Will admit to not caring all that much for the previous five Burke-era episodes, "Fire Burn", "Watertight", "The Friday Event", "Hard Man" and "Fade to Black", while not hating them. Had no issue with the production values, Glasgow and the music, and Jackie is one of the main reasons as to why 'Taggart' remained watchable, but the stories felt tired, the team interaction lacked spark and Burke didn't do anything for me as a character.
"Blood Money" to me though was a marked improvement, despite a few of the above having higher ratings, though not in the same league as the best of the Taggart and Jardine periods (especially the former, when 'Taggart' really was in its prime). Not a great episode but a decent one where there are things that didn't work in the previous episodes but work here just about in "Blood Money", that was what was meant by me saying that the episode was better.
It isn't flawless. There is not an awful lot original here and there is a tried and tested feel at times. The identity of the killer was not a big surprise to me, the motive was (and it did make me feel sorry for them and it made me dislike one of the victims even more). But the killer was in my top 3 suspects list fairly early on and was almost certain it was them after the second murder.
The ending also felt on the slightly rushed side.
However, the photography is gritty and moody and have always loved how Glasgow has such a big presence in the show and like a character of its own. The moodiness is present in the music and the main theme as always is unforgettable. The team have more spark here and there is more of a sense of teamwork, the investigative elements and how they get the truth intrigue. Burke being so obnoxious and too much of a bully made it difficult to warm to him, but he gels better here.
Regarding the script, that's intriguing and there's more bite and dryness that were missing in the previous Burke-era episodes. The case is suitably gritty with enough twists and turns to satisfy without being convoluted. Really appreciated seeing Jackie and Burke getting on better than they did in especially "Fire Burn", and there was one bit where we learn more about Jackie regarding her knowledge of boxing. The acting is good, Alex Norton overdoes it less here and Mickey and Herron are the characters best acted.
Overall, decent. 7/10