It's Bedlam I Tell You!

Being sick last week afforded me the opportunity to catch up on some TV On Demand. In particular, I caught up on the BBC show Bedlam. Fortunately due to some sort of programming quirk, even though we don't get BBC America as a channel with our cable package, we get some BBC America shows On Demand, which allowed us to get hooked on Doctor Who.

Bedlam's a great show for many reasons. It's scary, but not over-the-top or gory. The characters are complex and mostly likable. The "mostly" there is the key. Each of the main characters, with the possible exception of Jed, is unlikable in their own subtle ways. That's a complexity you don't often see on TV. In fact, these are characters you don't often see on TV at all. A former mental patient with a heart-of-gold. A she-bitch who always wears a bra (even while sleeping and having sex). A sexually ambiguous guy who appears to be gay but could also be bi. A dad and daughter who work together and hire their adopted cousin to be their handyman. It's all very refreshing and unique. Here's the trailer:



Structurally, it's a "monster of the week" with a slight over arching storyline and lots of dark secrets to be revealed. I watched the last two episodes first as Diana was finishing up the season, and then I went back and watched the first 4. Thankfully, it's a British show, so there are only 6 episodes in the season. Watching the end first certainly colored my viewing of the beginning. I now have my own theories on who the killer is, or rather whom I want the killer to be. Did I mention that someone is abducting and killing young local women? My option is far more interesting than the obvious one but perhaps impossible to pull off from a story standpoint. We shall see, assuming there's a season 2...