Luthers

Luther: S01 - 2010 - 7/10

Vaughan Rice was my favorite character in the brief Ultraviolet (BBC) series from the late 90’s.
Ten years later, Idris Elba fuses Vaughan with Dirty Harry into a driven, obsessed criminal profiler.
Smart writing, more twists than a monkey puzzle tree, top notch supporting characters add up to an irresistible, darker than night, six part crime series.

Luther S02 - 2011 - 6/10

Season One was rapid fire paced, constantly inventive, with tour de force performances.
Season Two, while far above routine TV fare, was slower and felt like leftovers.
Missing was the dazzling dialogue that peppered the first season.
Not to mention the omission of a very key character who barely appeared this time out.

From here on, and yes I watched all seasons, the series gets progressively weaker and recycled.
Idris looks tired, or bored. The overcooked stories lack snap.
A major reason why I shun USA soap opera fare is generally because after S01, the tempo chugs down and plot points advance incrementally.
Happens, as well, with Brit TV, K-dramas, movie sequels.
Watching Luther over the years was my error, like trying to milk a lizard.