Writer: Neil Cross
Director: Sam Miller
Previously On “Luther”:
In the heart of London, Detective Chief Inspector John Luther of the Serious Crimes Unit returned to work after suffering a mental breakdown due to a case involving a serial child killer named Henry Madsen. A workaholic with a single-minded approach to doling out justice, Luther, back on the job, applied his brilliant analytical skills to a number of murder cases, under the watchful eye of his supervisor, Detective Superintendent Rose Teller.
With his mind solely focused on cracking murder cases, Luther’s marriage fell apart when his wife, Zoe fell in love with Mark North, a human rights lawyer. A man who wears his heart on his sleeve, Mark offered Zoe everything Luther couldn’t.
Aside from his broken marriage, Luther continued to struggle with the aftermath of the Henry Madsen case. Alice Morgan, a brilliant research assistant who’s also severely mentally disturbed, attempts to help Luther with his work and his personal battles but her methods are often beyond unorthodox. Luther tries to keep his head down and nose out of trouble, but his wrecked marriage, obsessive work ethic and unwieldy relationship with Alice often push him to his limits.
Story:
In a London park, a sorry looking schlub named Graham Shand (Rob Jarvis) stands over the body of the young woman he’s just killed. He reaches down, removes her necklace and flees the scene. Moments later, the SCU is alerted to the murder and the dapper dick, Luther is on the case.
Shand, not a serial killer without sentiment, comes home and decides to give his wife, Linda (Nicola Walker), who’s celebrating a birthday, the necklace he plucked from his latest victim. She puts it on and reluctantly agrees to have sex with him. Once Luther and DSI Teller (Saskia Reeves) identify Shand’s victim, Luther uses his David Bowie-inspired approach to examining evidence (according to Luther, Bowie shifted lines of his songs around until they felt right) to determine that the killer most likely took the necklace to give to a girlfriend or spouse, as a macabre reminder of his kill.
Meanwhile, Shand takes Linda to a karaoke bar for a birthday gathering but soon leaves, claiming he has to take a shift for his work as a taxi driver. But before leaving the bar, he tells a male friend, whom Linda is having an affair with, of their sexual encounter earlier in the day.
Based on the fact Shand’s victims were all young women, all on their way home after a night out and all apparently trusting of their killer, Luther figures he’s most likely a cab driver. However, his first attempt at apprehending the killer cabbie is botched when he targets the wrong driver.
Compounding Luther’s woes is the news that Henry Madsen (Anton Saunders) has awoken from his coma. However, Alice (Ruth Wilson), aware of Luther’s questionable involvement in the case, sneaks into the hospital posing as a doctor, starts a fire to divert Madsen’s guard and swiftly kills him.
After digging through the SCU database, the team pegs Graham Shand as their perp and approaches Linda while she’s working. They take her down to the station for questioning but she manages to get a call into Graham, oblivious to his crimes and demanding to know what the police want with him. He takes the tip and sets his sights on his next victim, Linda’s lover, Dennis. It seems Graham, whose other hobbies include sniffing handbags, is punishing Linda for her infidelity and has threatened suicide in the past, when she tried to leave.
After disposing with Dennis, Graham makes a date with a call girl. However, Luther reaches the girl on her cellphone while she’s with Shand. She locks herself in his bathroom while he attempts to break in, laughing maniacally the whole time. Shand makes quick work of the door but Detectives Reed (Steven Mackintosh) and Ripley (Warren Brown) show up in time to apprehend Shand before he can claim another victim. Linda also shows up – to bash her “prick” of a husband in the head with his own hammer. And Luther ends his day with a call to his estranged wife, Zoe that she chooses not to answer.
Breakdown:
If you’re a fan “The Wire,” at first it may be hard to shake thoughts of Stringer Bell from a crime drama starring Idris Elba. But it didn’t take long to forget about the Baltimore crime lord, watching Elba play the beleaguered detective British detective, John Luther.
Luther’s broken marriage and traumatic past with the serial killer Henry Madsen have made him as weary as he is brilliant. He furrows his brow and holds his head in what seems like a kind of contemplative torture, as Graham Shand continues to allude capture. We witness the beast inside Luther stir when word comes that Madsen has awoken from his coma and it’s fun to see a loose thread drawn out in the fabric of a man so tightly wound.
As procedurals go, I can’t say there were any “gotcha” surprises or fun fake outs in this episode of “Luther.” We’ve got a deranged textbook serial killer whose blood lust ultimately overtakes caution. Not to take anything away from Luther and the SCU team but Graham Shand isn’t exactly Hannibal Lecter. Which is perfectly fine, as the series seems to be as much a detective story as it is a character study in John Luther, a man tasked with wearing several masks, only one of which truly suits him.
Among the supporting cast, the diabolical Alice Morgan is the only really stand out in this hour. Unloved, unwanted and unafraid of the consequences of her reckless actions, Alice’s amoral approach to justice pushes Luther far outside of his comfort zone, exposing the most interesting layers of his closely guarded character.
Which begs the question: is John Luther a character we want to get to know beyond the badge? For American audiences, once the charm of seeing Idris Elba at it again on the smallscreen wears off, can this British police procedural sustain an audience? Is there anything here to separate Luther from the rest of the procedural pack, which stateside is already well over bred? I can’t say for certain just yet, but there’s at least enough intrigue here to keep me interested in the remaining two episodes of series one...
Crave Online Rating: 6 out of 10.
