relationships are pretty major.

I wonder if that means his daughter and Duncan are gone too.

[kimaken]

18 hours ago, Door County Cherry said:

I wonder if that means his daughter and Duncan are gone too.

I am sad that Jimmy is leaving but I can understand--hopefully he's not going to prison or fired from his job due to the events in S6, but with his father's dementia, I can understand him wanting to taking his dad back home to familiar surroundings and take care of him. Perhaps Jimmy's daughter will leave, but Duncan is part of the town so I can see him remaining, although his ties to the cases will probably be greatly reduced. Maybe he'll play a recurring character? 

[enoughcats]

OT: for those (like me) who have greatly enjoyed the Shetland Islands for the beauty of the Islands, I just saw a trailer for a movie set off shore Ireland (and photographed there) that gave me a similar feeling for loving the wild Atlantic coasts.  The movie is the Banshees of Inisherin

A trailer with subtitles

[mledawn]

[mledawn]

I can't seem to edit my post so apologies for the doubling up but:

Shetland star Douglas Henshall wants to play a baddie next

Quote

He also explained that while he is sad to leave the role, "it will be nice to play somebody who isn’t so irredeemably good as Perez!"

Hahaha

BUT more importantly:

Shetland season 7 begins on 10th August 2022 on BBC One

Edited August 9, 2022 by mledawn

[mledawn]

The ep started out a little slow, catching us up but ended on a cliffhanger. Lots of things happening at once.

Poor Duncan looks so skinny, I wonder if they're prepping him to leave along with Jimmy (and thus also Cassie). 

I always forget what a pain it is to watch week-to-week!