Silent Witness (TV Series) Judgement: Part 1 (2008) User Reviews

It's a very interesting, if gruesome start.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 8 March 2020]

Two deaths, a young Australian girl met her end at a drink fuelled party, and the second, a young Orthodox Jewish man is savagely beaten.

I thought this was very good, intriguing and absorbing. It's a great story for Harry, who really is centre stage, having to try and discover the identity of the killer, whilst having to be aware of the sensitivities surrounding the death.

The music is terrific throughout, offering some soothing sounds to the graphic visuals. They did sometimes go a little over the top in these days, and this one is no exception, the scenes of the corpse are way over the top and verging on gruesome.

I take the point that the Australian accents are woeful, they certainly are, they could have used Australian actors, the results aren't good.

Very strong performances, Ron Cook in particular is excellent as The Rabbi.

A strong episode, 8/10.

A Whole New World

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 26 March 2019]

We are introduced to another challenge that is faced by the pathologists. It is the orthodox Jewish world where different rules apply when it comes to the children and the behind doors actions of the family. Harry, especially, has a hard time with this world because he is quite strict as a rule follower. We also are introduced to the murder of a young girl at a party.

Another Subculture

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 25 March 2019]

Once again, the team is in the middle of another realm unfamiliar to them. This time a young Hassidic jew has been brutally beaten to death. They must deal with the laws and traditions that are part of this world. They also must face off against neo-Nazis and see them as suspects.

A New World to Work With

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 26 March 2019]

This is a really interesting situation. A young man has been brutally murdered. It turns out that he is a Hassidic Jew (the guys with the black hats). This presents difficulties for the pathologists and the police because of religious tradition going back centuries. Their culture of non-violence is a stumbling block. There is a second case where a young woman dies at a party where drugs and sex were central to everyone.

Another Significant Challenge

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 25 March 2019]

The team is now faced with the ins and outs of another subculture. A young man has been brutally murdered. He is a Hassidic Jew and this creates lots of conflicts for the pathologists--many related to their religious practices. Sitting in the wings are Neo-Nazis who are natural suspects in this crime. There is also the case of a young woman who has died at a party where huge amounts of drugs were available. There is a kind of coverup going on there as well.

Episodes called "Judgement" have been a real let down.

[harriscn-1 · 5/10 · 14 June 2009]

I really enjoy "Silent Witness" I've been watching it for years. But the episodes called "Judgement" have really disappointed me. Not the topic. Not the script. Nothing like that! It was the absolutely awful mess they made of the supposed Australian accents. The young girls and in particular the younger man were using New Zealand accents. And the guy who was supposed to be from Melbourne had a very strong South African accent. Only the woman who was playing the mother sounded anything like an Australian. Seems like nobody actually bothered to find out what the "Aussie" accent really sounds like! Surely there are enough Australian actors in England who could be case in these roles, or at least find someone who could actually do a reasonable job of impersonating an Aussie. Why did you let yourselves down so badly???