Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Kris Marshall, Zahra Ahmadi, Sally Bretton, Dylan Llewellyn, Felicity Montagu, Barbara Flynn, Melina Sinadinou, Jade Harrison, Peter Davison, Jeff Rawle, Joe Barnes, Paul Bradley, Danny Webb, Kevin Bishop, Nicholas Woodeson.
Whether Kris Marshall’s popularity as DI Humphrey Goodman in Death In Paradise was enough to see him take the lead in a spin off could be up for debate if it was completely obvious that the actor not only belongs on television, but his reading of the character of the loveable but often disorganised detective blends seamlessly into the south west way of life, the sense of calm meeting a warm chaos is roundly to be applauded, and with a great cast adding a measured approach to story-telling, it is with little wonder that the second series of Beyond Paradise is as equal to anything its parent show delivered.
The undercurrent of the show also pinpoints a truth of society, whether we see police on the beat as a hinderance or a measure of responsibility, it is a far greater presence of reassurance to know and recognise a face that will aid us in the fight against crime rather than rely on a situation where our policing by consent depends on a hub many miles from where the crime actually takes place.
It is the insanity of such action that gives the second series its depth, the threat ever hanging in the air that the obvious solution is replaced with an even greater degree of indirect ambiguity, a closed shop mentality with not one face to give hope in times of despair.
Policing is more than just a series of ticked boxes, it is the cornerstone, if delivered with truth, of society’s consent to be tried fairly and have recourse to the law; and in this series, with the emphasis on the small town and their own visions of what creates that society in trust, then it can be seen visibly just how important the story lines are, that not every detective series requires a murder to drive the point home.
With a cast that brings policing back to the community with enormous satisfaction, the warmth of the six-part series is not only down to idyllic setting, but its application to the truth, its adherence to local feeling; something perhaps we can, if judged rightly, be seen to embrace. Ian D. Hall