Under The Dome

Rating: 3⁄5

In a plot that combines elements of Lost and The Simpson Movie, the residents of Chester’s Mill find themselves enclosed in a mysterious dome that appears out of the blue. Cut off from the rest of the world by this mysterious, indestructible structure that encloses their town, it’s not long before civilisation starts to shows its cracks and disintegrate into chaos. At the centre of it all is Dale “Barbie” Barbara (Mike Vogel), a newcomer to the town who is seen burying a body when we first meet him. Journalist Julia Shumway (Rachelle Lefevre) wants to know everything that’s going on (kind of a must for someone in her line of business), radio station workers Dodee (Jolene Purdy) and Phil (Nicholas Strong) are trying their best to make contact with the outside world, Sheriff Linda Esquivel (Natalie Martinez) is naïve, Mayor Big Jim Rennie (Dean Norris) steps up to the position of power, his son Junior (Alexander Koch) has an unhealthy obsession with Angie (Britt Robertson) who’s clearly not that interested, whilst Angie’s brother Joe (Colin Ford) and his friend Norrie (Mackenzie Lintz) start having sudden onset seizures. Weird. Each character seems to have a story to tell, and with an explosive pilot episode the series seems to be off to a flying start. But as the show progresses there is a notable quality drop, failing to keep up with the momentum its early episodes set, which establishes a threatening, uneasy mood, leaving the audience hungry for more of what the dome and the crumbling society will have to offer. But by in large the dramatic ideas still keep the suspense going, although it’s now time for answers.

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Bates Motel

Rating: 3⁄5

A modern reimagination of a much beloved classic film (Psycho) is never a good idea; but the creators have at least done an admirable job of not completely demolishing the original material with their new tv series, Bates Motel. It takes a while for everything to kick off and reach the more interesting part of the season’s story arc. Norma (Vera Farmiga - deservedly nominated for an Emmy for her fantastically brave performance) and her son Norman (Freddie Highmore - just as good) relocate to Oregon. Having bought a motel, Norma wishes to renovate the place, and start a new chapter with her son, leaving their horrific past behind them. Enter Dylan, Norman’s half-brother, and hello trouble. The most intriguing narrative strand here is the two distinctly different mother-son relationships between the three characters: with Norman+Norma there are subtle hints the audience is shown that the attachment these two share might not be entirely appropriate. With Dylan (Max Thieriot) on the other hand, Norma is someone else, which further highlights the strikingly strange bond Farmiga and Highmore so skillfully portray. But it’s a shame the show decides to leave this theme unattended for a lot of the season’s episodes. More interested in the close-knit surrounding townspeople and what they get up to, the season seems to be going somewhere when they introduce all these shady characters, but in the end no big climax ever quite materialises. It’s slow, but certainly worth it.

The Bridge

Rating: 4⁄5

The light goes off and a body’s dumped on the Bridge of Americas that serves as a crossing between El Paso, Texas, and Juarez, Chihuahua in Mexico. Immediately taking charge of the situation is Sonya Cross (Diane Kruger), an El Paso detective. But as she discovers more details surrounding the case, the more complicated everything gets, for which she needs the help of Marco Ruiz (Demián Bichir), a Mexican detective. You’ll never guess just how much of a can of worms a single body can open up. Buried evidence, unsolved cases from the past, government conspiracy, red herrings, a mighty resourceful killer etc…the show reaches far and for the most parts it absolutely succeeds in selling the story with credibility, a lot of it thanks to its grounded leads. Kruger’s Cross is a detective with Asperger Syndrome, making normal social interactions difficult for her. She’s a stickler for rules, and has a clear sense of what’s right and wrong, what’s legal and illegal. And the awkwardness she feels even with close colleagues of hers is oddly touching, and her frequent bursts of blunt, frank truths give room for laughter. Mismatched but partnered up with her anyway is Bichir’s Cruz, a more easy-going, rule-bending man from across the border - and it’s this buddy-cop angle that works so well. No character is squeaky clean, they all have human imperfections, and whilst the long-winded investigation as well as the large cast take up a lot of episodes to fully gel as a whole, this is a fresh take on a buddy-cop drama.

Hannibal

Rating: 4⁄5

Before Hannibal (a cool and suave Mads Mikkelsen) met Clarice, there was Will Graham (a brilliantly unstable Hugh Dancy), a story previously covered in The Red Dragon, but NBC’s new drama takes all the blood, gore, and guts to a whole new level of graphic sadism in their remake. Graham has the special gift/curse of being able to very accurately recreate a murder scene in the point of view of the killer. It’s his skill to empathise with, and truly understand the nature of the vicious, dangerous people out there committing heinous crimes. Having an agent like Will as a consultant is great news for Jack Crawford (Laurence Fishburne) of the FBI when hunting down the most wanted men and women, but every case takes a toll on Will’s own sanity. Concerned for his mental welfare is his colleague Dr Alana Bloom (Caroline Dhavernas) and this is where Hannibal Lecter comes in, a brilliant psychiatrist asked to treat Will. Little do they know that what Lecter serves up at his picture-perfect dinner parties is 100% pure human meat carved up, seasoned, and cooked to culinary excellence. The brilliantly suspenseful cat-and-mouse game the two lead characters play take some individual stand-alone episodes to truly get going. But with outstanding twists, turns and downright horrific images, Hannibal stands out from the rest, as a must-see police drama, even if you have a low tolerance level for unpleasant images. Plus as a massive bonus there’s Gillian Anderson making wonderful special guest appearances.

Ray Donovan

Rating: 5⁄5

“How does it feel cs**?” says Mickey Donovan (Jon Voight, in his mightiest presence with peculiar eccentricities), as he sticks a gun into a priest’s mouth, firing it shortly afterwards. We just saw him released from prison a minute ago, and yet it seems he’s back to his old habits. Soon after there’s another body. This time a female. The man lying next to her, a sports star now in a flurry of panic, dials Ray Donovan (an excellent, excellent Liev Schreiber). And boy did he call the right person; for Ray is a professional fixer for the rich and famous of sunshine L.A. He’s the taller, bigger, more brutal, white, male, cable version of Olivia Pope in “Scandal”. By “cable” it means there’s more violence, more sex, more drugs, more swearing. Ray Donovan is a fascinatingly cruel, cynical family drama that packs in all the familiar dark and twisted events of late and creates convincing characters to play out such scenarios. It’s certainly a show that will make you feel better about your own family. What Donovan and his family have to face on a daily basis ring shockingly true to some of the top headlines today. What complicates Ray’s life further is the unexpected early release of his father Mickey, who he despises for reasons unknown to the audience. His wife Abby (remarkably fierce Paula Malcomson) warms to Mickey’s presence, not quite knowing the full picture, since Ray’s the secretive kind of guy who keeps everything locked up. Every narrative advancement is perfectly judged and paced, with rich, layered characters played by the faultless cast - simply unmissable.