Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *
Cast: Kris Marshall, Sally Breton, Zahra Ahmadi, Dylan Llewellyn, Felicity Montague, Barbara Flynn, James Fleet, Eva Feiler, Kulvinder Ghir, Jade Harrison, Miranda Hennessy, Chris Jenks, Colin Matthews, Oscar Meredith, Sheila Reid, Melina Sinadinou, Isaac Vincent-Norgate, Amalia Vitale.
We make a display of forgiveness as one would give presents out at a specific time of year, not because we wish to absolve the sin, but because we wish to have our heart and mind settle in peace; the darkness and reflective hours spent in the will of counting out all we have left in the dust of our lives becomes more fragile, more delicate, as we soon realise that the year is coming once more to its close.
Christmas entertainment, whether on television or at the cinema, depends on this reasoning, it sells, it is comfortable, it is necessary in world, especially of late, in which we might find those we held grudges against suddenly leaving us with no way to offer that resolution of peace.
It is a logic displayed with certainty in the first seasonal special for those involved in the popular spin off to the long running Death In Paradise, Beyond Paradise, as a repentant thief becomes the talk of the coastal town for what they return, and not for what they stole half a century before.
It is in such matters that television serials can afford to explore with no sense of anguish in the face or soul of the viewer, the Christmas special can delve into a land where all can be pleasant and neatly wrapped for the family to enjoy; and it is laudable, it is a reminder of what we can be in the midst of chaos and anarchy that surrounds us.
The pairings of Kris Marshall with his two co-stars, Sally Breton and Zahra Ahmadi, is well met in the pleasure that comfortable resolution provides, and even with the tragedy of losing yet another child in their lives, the side story that ties itself to the main event is one that offers hope, and with Ms. Ahmadi’s Esther Williams alongside him on police matters, it is no wonder that the creators of the show were utterly convinced that the series could be just as much entertaining as its parent show.
With a fabulous performance, almost verging on heartbreakingly intense sadness from James Fleet as Ernest, a wonderfully comic scene stealing effort by Kulvinder Ghir, and the pleasure of seeing Zahra Ahmadi deal with her daughter’s own issues, Beyond Paradise is worthy of its place in the seasonal schedules.
Not every crime drama has to end with the feel of bitterness in the mouth, occasionally it can be helpful to remember that resolution is often its own reward.
Ian D. Hall