The Bay Season 3 (2022) Review

I enjoyed the first two seasons of The Bay and now a 3rd season has come out. I have watched all of the 6 episodes and here is my review for it. The premise of the show sees a new FLO come to Morecombe, on her first day she is assigned to a family where a death has occurred. 

Main Character

So Morven Christie decided not to reprise her role as Lisa Armstrong for the third season which means we have a new lead character. Marsha Thomason plays Jen Townsend and she is an okay main character, she is effective in the police officer role and feels like a natural fit to the show. The issue is that she just isn't that interesting of a character, she is pretty basic and there was nothing really to grasp onto unlike the previous lead character which is a shame. 

Supporting Characters

Daniel Ryan is back as the head of the task force and he is so good in this role, it just feels like a real natural fit for him. The show focuses less on his personal life and I was happy to see that and it allowed him to be really great in his role. The cast from the previous seasons get more to do which is nice to see and it was cool seeing them doing some more police work. Actors such as Mark Stanley and Gary Lewis are introduced and by having that little bit of star power it adds to the overall feel of the product. I also found the victims family more interesting this season as there is plenty going on there and the show does its best to try and keep them all relevant. 

Story 

The story is interesting, it moves at a good pace and has plenty of twists and turns. I cared about the situation and I was interested throughout. But the show has a bit too much going on that could be seen as a bit unbelievable, also the show leaves plenty of the story unresolved so unless they are going to do a season 4 it makes me wonder what happened to certain characters.  

Script

The script is pretty heavy and it does a good job of keeping you watching from episode to episode. You will get drawn into the investigation and wonder who is exactly responsible for the criminal act that has been committed. But it also feels like this show struggles with displaying anything but grief, it is so heavy that it makes it feel really dramatic and it never really relents on. 

Style 

The show is paced well and flows naturally with twists that are effective in the way the show tells its story. In this show I have always felt like Morecombe and The Bay are like a character and it is encapsulated well here showing the good and bad of the place that this show resides. It doesn't drag on and I am glad for that. 

Overall

Overall, another solid season of The Bay. It may not be the best crime show out there but The Bay is an enjoyable watch and I think if you like crime shows then this is another decent one to watch. 

Rating - 7/10

The Bay Season 2 (2021) Review

After watching the first season I decided why not get on and watch the second season of The Bay and I have now done that and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees after her suspension Lisa is given a second chance when she is bought onto a murder investigation. 

Main Character

Morven Christie is back as Lisa and I think she is even better this season and does a great job in this role. You see how the events of last season have really affected her and have changed her mindset but she is still incredibly capable and clearly one of the best people for the job. There are a lot of cogs going on with her character this season and honestly they don't all work for me but she deals with them really well and gives a strong performance to boost the credibility of the show. 

Supporting Characters

Daniel Ryan is back as her boss and he is really good, again I wasn't a huge fan of his personal story arc but there is no denying that he gives a great performance and delivers a really good performance. James Cosmo plays a member of the family of the victim and he is also very good and adds a physical presence to the show and a real big character to the show. In fact all of the victims family are really good and bring something different that doesn't make them feel like the family from the first season. Also I didn't mention him in the first season review but Taheen Modak as Med is really good and the dynamic between his character and Lisa is a highlight and I like how it has developed from the first season. But then we get onto the weak performances and once again they are the same as last season, Christie's characters kids, wow they are so bad and they offer nothing to this show, I kind of wish this season had just ignored them or used them more sparingly but I actually think there here more and it really drags the show down and the family drama is my least favourite part of the show. 

Story

The main police story is actually pretty good and what it does really well is feel very different to the story of the first season. The cases are very different and this one feels more progressive with lots of twists and turns and credit has to go to that and I felt like the eventual twist was better then the first seasons even though it could have been better. But then the show gets bogged down in these sub plot family dramas and they really don't work and did very little for me, I would have happily watched more of the investigation and got rid of all of that. Also at the end it feels like some things haven't been resolved and I don't know if that is to set up a third season but it comes across as a bit sloppy. 

Script

The script is good, I would say better then the first season. The important characters are well written and the twists and turns are more interesting with some shocking revelations that do their job well. There is some good drama and little bits of humour that compliment well for the tone of the show. 

Style

The show is effective in the story it is trying to tell using this setting that is unique and we don't see too often, this show does a great job of showcasing Morecambe in all of its glory. Also credit to the sound people, the score has always been great but I thought I would mention it here as again I don't feel like I gave it enough credit in the first season. But the pacing of the show is worse here and I think that is due to the larger impact the sub plots take on the show, either they should have been cut down or there should have been fewer episodes with them completely out. 

Overall

Overall, this is another good season of The Bay and a show that is solid, there has been no update of a third season but if you have the time and like crime shows then this one is worth a watch. 

Rating - 7/10

The Bay Season 1 (2019) Review 

So the second season of ITV's The Bay has recently hit TV but I haven't watched the first season so I decided to watch it and here is my review for the first season of The Bay. The premise of the season sees two teenagers disappear and a detective goes on the hunt but she might have more connection to the case then she first knew. 

Main Character

Morven Christie plays the lead role and she is really good here and delivers a really strong lead performance. She fills the detective role really well and she is just really good in her job and the personal stuff is well done too, you see how dedicated to this case she becomes and how it affects her in more ways then one and this show creates an interesting character that we as a viewer will care about. 

Supporting Characters

Daniel Ryan plays her boss and he is also great here, their dynamic is really good and I like how he handles the case and is really strong as the lead of the investigation. The family of the kids that go missing are also good in their roles, they could be just the boring family victims but they aren't, they have their own story arcs and they are really good and add plenty to the show. But there are a few characters that fall weak for me and they are mainly the two kids of Christie's character. They are so annoying to watch and their whole characters don't play an important part of the show and the question has to be why are they even here and it is really frustrating. 

Story

The story is interesting as you see these detectives try and find these teenagers and the usual twists and turns take place as you would expect and some of them work for sure to keep you interested. But there are also things that feel underdeveloped like those two kids and the show tries to make it all connect but it feels forced and by the end of the show it feels forced and like just a way to make the dull parts of the show be a part of the main plot. 

Script 

The script is fine, there are some good dramatic moments here and the characters are pretty well written for the most part, the twists and turns also mostly work. But this show really falls flat with its final reveal and it feels like they weren't sure what they wanted to do so they went with an absurd ending that feels really out of left field. 

Style 

The style of the show is good, it is pretty brutal and just feels very real which is one of the best things I can say about the show, the pacing of the show pretty good too with six episodes feeling like a good length for the season.  

Overall

Overall, this is a good show that continues ITV's hot streak of police dramas. If you like these types of shows then The Bay could be another one for the list. 

Rating - 7/10