Luther is back with his nice coat on, described by Patrick Malahide‘s crime boss as “very sensible“. Idris Elba and his swagger is always a joy to see on screen. However this episode lacks the thrill of the first that saw Luther come back from the “brink” to don his hero outfit and role. As I have previously lamented, Luther’s return is only two episodes, which really affects the enjoyment of this second episode.
The first was full of promise and returning to a beloved character. The second and finale is only concerned with tying up all the loose ends introduced in both episodes. The main cannibal criminal is never a fully formed character, Micheal Smiley‘s Benny spends the episode watching a computer slowly recover a hard drive adding nothing to the plot and Rose Leslie has the potential to be a fitting replacement to DS Ripley but lacks depth and development due to time constraints.
Luther reacts to a hit being placed on him with all the vigour you would expect leading to some fun assassination attempts handled in typical Luther style. The introduction of an Alice-lite (Laura Haddock) intent on keeping Luther to a long forgotten promise just makes you miss Alice Morgan even more. Luther is never high in realism, preferring to be slick and gritty but the time constraints forced it to flirt with silly.
How can I go from enjoying the first episode so much to being so underwhelmed? Perhaps the excitement of Luther’s return carried the first episode and the rushed nature of the second left me cold. I think showing it as they are on BBC America, as one feature length episode, is more suited to this story. I would still always welcome more Luther, but a proper series next time please. And finally tonight’s Luther lesson is never trust a text from your Mum offering to put the kettle on!
#Peace.Love.Luther
