In the Dark (DVD)

There are two stories in this set. Each story is split into two parts so there are four episodes. The box says that the run time is 200 minutes so that is 50 minutes per episode. They are both murder mysteries and the main character is a police detective. The stories are based upon the novels of Mark Billingham.The first two episodes deal with the disappearance of two girls in the hometown of the main character (Helen Weeks). Helen's best friend from her school days asks her to come back home to support her through a personal crisis. Amidst the mystery of the missing girls is a mystery of a trauma faced by Helen and her best friend when they were about 14 years old. The story mostly stays in the present with flashbacks to the past which slowly reveal what happened to the girls. We also learn that Helen is pregnant. I found the resolution to be a little bit convenient. They were nowhere in the investigation really when all of a sudden, Helen processes a piece of information she has recently learned, relates it back to a previous conversation and announces she knows who the killer is. Despite that convenient and quick resolution, it was a really good, captivating story, well-acted.The second story finds Helen in the last month of her pregnancy and facing a personal crisis. Her personal crisis is the basis of the story and she faces personal threat in her pursuit to find out why this tragedy has befallen her. I'm being intentionally cryptic so as not to give away any of the story. Although Helen solves the murder, there is a portion of the story that goes unresolved.While the first story had a convenient, quick resolution, it was a complete resolution. The second story's resolution was far more complex, but not nearly as satisfying because all guilty parties were not brought to justice.

This miniseries stars MyAnna Buring (Ripper Street) as Helen Weeks, a Manchester detective. Helen is the focus of what are actually two largely-separate stories consisting of two episodes (50 minutes/episode) each. Helen is pregnant, barely showing at the outset and delivering her baby in the final episode. The first story concerns the abduction of two young girls in Helen's (small) home town. She goes there with her romantic partner because the individual arrested for the abductions is the husband of Helen's best friend from back in the day. Helen believes him to be innocent and tries to prove his innocence while steering clear of the local authorities.In the second episode one of the series principals is murdered. This individual had recently-discovered connections with several underworld characters and died during what appears to have been a gang initiation in which the wannabe member of the gang (which deals drugs) must kill a stranger driving in an adjoining car. The second story, as the reader can deduce, is somewhat complicated and is less plausible than the story occupying the first two episodes.Bottom lines: good acting, good sense of setting, engaging plots, the second a bit too convoluted. There are several well-known British character actors in the series (Ben Batt, Tim McInnerny), a slightly annoying musical score but a solid four episodes of entertainment.Not in the league of the great British mysteries, but a good weekend's worth of viewing.

I watched this last night and enjoyed it. I'm a Brit mystery fanatic so I'm not that easy to please. The leading lady is a very good actress and I would take a second glance at anything she's in.

12/29/2019 I’m addicted to British Police Drama ! Now to “In The Dark”, after the conclusion of episode #4, I’m still, “In The Dark” . There is some thing missing there, like the ending and wrapping it all up ! The main character Helen Weeks, may be a realistic person to some, but in my world she is a slut. Half way through the first murder I caught the murderer giving himself away, slip of the tongue. That never happened with Morse, Banks, Tennison, DCS Mike Walker, DCI Vera Stanhope, and the rest of the Squad. Three stars from a tough rater !

I really like it. Have watched it twice in a matter of weeks. Good quality dvd

British series that was dramatic and had plenty of criminal action. Main character is a detective finding her way in the tough male career path with smarts and adroit deduction.

Didn't realize it was only one disc, but a good story for those who love British detective stories.

Lots of information missing and this is BBC: Language, subtitles, run time. Need to know these before purchasing.

The BBC have done it again in a 4-episode marvellous crime drama. It is spell-binding much of the time -- I have now watched it twice and know that it wont be long to make that 3 times.It is based in the city of Manchester, although early on, DI Helen Weeks, the prime character throughout, has to travel to her hometown to help an old friend whose husband has been arrested. Helen's boyfriend, Paul, also a detective, insists on going with her because she has just told him she is pregnant and he is thrilled. There are plenty of issues to be dealt with, but they soon realize they can't deal with everything, both personal and what is going on in the town. Soon they agree to return to Manchester, which is where the bulk of the episodes take place.I've got my fingers crossed that the BBC will soon produce many more episodes of this crime drama.

A well done show with a determined Lady as the lead. The suspense keeps going to the end. The bad guy eventually loses . This all takes place in Dublin which has become a modern City since I visited in 1950.

DVD in perfect condition and delivered on time.

The acting and the plot were top notch but at least a third of it consisted of musical interludes during which the lead character, Helen, would grow pensive or have flashbacks. I had my finger on the fast forward button at all times and the entire experience was diminished by the interludes. Every time it gained a bit of traction...boom...interlude. I'd say that the series could have been reduced to two episodes had it not been for those incessant interludes. What a shame that it had to be diminished like that.

Even for a detective show, it strains plausibility. I won't provide spoilers, but every detective trope seems crammed into 4 hours of programming, 2 of which are in small town England with waaaay too many coincidences, and the other are a big city crime syndicate.I like the genre, just not the entire genre in one forced offering.