Brendan O’ReganUsually you have to wait for the new season to find some good new dramas, but BBC One got off to an interesting but early start Tuesday of last week with an intriguing new crime drama, One of Us.
It was all a bit confusing at first with an array of seemingly unrelated characters, but one thing was for sure – a newly-married couple was murdered rather gruesomely. They were just back from honeymoon, and she was visibly pregnant. Rightly there were warnings of disturbing scenes.
We could see from wedding clips that they were very much in love, but showing the bride heavily pregnant was a curious choice. When the news broke with both families, one parent naturally enough asked about ‘the child’.
Another early scene was set at a church service where the clergyman explored the nature of suffering – it was in reference to the destructive weather, but had a resonance for what was to come. One young fellow at church spent more time playing with his phone than listening. Between that and his father playing Hank Williams on the way home, Sunday morning was not a happy time for him!
The families were of course devastated by news of the murder, and it seems they have some dark secrets, but the plot took a peculiar twist when the murderer had a car crash near the victims’ families and was seriously injured. Unbelievable coincidence, I thought, but then we learned he had their addresses in his pocket. Cue a major moral dilemma for both families when they discover he’s the one who murdered their children, and there are varied responses to the situation, some decidedly more moral than others.
Lesser parts
Two veteran actors add substance – our own John Lynch (recently in Dickensian) and Juliet Stevenson (who played Mother Teresa in The Letters), while the lesser parts are well filled. A good start, so I’ll be tuning in again.
Still on the drama front the film Noah (RTÉ 2, last Saturday night) was impressive on many levels, with poetic visuals and dramatic special dramatic effects. The acting in the main roles was excellent, Russell Crowe once again bringing a striking humanity to an epic role and Anthony Hopkins dominating his scenes as Noah’s grandfather.
There were two sequences that I particularly liked – a beautiful scene as Noah told the creation story to his children, and the beautiful rainbow event near the end. This ultimately gave the film a sense of hope and optimism that was absent for much of it.
Liberties
Major liberties were taken with the Genesis story, the most bizarre aspect being the ‘Watchers’, a bunch of giant rock creatures that are reminiscent of the walking tree creatures (The Ents) in the Lord of the Rings films. The film dragged a bit after the spectacular deluge, but it did tease out issues of good and evil, love, discerning the will of God, temptation, choice and free will, and in that way was a cut above most current films.
Meanwhile, in real life drama, the abortion controversy is turning up in all sorts of unlikely places. Last week’s manifestation produced the unlikely event of a debate on the Rose of Tralee Festival between David Quinn and Colm O’Gorman – on The Last Word (Today FM) last Friday. The Sydney Rose, Brianna Parkins, had made comments on stage promoting a referendum on the Eighth (Pro-Life) Amendment, and had later tweeted in a ‘Repeal the 8th’ tee shirt. Quinn thought such divisive political issues had no place in a light entertainment show. O’Gorman, particularly testy, accused him of trying to shut down debate, and of opposing ‘rational reasonable debate’, which was peculiar, as Quinn just wanted fair debate in an appropriate forum.
In an earlier debate with Cora Sherlock of the Pro-Life Campaign on Wednesday’s Ray D’Arcy Show Parkins said she had it pointed out to her that she ‘did break some rules’ and breached social media guidelines.
Believe it or not a referendum on the Eighth was a “dream” for her, and though concerned for her personal safety after her comments, she doubled the hyperbole to declare she said she had not been gagged, “de-sashed” or sent to a gulag. Wow.
Sherlock calmly reminded listeners that there was another life involved, the unborn baby, and summed up neatly – “abortion is life-ending, the Eighth Amendment is life-saving”.
Pick of the week
MASS – CANONISATION OF MOTHER TERESA
RTÉ 1 Sunday, September 4, 9.10 am (also EWTN)
Pope Francis celebrates the Mass of Canonisation in St Peter’s, Rome. Fr Thomas McCarthy provides commentary and translation.
SONGS OF PRAISE
BBC 1 Sunday, September 4, 5.15 pm
To mark Mother Teresa being canonised, Ann Widdecombe explores the making of a saint, and we meet a former orphan who owes his life to Mother Teresa’s care.
PETER McVERRY: A VIEW FROM THE BASEMENT
RTÉ 1 Tuesday, September 6, 10.15 pm
Telling the story of Jesuit priest Peter McVerry’s 40-year fight against the devastation of addiction and homelessness.