Last Sunday BBC came out with Time, a new drama that is 3 episodes long and I have watched all three episodes and here is my review for it. The premise of the series sees a man convicted to prison where he is looked after by a police officer who cares about his inmates.
Main Character Sean Bean and Stephen Graham play the two leads here and they are both fantastic. Firstly Bean, he feels like a normal guy put in this terrible situation because of one thing that he did and he sells that brilliantly. You see the real criminals in this show and the ones with no remorse so it shows him in a light where you do care and see despite his flaws he is a good person. The same can be said for Graham's character, he is an honest officer that is trying to help the prisoners survive and at least stay human. But he has his flaws and is put in a difficult situation and Graham sells it as well as you would expect because he is a brilliant actor. These two are now juggernauts of the screen and it is great to see them on screen though I do wish they did more together.
Supporting Characters The rest of the cast are definitely secondary, Brian McCardie who played Tommy Hunter on Line Of Duty has a role here and he plays the character you would expect, I think he could probably do it in his sleep. Siobhan Finnerman plays a pastor that helps the inmates and she is good in her role as a likeable support network for these people who need it for different reasons. The rest of the cast are also pretty good in their roles and fit the parts of the show that they need too.
Story The story is effective, it is interesting to see this average man trying to get through prison and live day by day. While this police officer is put in an uncomfortable position that shows how good people can be affected by this world. It brings up plenty of emotion and real world situations that can be difficult to watch and grasp. But this show also has a bit of a disconnect, the two main stories feel pretty separate and I feel like especially Graham's story gets a lack of detail put into it. With the show being more realistic, it also made the pace a bit slow and it took me at least the second episode to get into it.
Script The script is very real, the drama is real and effective. You see the pain and anguish that goes on in the prison mixed with some anger from the prisoners. But maybe its a bit too real, there is little to surprise, no little quirks of humour and just a lack of humanity overall to the feel of the characters.
Style The show has some intense scenes that you would expect from a show set in a prison. It does an effective job in detailing the life of Bean's character in particular and how he tries to survive while keeping his moral compass. The show is only 3 episodes long and that is a good thing, it never outstays its welcome but it is a bit pondering and slow, especially in that first episode for me. Like a lot of shows there are elements of the show that I thought were needed and some that weren't and that affected the overall pace of the show.
Overall Overall, Time is a good show. I have seen rave reviews for this show but I don't think it is that good, if you like either of the two main actors then you will see enough you like and think this was a decent three hour show.
Rating - 7/10.
Main Character Sean Bean and Stephen Graham play the two leads here and they are both fantastic. Firstly Bean, he feels like a normal guy put in this terrible situation because of one thing that he did and he sells that brilliantly. You see the real criminals in this show and the ones with no remorse so it shows him in a light where you do care and see despite his flaws he is a good person. The same can be said for Graham's character, he is an honest officer that is trying to help the prisoners survive and at least stay human. But he has his flaws and is put in a difficult situation and Graham sells it as well as you would expect because he is a brilliant actor. These two are now juggernauts of the screen and it is great to see them on screen though I do wish they did more together.
Supporting Characters The rest of the cast are definitely secondary, Brian McCardie who played Tommy Hunter on Line Of Duty has a role here and he plays the character you would expect, I think he could probably do it in his sleep. Siobhan Finnerman plays a pastor that helps the inmates and she is good in her role as a likeable support network for these people who need it for different reasons. The rest of the cast are also pretty good in their roles and fit the parts of the show that they need too.
Story The story is effective, it is interesting to see this average man trying to get through prison and live day by day. While this police officer is put in an uncomfortable position that shows how good people can be affected by this world. It brings up plenty of emotion and real world situations that can be difficult to watch and grasp. But this show also has a bit of a disconnect, the two main stories feel pretty separate and I feel like especially Graham's story gets a lack of detail put into it. With the show being more realistic, it also made the pace a bit slow and it took me at least the second episode to get into it.
Script The script is very real, the drama is real and effective. You see the pain and anguish that goes on in the prison mixed with some anger from the prisoners. But maybe its a bit too real, there is little to surprise, no little quirks of humour and just a lack of humanity overall to the feel of the characters.
Style The show has some intense scenes that you would expect from a show set in a prison. It does an effective job in detailing the life of Bean's character in particular and how he tries to survive while keeping his moral compass. The show is only 3 episodes long and that is a good thing, it never outstays its welcome but it is a bit pondering and slow, especially in that first episode for me. Like a lot of shows there are elements of the show that I thought were needed and some that weren't and that affected the overall pace of the show.
Overall Overall, Time is a good show. I have seen rave reviews for this show but I don't think it is that good, if you like either of the two main actors then you will see enough you like and think this was a decent three hour show.
Rating - 7/10.