Truly Dreadful Film

Good concept, poorly executed.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Blake investigates the death of a projectionist in a movie theater. He must wade through a series of suspects, each of them with a bit of a motive, some more than others. Once again, some big money is involved. This includes a spoiled rich man's son.

The writers did a great job through series three, but by the third episode of season 4, it had turned into a soap opera with the mysteries as a mere sub plot. Unfortunate, as it had been enjoyable to watch. I won't include any spoilers, but season 5 is even worse than season 4; strictly soap opera.

I'm now into the third season of the thing, and I keep coming back to see whether any of the oddities will resolve themselves. I'm afraid they never will. It's absolutely hilarious. Characters keep leaving under suspicious circumstances but without any further explanation -- "I've been dismissed," "I've been called to Melbourne; it's political." An air of mystery surrounds characters, but never comes to a head: Charlie is a disciple of the doctor; no, Charlie's job is threatened by the inexplicably bizarre behavior of the doctor; no Charlie is a plant who is there to spy on the doctor and who is heard talking to someone about the doctor keeping secrets. We are supposed to feel sympathy for the doctor when he is berated for charging around like a bull in a china shop, breaking and entering private homes in complete disregard of the orders given him by police officials who are strangely his superiors, on one hand, and who on the other fail to react to his repeated overstepping. What are we supposed to think of all this? That Blake has a mental disorder? That he is autistic? That the program is written by sophomores? A different set of sophomores each week, who fail to notice the questions left open by the previous set? Are none of these things ever going to be answered?

The cast is very dull for this series and they seem to change every season. The viewer is never informed on why some characters exit the show from season to season. The lead actor Craig McLachlan has to be one of the most wooden actors on the planet and dull as dull can be. Why he was cast in the lead role is beyond my comprehension. The background music is also awful. I do not understand why this series is so popular. The plots are plodding and boring and as each episode approaches its conclusion, I could care less who committed the murder. And, another question I keep asking myself is why a coroner is solving crimes. This show may be popular in Australia, but I would much rather watch "Happy Valley", "Vera", or "Marcella" which are all far superior. It baffles me why PBS has chosen this show for viewing.