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39 out of 40 people found the following comment useful :-
Suspenseful British Drama at its Best, 15 January 2003
Author: (d_sakaki) from Seattle, Washington

I was lucky enough to have a copy taped from BBC America (cheers, Mom!) -- if you're a Robson Green fan, it's a fantastic showcase for his acting. Not as cavalier as his "Touching Evil" series; his "Wire in the Blood" character of Tony Hill is much more reserved, quirky, and, being a criminal profiler, is more internalized with his processing of information. Even if you're not a Robson Green fan, this will surely garner him new followers. There were three full-length movies: "The Mermaid's Singing", "Shadows Rising", and "Justice Painted Blind". The first two, "Singing" and "Shadows" are adaptations of author Val McDermid's books;

"Justice" is an original script based off of McDermid's work, but closely follows her style and she was directly involved with its creation, so I think it's a respectful homage to her work as a whole, so I don't think her fans will be disappointed. All three deal with strange and grisly serial killings, the profiling of possible suspects, and the drama involved with tracking down the unique killers. Set against the backdrop of the bleak, lonely hills of the north of England, the movies are all gritty and disturbing (but not overly-so), and they really show the darker side of human nature and the lengths at which a profiler like Tony Hill is willing to venture to capture the killer. The supporting cast is brilliant; Hermione Norris as D.I. Carol Jordan is just wonderful to watch. Intelligent, sincere, and admirably professional, it's as much her story as it is Tony Hill's. The chemistry they have is marvellous to watch and not at all contrived. Personally, I think "Mermaids" was the best; it was the first, it clearly had the most detailed characterizations and plot complexity, and was definitely the most vicious -- some scenes definitely not for the faint of heart. But still compelling and highly recommended. The other two are still great, well-plotted and suspenseful, but slightly less edgy as the first. I recommend seeing the series in its proper order, to catch little references to past storylines.

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33 out of 38 people found the following comment useful :-
Taut, suspenseful drama., 30 December 2002
9/10
Author: sschwart from Deep in the Heart of Texas

This is a taut British crime drama very much in the "Cracker" mould. In this case, our lead character is Dr. Tony Hill. It features a crime-weary psychotherapist who is part profiler, part detective, part forensics expert. (Think "Cracker" meets "Inspector Morse" meets "CSI").There is a bookish, academic quality to Doctor Hill, without him being tweedy and standoffish (he's more human, and less lofty than Morse).

Dr. Hill is well played by actor Robson Green, who played another complex Detective in the British miniseries "Touching Evil."

In "Wire in the Blood" the stories and the crimes often unfold slowly, with just enough bits of clues and hints to make the slow development seem satisfying.

WARNING: The crime scenes can get a bit grisly, but are never gratuitous.

If you like the aforementioned "Morse" series, and enjoy the psychological gymnastics by Robbie Coltrane's "Cracker" then you will not want to miss "Wire in the Blood."

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22 out of 23 people found the following comment useful :-
Pure, dark, fun., 8 November 2004
Author: from Florida, USA

I found Wire in the Blood purely by accident and I am now a die-hard fan. It's quite dark, with just enough wit to keep you from falling over the edge into the great abyss. The intelligent and complex story line demands focus to follow clearly, and make you think. Sometimes the jumps in logic can seem a bit far fetched, but that is what makes it interesting and fun, without having to be a series of mindless chase scenes and explosions. Robson Green is incredibly impressive (and maybe a little bit scary) as eccentric psychological profiler Dr. Tony Hill, and Hermione Morris does a great job as tough DI Carol Jordan, a woman in what is still very much a man's world. All the characters have distinct and believable personalities. All in all, this series is great fun.

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14 out of 17 people found the following comment useful :-
Is there more to come?, 25 June 2004
Author: Randucci from California, USA

I watched all 3 in order and enjoyed this series. I am anxious to find out if there is a follow up to Painted? I have an unanswered question about the ending and it appears as though there is (or should be) a sequel to this? If you have not watched any of these, please go for it and watch them in order. The character development is quite entertaining. The chemistry between Hill and D.I. Jordan is done in a tasteful way. The creative and honest mind of the writers is put on the screen with a quality job of directing. I am a detective investigator and I am very critical with "who done it" crime solving type movies. These I would use to show my students when teaching a crime profiling class.

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13 out of 18 people found the following comment useful :-
Ghost of Mr Thaw, 9 December 2002
10/10
Author: heather McLean from Ashland, Oregon

Green's vulnerability, intensity and flexibilty in his craft is a complete pleasure. He displays tremendous potential; one can hope that he will continue to create performances that are filled with the humanity, compassion and insight that "Tony Hill" shows us. Brilliant!

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9 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
An incredible show, 30 November 2006
10/10
Author: qv1879 from United States

I started watching this show in series 1. It was edgy and gritty, with strong performances from everyone. It still is. "Wire in the Blood" is the story of Dr.Tony Hill (Robson Green), a slightly eccentric clinical psychologist who works part time with the police force of Bradford, England. He has a reputation of taking small seemingly unconnected facts puzzling them together and providing a profile for the police to follow. The show is bases on the books written by crime novelist Val McDiarmid. In series 1-3, Hermione Norris played Detective Inspecter/Chief Inspecter Carol Jordan of Bradford CID, who managed to rein Tony's scattered abilities and make sense of them. In series 4, Ms Norris has left the show and Simone Lahbib as Inspecter Alex Fielding has the dubious job of reining in Hill. Green is, of course, the lead of the show and he is brilliant. He mixes in just enough idiosyncrasies to make Hill human, endearing and sometimes down right aggravating. Norris brought an adult, feminine, vulnerability to her role as Carol Jordan. Brought up to believe in hard case police work, her world was turned upside down by Tony's presence. In the end, she asks for a transfer. Enter DI Alex Fielding, Simone Lahbib. Ms. Lahbib is an unknown entity to me, but as I finished watching series 4, I felt a bit queasy. When one actor leaves a show and is replaced. It is important to give the newcomer a distinctive identity. Fielding is a single mother with a son and a cat, yet in the second episode of s4, "Torment", the writers were able to slide her easily into the role that would have been Norris'. The "Jordan" character was specific to the McDiarmid book "Torment of Others", of which the episode was derived. The Jordan/Fielding character played a large part. The writing is exceptional, especially for the episode, "Torment". The acting is exceptional. This statement is meant to include: Mark Letheren(DI Kevin Jeffries); Emma Handy (DC Paula McIntyre) and Peter Sullivan (ACC Paul Eden). When there is an ensemble cast and crew that work their hardest to put out the best product possible, it makes viewing a very satisfying activity. Note: this show is designated TV-MA, because of some intense or violent scenes. I would not recommend this show for anyone under the age of 16.

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8 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
10 Stars!!!, 21 August 2005
Author: rbranower from United States

Brilliant series. The third episode not quite as strong a story as the first two, perhaps has something to do with the fact that it was not based directly on the books of V. McD. Robson Green is a great talent, in spite of what his fellow Newcastleian had to say above. I've enjoyed his first rate performances in two other series I've seen, and can't wait to see how his character's flirtation with D.I. Jobson develops in future episodes. Comparisons with "Cracker" seem off the mark to me. Although its one of my favorites, the only things in common with "Wire..." are forensic psychologists profiling murderous sickos, and helping the police catch 'em. Note to the producers: Have Robbie Coltraine guest as "Cracker" character in a future episode assisting Hill and Jobson! Imagine all the fun they could have conflicting professionally, not to mention romantically, vying for Jobson's attention and favors! Brilliant!

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7 out of 11 people found the following comment useful :-
Entertaining, 10 September 2005
7/10
Author: Mattias Petersson from Stockholm, Sweden

I have been seeing quite a lot of this show on TV lately and i find it surprisingly entertaining. Surprisingly because i'm usually no fan at all of the serial-killer genre nor the kind of grisly imagery that this show always provides. But the gratuitous images and the worn-out theme aside this show has a lot to offer.

My favorite aspect is without a doubt Robson Green as the forensic psychologist Tony Hill. His weary and distraught appearance is enough for this to be worth watching. Also his interaction with Hermione Norris as the steely CID Carol Jordan is entertaining as well as many times touching.

The scriptwriting doesn't really live up to the characters in my opinion, but it's decent enough. Considering that i have read several of Val McDermids novels and liked none of them the writing in this series far exceeded my expectations. McDermids writing is simplistic and unimaginative in my opinion and the only real aspects from the novels that has been transferred to this show is the gratuitous nature of the crimes.

All in all i would say that this is a very entertaining show, at least for those who can stomach the gritty themes. I feel it far supersedes other shows in the same vein like for instance the quite dull "Messiah". Recommended.

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2 out of 3 people found the following comment useful :-
Regarding the title, 22 September 2008
Author: janegrass from UK

The title "Wire in the Blood" is a phrase from T.S. Eliot's poem "Burnt Norton", which is the first of his "Four Quartets": "The trilling wire in the blood/Sings below inveterate scars/Appeasing long forgotten wars." The poem is at least in part about the relationship between the longing for spiritual peace and "the release from action and suffering"; it touches on these ideas as part of a Christian and also a Buddhist world view. I haven't read the books that the series is based on, so I cannot say how the author originally put the title in context (if at all.)

The phrases that follow "wire in the blood" in the poem are significant to the title's meaning for this show, I think, with the invocation of scarring, forgetting and violence.

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2 out of 7 people found the following comment useful :-
Twist in the wire, 31 March 2003
Author: knotwilg from Belgium

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Crime series can be made by the actors, the director, the scenery, the music and so on, but they can be ruined by a poorly developed plot. "Wire in the blood" gets at best half marks. I've seen two of the six episodes and the four remaining will land in my video player by mere accident, I'm afraid. There are simply too many inconsistencies, too many unrealistic behaviour for this series to rank among "Morse" or "A touch of Frost". I bet professionals in crime investigation pull their hairs out upon seeing the numerous mistakes made. No I'm not going to list them, you may want to see it without spoilers anyway.

The acting crew try their very best and the shooting is nice - as far as I can tell - but they can't save the series either.

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