The first series features 3 two-part episodes and because Brodie is a cracking detective he manages to work multiple investigations at the same time. The second series changes the format and goes the Sherlock and Wallander route with 3 feature length episodes. Case Histories is the typical standard detective show apart form the fact that Jackson Brodie is a former police officer so he isn't bound by the forces' rules when trying to solve a case. He is able to gather information through means that the police wouldn't partake in, but also gets some help from them through the character of DI Louise Munroe (Amanda Abbington). He is empathetic towards a families plight when they have a member missing or murdered so he frequently takes up cold cases that the police won't touch because they would be unable to solve it. In true super detective form he manages to get answers for all of his clients, even if he doesn't report the outcome to the police. Brodie seems to be more about giving closure to people rather than getting justice for them which is probably why he left the police, he doesn't see things in black and white, he sees them in shades of grey and does what he feels is best, not what he is contracted to do.
There is a mystery surrounding Jackson Brodies past as well which is something that intrigued me, his sister Neve was murdered when he was a child and they were never able to find the culprit. I thought that they would've featured Brodies personally mystery a bit more in the show to make it different from the standard procedural format and they did constantly refer back to it whenever Brodie was in a sense of anguish but we never did discover what happened to her. Thats one of my grievances with the show, if there really isn't a third season then we'll always have that loose end, all the other problems that feature in the episodes get a resolution within two hours yet we don't have one for the murder that is at the heart of the show. Neve's death was what made Brodie the person he is and he is giving closure to everyone else but himself.
My other grievance is the character of Brodie himself and that's not me insulting Jason Isaac because I could watch him drinking tea all day long and be entertained. Brodie is the typical flawed hero, he tends to take advantage of the people around him and doesn't show them how much he appreciates and cares for them. An example of this is his relationship with Louise, it's evident that they have feelings for one another and Brodie even admits that he is in love with her when he is in hospital. You would think that this would progress their relationship but it doesn't, she marries someone else but they have a heart to heart and go on a date. Which is when Brodie bottles it and leaves. Brodie doesn't grow as a character during case histories, probably because he's still haunted by his past. I'm sure if there was another series or some sort of way to finish the show off he may be able to get over his issues and let people in so I hope Case Histories is commissioned for another series at some point.
Although Case Histories features a lot of dark events it is still a light hearted and funny show and I enjoyed my time watching it. Sure I wish that the show had actually come to a conclusion for Jackson Brodie but I've had shows cancelled on me before and I still enjoy watching them. Case Histories hasn't officially been cancelled so who knows? Maybe it will come back eventually and I can do a follow up piece.
Live Long and Blog!
Live Long and Blog!
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