This series feels distinctly American, and I don't mean that in a good way. I far prefer the tougher, grittier dramas that the British are so good with. This one is just confectionery, and not especially good confectionery at that. You'll be hard-pressed to remember any episodes clearly after you've watched several.
I first bought the DVDs back in 2006 or so, strictly to watch the episode with Lee Ingleby - I'm a fan, and he does a great job here, as expected. But this episode is a good one for pointing out the exasperating inconsistencies of the show's premise.
The first inconsistency is the oft-repeated "You can't cheat an honest man." Ingleby's character, Trevor Speed, actually makes his living by going through the obituaries in order to target the grieving spouses of the recently deceased. (Shades of Paper Moon, by the way.) There is never any indication that these grieving spouses are dishonest, hoping to "get something for nothing" (another oft-repeated phrase). Indeed, they are vulnerable, and it's this very vulnerability that makes them easy to cheat. Unfortunately for Trevor, one of the persons he targets is the grandmother of grifter Danny, and this is why the group goes after him.
Another person targeted in this episode is a bank employee who annoys grifter Stacey by hitting her with an overdraft fee after the group empties their bank account. Never mind that this is an employee - someone who follows company rules but does not set them. Stacey is so outraged by bank policy that she decides to take her anger out, not on the bank, but on the employee. This, on a much larger scale, is the equivalent of stiffing a waitress because the restaurant overcharges for steak. Yet somehow we're supposed to be charmed by her, and be on her side. (He is, admittedly, a bit of a jerk, but this isn't why she goes after him.)
Worst of all, and this happens in episode after episode, is their continuous cheating of the barman, who certainly seems like an honest man. However much the grifters natter on about "honor" and "ethics," they can't seem to resist making this poor fellow look like an absolute boob as they perpetrate con after con on him in order to drink free. The camera adores showing us this, and it's obvious that we're supposed to be charmed, just as we're supposed to be charmed by Stacey's constant smirking and Mickey's sanctimonious blathering about how ethical they all are.
One begins to wonder, after watching a few episodes, if we are the ones getting conned. Did we "want something for nothing" when we sat down to watch this show? Are they spinning things out in order to see how long it takes us to realize we've been lied to, and cheated out of solid entertainment? This would actually be a fun twist - maybe that's the big "reveal" in Season 8, but I won't be sticking around to see it.
I first bought the DVDs back in 2006 or so, strictly to watch the episode with Lee Ingleby - I'm a fan, and he does a great job here, as expected. But this episode is a good one for pointing out the exasperating inconsistencies of the show's premise.
The first inconsistency is the oft-repeated "You can't cheat an honest man." Ingleby's character, Trevor Speed, actually makes his living by going through the obituaries in order to target the grieving spouses of the recently deceased. (Shades of Paper Moon, by the way.) There is never any indication that these grieving spouses are dishonest, hoping to "get something for nothing" (another oft-repeated phrase). Indeed, they are vulnerable, and it's this very vulnerability that makes them easy to cheat. Unfortunately for Trevor, one of the persons he targets is the grandmother of grifter Danny, and this is why the group goes after him.
Another person targeted in this episode is a bank employee who annoys grifter Stacey by hitting her with an overdraft fee after the group empties their bank account. Never mind that this is an employee - someone who follows company rules but does not set them. Stacey is so outraged by bank policy that she decides to take her anger out, not on the bank, but on the employee. This, on a much larger scale, is the equivalent of stiffing a waitress because the restaurant overcharges for steak. Yet somehow we're supposed to be charmed by her, and be on her side. (He is, admittedly, a bit of a jerk, but this isn't why she goes after him.)
Worst of all, and this happens in episode after episode, is their continuous cheating of the barman, who certainly seems like an honest man. However much the grifters natter on about "honor" and "ethics," they can't seem to resist making this poor fellow look like an absolute boob as they perpetrate con after con on him in order to drink free. The camera adores showing us this, and it's obvious that we're supposed to be charmed, just as we're supposed to be charmed by Stacey's constant smirking and Mickey's sanctimonious blathering about how ethical they all are.
One begins to wonder, after watching a few episodes, if we are the ones getting conned. Did we "want something for nothing" when we sat down to watch this show? Are they spinning things out in order to see how long it takes us to realize we've been lied to, and cheated out of solid entertainment? This would actually be a fun twist - maybe that's the big "reveal" in Season 8, but I won't be sticking around to see it.