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Suspects: Series 1 & 2
Score: 95%
Rating: Not Rated
Publisher: Acorn Media
Region: 1
Media: DVD/3
Running Time: 416 Mins.
Genre: Crime/Drama/TV Series
Audio: English Stereo
Subtitles: English SDH

Suspects: Series 1 & 2 is a very different type of British procedural cop drama than what I am used to seeing, and it's one I thoroughly enjoyed. The style of filming includes lots of CCTV and surveillance footage, although where some movies and series tend to use the "found footage" scheme in an annoying way, with Suspects: Series 1 & 2, it felt incredibly organic and perfectly natural. The tone is quite fast-paced, which I very much enjoyed, and overall, it is a refreshing break from the standard cop fare.

The show focuses on the main three characters as they work as a team to solve hideous crimes. D.I. Martha Bellamy (Fay Ripley) heads the team and is quite no nonsense when it comes to dealing with her teammates, criminals, her superiors, and pretty much everybody, whereas D.S. Jack Weston (Damien Molony) takes a bit more of a hotheaded approach to his crime-solving. His Irish nature shines through, although he isn't a brute, but he's also not afraid to get his hands a little dirty as he solves the crimes. Last, but certainly not least, is D.C. Charlie Steele (Clare-Hope Ashitey), the youngest in the bunch, but smart as a whip and not one to take any crap from anyone. Together, they are most formidable.

Suspects: Series 1 & 2 changes a good bit between Series 1 and Series 2 and sadly, what I loved about Series 1 was completely gone in Series 2, however I grew to appreciate and really enjoy the changes. Let me explain - in Series 1, each episode is a one-off, meaning you can jump in and watch any episode in any order and not skip a beat. I liked that they didn't focus on the personal lives of the cops; it was all about the crime and getting it solved. Then in Series 2, they switched formats and each crime spanned two episodes and they begin to delve a bit into each team members' backgrounds. While I didn't like the change at first, it makes sense that not every crime is going to be solved in 45 minutes, and it gave the show time to create much more deep, dark, and elaborate scenarios. Also, the backgrounds of the cops were interwoven within crux of the crime, so it made sense.

Crimes and issues covered in Suspects: Series 1 & 2 include missing children, assaults, drug crimes, serial rapes, murder, child prostitution, mental illness, and finally, pedophiles. Suspects: Series 1 & 2 doesn't pull any punches when it comes to the issues is tackles, but this isn't a show for kids anyway.

Sadly, there weren't any special features, but I'd rather have an excellent show with no special features than a so-so show with lots of them. Overall, I absolutely loved Suspects: Series 1 & 2 and can't wait to see future series. They are quite short at only 4 or 5 45-minute episodes per series, but what's there is truly excellent stuff. If you like procedural crime drama, check out Suspects: Series 1 & 2 and you won't be disappointed. It's one of my new favorites.



-Psibabe, GameVortex Communications
AKA Ashley Perkins
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