Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
Cast: Anna Friel, Jamie Bamber, Nicholas Pinnock, Ray Panthaki, Jack Doolan, Charlie Covell, Sophie Brown, Keith Allen, Nigel Planer, Jason Hughes, Victoria Smurfit, Peter Sullivan, Amy Dawson, Josh Herdman, Harriet Cains, Victoria Broom, Tamzin Malleson, Vivienne Gibbs, Andrew Tiernan, Lucy Speed, Michael Wildman, Clara Indrani, Yolanda Kettle, Asher Flowers, Imogen Faires, Aldo Maland, Oaklee Pendergast.
The mind is an impressive machine, capable of so much, of inspiring absolutes and able to conquer all with reason, the heavens, the stars and its surroundings, yet often it is missing the vital information required to see the whole picture, to grasp the data shown and act upon it accordingly and deal with life without breaking down, without feeling as though you’re losing your mind.
The second series of the gripping psychological detective drama, Marcella, is one that takes the lead character further into discovering her own past and the reasons for the breakdown of the machine, the whirring cogs of reason in her mind. It is also one which gets dirty, becomes embroiled in the most despicable of murders and abuse of children, an emotive subject to tackle at the best of times but one in which proves to be the catalyst for the detective as her own ghosts rear their heads and sense that the time has come to play havoc with all the lives of those she loves.
The eight part I.T.V. series does not shy away from the feeling of the fractured and the broken taking control of the perceived and often open faced evil around them, in these desperate times, the sense of malevolence and malicious, wicked crime is all around and each episode has been finely crafted to make the viewer uncomfortable as possible whilst never stepping over the fine line between decency and gory impossibility. Fractured lives are all around us, we ourselves are arguably all carrying the scars of the past with us, it just depends on how we are willing to act upon them that stops us committing a crime, two or a series of slaughter.
Anna Friel once again beguiles in the strong but bordering on the edge of psychosis detective, beaten but never quitting, hard as hell but with vulnerability forever stalking her, as those around her use and abuse her, that cannot tell how close they are to finally making her snap. It takes dedication to portray the broken, it is not a role that can be just played, it has to be felt and Ms. Friel does it with storming believability.
With great support from Ray Panthaki as Detective Inspector Sangha, Keith Allen, Nigel Planer, Jason Hughes, Peter Sullivan and Tamzin Malleson, Marcella is a series that unnerves, its direct look at not being in control of one’s body and memories is exceptional and one that is sure to see a third series take the main character deeper into her own nightmares.
Ian D. Hall