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Reviews
Thirteen (2016)
Absorbing start with some obvious problems
So far thirteen has been an absorbing, intense drama about the victim of abduction and incarceration who escapes thirteen years after she was first taken. Though the mystery about what exactly happened during those thirteen years is enthralling there are some obvious problems with how the writer has approached the material. For a start, as other reviewers have stated, there is a hugely unrealistic hostility from many of the police towards the victim - they seem to have no awareness of the natural sense of dependency on their abductor a victim (particularly a child) of long term abduction would feel and appear to suspect her of complicity simply because she may have adjusted to this life in some way. There are constant insinuations of guilt on her part by the main female police officer which are echoed throughout by the many others who deal with her (including, weirdly, a psychologist). This includes almost total disbelief and suspicion that she once left the house with her abductor, after years of being held captive, and fails to make an attempt at escape. This despite the fact that this is common behaviour for victims in such a situation which any police force would be more than aware of. The one policeman who believes her is accused of being unprofessionally emotional. Treating a long term abductee who was a child at the point of kidnap - whether they had a relationship with the perpetrator or not - as a suspect from the moment they reappear is odd to say the least. Either the police are meant to be hugely untrained idiots, sadists or the realism of the series has been skewed to stoke up the mystery at the heart of the drama. So far it seems to be the latter. The torment of the main character seems to serve to ramp up the tension, while the suggestion that she is somehow to blame is designed to create a did she/didn't she mystery to keep us tuning in. All of this is really unnecessary as the mere fact of Ivy's disappearance for thirteen years and the gradual unfolding of what happened to her plus her disorientation and sense of grief (& her families) at returning home only to find everything changed is more than enough to create great drama. So a really fascinating drama with a great lead performance and supporting cast - but the factual errors re police procedure and understanding of kidnap victims is a nagging annoyance that, if left to grow, could become a major problem within the drama.
Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands (2016)
Ignore the harsh reviews
Beowulf: Return to the Shieldlands is exactly what is was designed to be - a really entertaining, well made family action adventure. As many other reviewers have said this series has been unfairly compared with GOT but clearly it was never intended to sit within this bracket. Where GOT is clearly an adult fantasy drama, Beowulf is aimed at families hence its 7pm Sunday time-slot. Its better compared with BBC's Merlin or ITV's Robin of Sherwood from the 80's. A clever reworking of the epic tale this version of Beowulf is well cast, with some great performances & has strong plot lines which build throughout the series. It also manages to combine some genuine character development with a large dose of adventure. If you've been put off by some of the worse reviews I'd suggest giving it a proper go - by episode 4 it really begins to gain ground and builds to become a really enjoyable, genuinely entertaining family show. Hope to see a 2nd series.