The Fall Season 3 (2016) Review

So I have now finished the third and final season of The Fall and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees Paul Spector recovering from the shooting from the end of Season 2 while Stella is trying to get him into Court and get justice for the victim. 

Main Character 

Gillian Anderson is back for one last run as Stella Gibson and she does a great job here. Her character has developed so much since the very first episode and this last season really shows the humanity of Stella and how the case has truly affected her as a person and as a police officer. Anderson has done fantastic work with this role and it makes Stella Gibson a captivating character that is easy to watch and care about. Jamie Dornan is back as Paul Spector and he does his best with what he is given this season and still gives a really strong performance. His chilling demeanour manages to allow Spector to still be an intimidating presence even though some of the writing for the character isn't as strong this season. These two characters have really carried this show on their backs and have done phenomenal jobs in making these interesting people so hats off to them. 

Supporting Characters

John Lynch as Jim Burns has been a really strong character in this show, but they take his character in an interesting direction this season and he excels in it. Just like some of the other characters it shows just how much this case has affected everybody involved and him in particular this season. Aisling Franciosi as Kate has been an interesting part of this show and this season you see her pretty much crack and her obsession with Paul is taken too a new level and it really shows just how weak she is and how easy it was for Paul Spector to charm her. I can't believe I am about to say this but Aisling Bea, who I know for being a comedian is here in a dramatic role and she is really good, she plays a nurse and delivers a really strong performance. Everybody brings there top game here and the acting is a real highlight of this show. 

Story

For a final season, the story is really important, it has to finish appropriately and I feel like this show does that. The ending really fits the show and it does justice to pretty much all of the main characters, maybe not always in a happy way but in an appropriate and satisfying way. But this is a weaker story, there is some cliché storytelling and I thought for the majority of the season that Spector wasn't given that much to do which was disappointing. 

Script 

The script is really good, the dialogue is top notch and and makes you feel like this is a pretty gruesome narrative that has transitioned well from its first season to now. Yes there are some inconsistencies but I think it is told well enough to get over these and make it an interesting story piece. 

Style 

The style still has the intensity and drama that the show had before and it really ramps up to get you super invested in the last few episodes. But this show goes a more medical drama route, which feels like a real departure from the show, though it gets over this, I just felt we spent way too long in the hospital with not much going on. 

Overall

Overall, I thought this season of The Fall was the weakest, but it still is great and a fitting ending to this show that makes this one of the best British shows that there has been in recent memory. 

Rating - 8/10

 

 The Fall Season 2 (2014) Review

So The Fall is still one of the most watched shows on Netflix and after being heavily invested by the first season I have now finished the second season of the show and here is my review for it. The premise of the season sees Paul Spector return to Belfast where Stella attempts to find out the identity of The Belfast Strangler. 

Main Character

Gillian Anderson was great in the first season of this show and you see that she is even better here. I mentioned in my first review how she was pretty much devoid of emotion and that is still kind of the case here but her character has developed and really been hit by this case. She is still a really strong character but there is just more depth this season and even more reasons given to really care about the character. Jamie Dornan really excels in his role as Paul Spector, you just can't help but feel uncomfortable by just looking at the guy , he is slimy and disgusting that you just want to see him get caught. But the more you watch the show and the dynamic between our two main characters develop it becomes fascinating that maybe they aren't so different and that is something the show does really well. 

Supporting Characters

John Lynch is back as Jim Burns and he does a really good job too, he is just very powerful in his performance. He isn't given as much screentime but what he is given he delivers really well and gives a memorable performance. Everybody else also does a good job, most of the supporting characters are given slightly less to do due to the show focusing so much on the two main characters but everybody does really well in their roles. Actually, Aisling Franciosi as Katie is much better this season, you just see how Spector has messed with her mind and totally controls her and it shows a different side to his character. 

Story

The story takes the right approach that it pretty much gets rid of the side plots and everything is connected to the investigation. Seeing the manhunt feels really authentic, in that it isn't always over the top thrills and that is what I really like about this show, it feels gritty and real. Also the stuff to do with Dornan's character is just as interesting this season for different reasons and it all culminates with a fantastic finale with a really great ending that sets up its final season. 

Script

The script is really good, there are some really interesting conversations and dynamic going in this season. The writing is top notch to keep you interested throughout but not giving you everything too early and making you want more. This show is as dramatic as it can be and it does a great job of showing just how big the investigation is getting. 

Style

The show still takes the methodical approach to its style but that is the right choice. Its slower pace makes everything fell real and so when the pace does pick up, which it does it adds to the intensity. The show is still brutal, maybe not to the degrees of the the first season but it still does enough in that department. It has an extra episode but it still feels the correct length and doesn't drag at all. 

Overall

Overall, I loved the second season of The Fall. It pretty much improves upon everything from the first season and by focusing on its two main character really nails it and makes this show a must watch. 

Rating - 10/10

The Fall Season 1 (2013) Review

So for a few weeks I have seen this show be one of the highest watched shows on Netflix in the UK, so I thought it was time I jumped in and watched The Fall and today I watched the first season of the show and here is my review for it. The premise of the show sees a policewoman go on the hunt for a serial killer with both of them having unique complexity. 

Main Character

Gillian Anderson of X-Files fame plays the lead here and I thought she was really good, I found it interesting how she is a policewoman but you can tell she is very cold and somewhat emotionless. She is meant to be our hero here and you are rooting for her but it makes it more difficult and more complex that she seems to not really care about anybody else in this show. Jamie Dornan is an actor that shouldn't be remembered for his role in 50 Shades of Grey but he is great here and shows what he can do when written really well. You learn very early on that he does terrible things but you can't help but feel very drawn to him. He is a very complex character and as you see him progress it makes you more interested by his motivations and what exactly he has planned next. 

Supporting Characters

The supporting cast is all really good too, John Lynch plays the Police Captain and I thought he did a great job, he just seems like a good captain and the dynamic between him and Anderson is an interesting part of the show. Niamh McGready plays Anderson's second and I thought she did a good job, their characters are so different and there contrasting personalities makes for an interesting dynamic.  The rest of the characters are great with some guys who has been on Game Of Thrones so you know they have high quality, I don't want to go into too much depth because it is difficult to talk to them without spoiling the plot but everybody here acts fantastically. 

Story

The story is great, this show does a really good job of showing the manhunt from two different points of view, you learn more about the hunter and prey which I thought was a really good decision. Usually shows like this don't give us enough detail about the antagonist but this show does a good job of it and portrays two really interesting characters. However, here comes my one issue with the show and it is simply that there are a couple of side story arcs that don't have much to do with the two leads and it feels out of place here and made me wonder why it was here at all. 

Script

The script is really good, the dialogue just feels really real. Nothing is really over embellished and over the top and feels very real why being very dramatic. There are a few bits of humour, mainly from Anderson's deadpan nature which works well. 

Style

The style of the show is great, it is super interesting and keeps you second guessing throughout. Even though the is a show where you know more then the main character it works because you are seeing the show from a few different perspectives. Also it is only 5 episodes which means it does a good job of never getting boring and it feels about the right amount. 

Overall

Overall, this is a fantastic first season of this tense show. It does a great job with its main story and its characters and the style will have you invested and hooked, it's not too long so give this one a watch and hopefully the next two seasons are of such a high quality. 

Rating - 9/10