Judge John Deed – Season One & Pilot Episode (2001/BBC DVD Set)
Picture:
C Sound: C+ Extras: D Episodes: B-
Yet
another police procedural, Judge John Deed separates itself by having a more
court room-focused set of teleplays and by taking advantage of having Martin
Shaw (of The Professionals and The Chief) as the title character who
is a good guy in the tradition of The
Main Chance (reviewed elsewhere on this site) and I can see why it has been
a hit for six seasons and counting.
What
makes the show stand out also besides its star and some good supporting actors
(Donald Sinden, Jenny Seagrove, Caroline Langrishe and Louisa Clein among
others) is the smart pace each telefilm-length show takes. It does not rush the story and try to be hip
or flashy. Instead, it takes its time to
be smart and shows a respect to the audience that is never condescending;
something too few of these shows do.
This is not plastic and its portrayal of the British court system is one
of the best from British TV to date. The
episodes are:
1)
Exacting Justice
2)
Rough Justice
3)
Duty Of Care
4)
Appropriate Response
5)
Hidden Agenda
If you
have missed this series and like this kind of storytelling, then definitely
start with this set.
The
anamorphically enhanced 1.78 X 1 image throughout has more motion blur and
softness than I would have liked and is likely early High Definition video
production. Needless to say the copies
used are in good shape, which makes the problem all the more frustrating. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo can have some
harsh points, but the recording is consistently good otherwise over the five
shows here. There are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
