Dorathen Better Late Then Never

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Haven Kaycee It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

hannemaria-lara Intelligent show that doesn't let a viewer off too easy. I love it, when a show doesn't assume that their viewers have intelligence of rice krispies. It leaves room for your own perception and insight. Single-handed is able to handle the ugly side of life without becoming cynical and that's extremely rare in TV nowadays.

E Canuck I watched most of Series One and Two before a self-driving week in Ireland with my husband which included two nights in Galway and a day on the Connemara Loop. That was 2 months back and I've just concluded a second viewing, including the final episode I'd not seen fully the first time round. I have to admit my primary motive was to revisit the landscape and do some place-spotting but the quality of the drama kept distracting me from my touristic infatuation with the Republic of Ireland generally and Connemara, specifically. At times villains of the stories can be a bit over the top, but for the most part I thoroughly enjoy the writing, the acting and of course, the setting. If this series wasn't so hard to get hold of here in Canada I'd be recommending it to people I know.I enjoyed seeing Charlie Murphy, again, who did a fine job in the mini series Rebellion about the Easter Rising that laid the groundwork for the foundation of the Irish Republic. She's a good actress who adds substance and credibility to the final story, A Cold Heaven, in her mixed-up adolescent role. One of the most interesting parts of the series overall is the father-son struggle that lingers even once Jack Driscoll's father is out of the picture, literally. His ghost is a brooding presence over all of Connemara, in this drama, and sparks lots of tension between Jack's second-generation policeman character and his mother. Police corruption or wrongdoing is an issue that makes this ten-year-old series seem fresh and topical.

davoshannon There's only a first review, so I have to add another plaudit.Reading the cast list, there are a lot of the "usual suspects" from Irish drama. And the location looks pretty, if a shade more marine than the Quiet Man. So you could be forgiven for passing through, and not watching. That would be your mistake.This goldfish bowl may be geographically and scenically extensive, but it's emotionally claustrophobic. I live in the West, but it's not as intense as this (generally).The cast is superb, and all the production values are excellent. But the real nod has to go to the scriptwriter (Barry Simner) and screenplay.This is a dark, twisting, integration of (Sgt.) Jack Driscoll into his idyllic law enforcement posting in Connemara. Don't start thinking rural means isolation from the all the vices of modern urban society. They're all there, and have been for some time. But carefully disguised and hidden. And just when you think you see the next step, a left hook leaves you reeling. And often a hard and tragic revelation.This is excellent material, and all the more surprising that it's "just" television. Excellent, and highly recommended.

Tweekums When I saw this advertised in the TV guide I assumed it would be "Heartbeat" meets "Ballykissangel" however when I watched it I realised that is was nothing of the sort, it may be set in a beautiful part of the world but there is nothing twee about it, instead of making the place seem appealing it came across as a dark and dangerous place where nobody can really be trusted.Garda Sergeant Jack Driscoll has been transferred from Dublin and to the remote area of Co. Galway where he'd grown up and his father had been sergeant before him. When he is investigating the suspicious death of an eastern European the locals, including his father, seem to think everything would be best if the case were quickly written off as suicide. The deeper he investigates the case the more he discovers about the dubious behaviour of the locals, including his father. This doesn't just include the recent case but events many years before where an unwanted baby was apparently murdered.The two other cases also include fairly dark subjects where we aren't sure who we can trust and few people are what they originally seem. The actors all do a good job in the three interesting stories, if RTE are making other dramas of this quality I hope they too get an airing on this side of the Irish Sea.