Bloodlands Season 1 (2021) Review

This show has been on BBC One for the last four weeks and today I decided to watch all of the episodes back to back today and here is my review for it. The premise of the show sees a Northern Irish Police Detective get drawn back into a case that took place over twenty years ago. 

Main Character

James Nesbitt is a really good and maybe underrated actor and he is really great in this show. He is the detective here and he is the character that we see the show through and it is a very interesting watch for sure as he is a interesting character. He has quite a bit of complexity about him and it makes the show better with him leading the way. 

Supporting Characters

Lorcan Cranitch plays his boss and I though he was decent, I mean early on the show makes it pretty clear that he isn't on the same wavelength as Nesbitt and that makes their dynamic interesting. He delivers a solid performance and has a decent chemistry with Nesbitt. Ian McElhinney who was on Game Of Thrones is here and he also gives a good performance, he has an interesting backstory and character that has some scenes with Nesbitt that are some of the best on the show. But the rest of the cast weren't so great, I actually think this show does a poor job of portraying its female characters which is a real shame. I didn't care about Nesbitt's daughter and I just never bought there connection, maybe because they don't actually share that many scenes together. Charlene Mckenna plays his partner and I thought she was okay but her character is just written too be a bit weak, like she starts to piece the investigation way too late and it ends up not mattering in the end so it just feels like she was a bit of a wasted opportunity. 

Story 

The story is okay, it is always interesting seeing detectives investigating a crime that has layers to it, also the show does look a bit at Northern Ireland religious and political issues which is something unique and a bit different. Also this show has a great twist about half way through and it does change the dynamic of the entire show and make the concept of the story way more interesting. But this plot does have quite a few conveniences and ridiculous coincidences that I couldn't get on board with and it also feels like the ending of the show is a bit rushed and forced to finish some of the lesser arcs that aren't given enough time. 

Script

The script is functional, this show has a pretty dramatic feel to it with plenty of twists and turns along the way. This show is pretty grim though and lacks any real sense of personality and it does hurt the overall characterisation of the whole thing. 

Style 

The style of the show for me is where the show really falls down, it just doesn't do anything to stand out and feels very average. With the show being made by the people behind Line Of Duty, I was hoping for the same intensity in the style but it just isn't here and it feels a bit laboured. Also, usually I think 4 episodes are a good length, but either this show needed to cut some of the weaker elements of the story or have an extra episode to wrap everything up in a more fulfilling way. 

Overall

Overall, this is an average show. It has its moments and James Nesbitt is great but there isn't enough to really sink your teeth into and get invested into and this is one of those shows that sometime could be worth a quick watch but now with everything out it is probably one to skip. 

Rating - 5/10