A Slightly Flawed, but Thought Provoking Whitechapel Debut
By
Kristin Battestella
Detective
Inspector Joe Chandler (Rupert Penry-Jones) is on the up and up and ready to
make his name in his new assignment to the Whitechapel district – until a
series of gruesome murders stump cranky sergeant Ray Miles (Phil Davis) and
fellow detectives Fitzgerald (Christopher Fulford), Kent (Sam Stockman), Sanders
(Johnny Harris), and McCormack (George Rossi). Chandler’s politicking superior Commander
Anderson (Alex Jennings, The Queen)
also doesn’t want to hear the facts on the crimes, for they seem all too
reminiscent of Whitechapel’s most infamous, 120 year old unsolved case – that
of the serial killer known as Jack the Ripper. Self proclaimed Ripperologist
Edward Buchan (Steve Pemberton) aids Chandler
and his team in matching the copycat trends, but can these 21st
century coppers be ahead of the next murder or will this new Jack for the new
millennium outsmart the police once again?
Although
this decade’s popular Victorian resurgence is nothing new to us 19th
century aficionados, the trend has brought numerous, semi-competing materials
such as the recent Sherlock Holmes adaptations
stateside and abroad in film and television and more period programs like Ripper Street and this modern set but
past feeling Whitechapel. Thanks to
such abundant fiction, media, and Jack the Ripper twists, this type of copycat
plot – subtitled The Ripper Returns –
may seem familiar, yet the perennial intrigue of the original unsolved crimes
and the new investigative spins are stimulating enough to carry the three
episode, two-hour plus suspense here. Whitechapel
could have done without some of the more standard police procedural designs
and the now expected spooky, ghostly, and dark, macabre hints – remember when
creepy was rare and nonconformist instead of pop? However, our contemporary
need to speculate is matched by the mysteries, conspiracies, divided loyalties,
leaks, and press interference. Is the killer amongst our players or an unknown
revelation? Are we putting on our CSI caps
or thinking like a period criminal? Morbidity
aside, it’s pleasing to revisit the so-called canonical murders and fringe
theories in such detail, even if the seeing double Jack the Ripper fresh
insights and current investigation trappings are too on the nose at times. Would
the vintage case be different if the police had cameras? What if the Ripper had
a getaway car? Imagine the social media! The 45-minute episodes have
stand-alone content and step up the primary storyline with each leg in proper
miniseries fashion: Part 1 establishes the Ripper connections, reluctance, and
disbelief while Episode 2 sees a suspect in custody and press intrusions before
the Conclusion adds the infamous letter writing campaign and…I’m not telling
you anymore!
Rupert
Penry-Jones’ DI Chandler is initially excited about the eponymous crimes, wet
behind the ears new to the street, and looking suave in a tux as he plays upward
seeking politics. Viewers have seen this kind of awkward rookie in charge angle
before – complete with hiding the chalk from the chalkboard pranks– but we’ve
also seen Penry-Jones on other capers such as MI-5 long enough to like and trust Chandler amid his own compulsive rehearsings
before the mirror and doubts. These initial characterizations are typical, but Chandler can’t be too
perfect when he’s willing to believe the fantastic copycat possibilities or be
angry his team isn’t up to snuff. Interesting humor also litters Whitechapel thanks to Chandler’s mockability – after demanding his
men wear ties and eat healthy, they adorn joke threads and speculate on their
boss’ gaydar. Some of these quirky attempts are a bit out of place; built-in
irony already exists in Chandler’s
chastising the locals for not knowing their homegrown Ripper facts. Though it’s
probably meant to show how the bureaucrats don’t have his back or just how in
over his head Chandler
really is, he’s unevenly cool with the society types yet nervous with lower
coppers. These written clichés hamper Penry-Jones and come too easy, yes, but rather
than staying established or stagnant, Chandler
loosens up, goes unshaven, and deduces as he should for a thrilling finish.
Whitechapel continues
this somewhat confusing, formulaic character development with its ensemble, for
detectives Christopher Fulford (The Brief),
Sam Stockman (Family Affairs), Johnny
Harris (RocknRolla), and George Rossi
(The Bill) are both stereotypical
fillers and well developed series regulars. Is the show about these
eccentricities of the district or the outlandish crimes and Ripper flair? It’s
too apparent that the seasonal thread is Jack the Ripper while the character
establishment is in hopes for a sequel. Understandably, we don’t see any of our
players at home, yet each adds a critical piece to the investigation. Though
there should have been more of Claire Rushbrook (Mutual Friends) as pregnant pathologist Caroline Llewellyn – her
banter and gruesome, biological moments suffice on the creepy and service the
plot – the pairing and chemistry among the team works. Grumpy, secretive
sergeant Phil Davis (North Square) starts
cliché, but he has the pulse on the street and refreshingly looks like a real
detective compared to Penry-Jones’ tall, blonde pretty. Steve Pemberton (Benidorm) as Ripperologist Ed Buchan
also adds the right humor, charm, and reasonable Ripper exposition. Despite
obvious writing and red herrings, he fits the expected expertise and adds a
personal quaint. This cast shows up to play even if the page lets them down,
and their clashes, conspiracy theories, and outlandish suggestions add moments
of closeness and conflict as the case twists and turns. I thought I had it
figured out, then I didn’t, then I did… aha!
Of
course, the London
locations are sweet, from the dark, cobblestone alleyways to the high society
clubs and suits. The look creates an almost Victorian high and low parallel,
but the well done, dimly lit, old-fashioned filming design feels at odds with the
trying to be modern askew angles, herky jerky flashes, and strobe camera work. It’s
not as gruesome as today’s CSI
audiences are accustomed to seeing, but intercut macabre photos, rapid
autopsies blinks, brief corpse nudity, and jumbled, gaudy scene transitions in any
combination there of are unnecessary, too obviously wannabe stylish, and we
can’t see a dang thing anyway. Somehow, slow motion is randomly thrown in for
good measure, too. One probably has to like British crime dramas to enjoy Whitechapel, but these visual attempts
at setting it apart from being like other procedurals don’t quite work. Series
1 director S.J. Clarkson (Life on Mars)
doesn’t go off the helter skelter deep end with the edgy look, but I’d rather
have no design flair distracting from the story. Stick with the solid
investigation instead – the characters, crimes, and disturbed suggestions come
thru just fine, and the past meets present set dressings do wonders! The
physicality of old chalkboards, a small, dated office, and carefully placed red
accents set the scene against smartly used split screen footage, CCTV
technology, and now admittedly 2009 blackberries and desktops. Longtime cop
show viewers, however, will cringe at the conveniently dropped police protocols,
things like, oh, I don’t know, calling for back up or wearing gloves when touching
a crime scene! This is the biggest East End
case in 120 years and yet five haphazard constables with no support are going
it alone?
Have
I used words like ‘cliché’, ‘stereotypical’, and ‘again’ a lot in describing Whitechapel? Writers Ben Court and
Caroline Ip (Mayday) do at times play
it safe with a case that could have been done on any other Scotland Yard show but
also occasionally try too hard in this old meets new Ripper twist. Ixnay this
flashy on the nose and fortunately, the meaty, well-acted drama is there above
and beyond these goofy, Unsolved
Mysteries-esque mock docudramas
we get stateside these days. This swift First Season is easily available on one
disc with some interesting behind the scenes interviews, and a straight run
thru is the best way to see Whitechapel’s
case unfold. Jack the Ripper enthusiasts, viewers newly tuned in to
investigation shows or those who like a sophisticated thinking person’s
thriller can see past the cliché starts and police procedural trappings for an
intense, down to the wire, provocative Whitechapel
debut dénouement.
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