Ripper Street - Season One Review
ICreated by Richard Warlow
Written by Richard Warlow, Declan Croghan, Julie Rutterford and Toby Finlay
Directed by Tom Shankland, Andy Wilson and Colm McCarthy
Produced by Gren Brenman, Simon Vaughan, Ed Guiney, Polly Hill, Andrew Lowe, Will Gould, Stephen Smallwood and Katie McAleese
Main Cast-
Inspector Edmund Reid - Matthew Macfayden
Sergeant Drake - Jerome Flynn
Captain Jackson - Adam Rothenberg
Long Susan - MyAnna Buring
Rose Erskine - Charlene McKenna
Emily Reid - Amanda Hale
Review-
Ripper Street was a co-production of the BBC and its sister channel BBC America. The time is shortly after the infamous Jack the Ripper murders, in the Whitechapel district of London where the Ripper murders took place. The head of the Whitechapel police force is Inspector Edmund Reid and his assistant Sergeant Drake. Reid and Drake are sometimes assisted by the American Captain Jackson, a doctor who sometimes performs autopsies to help Reid solve cases.
The first episode focuses on a copycat Jack the Ripper murder. If the show had been focused simply on the Jack the Ripper murders (and their copycats), my interest might have lagged. Fortunately, the show also chronicles Reid, Drake and Jackson as they investigate other, non-Ripper related, crimes as well.
What makes Ripper Street so interesting, however, is the focus on the private lives of Reid, Drake and Jackson and how their job affects those lives. Reid's relationship with his wife is cold due to the presumed death of their daughter. Sergeant Drake, meanwhile, attempts to court the prostitute Rose despite his rather modest means. Indeed, Sergeant Drake is one of the most fascinating characters in the show. Drake's a tough guy, but he's got a soft heart underneath.
Captain Jackson, along with the madam Long Susan, are hiding a secret past. This secret past will eventually be revealed, with consequences for everyone on the show.
It's hard not to compare Ripper Street to Copper, since both shows are so similar. This is true if you watch them back to back, which I pretty much did as I was preparing for Timegate. I think I might give the slight nod to Ripper Street, simply for Jerome Flynn's performance as Sergeant Drake. When I watched the first episode, I found Drake to be the least interesting of the three main leads. Drake's storyline, along with Flynn's great but understated performance was the highlight of the show, in my opinion.
As I've mentioned, I'll be returning to my Doctor Who marathon viewing, as well as my Doctor Who reviews on Monday, May 27th with the Mind of Evil after my attendance at Timegate this weekend. I hoped you enjoyed this little break from my Doctor Who viewing and my reviews of these other fine British television shows. Down the road, I'll be trying to make more attempts in the future to include reviews of other British shows in addition to my Doctor Who marathon reviews.
See you all on Monday!
