DVD Corner

The Fall Series 1 DVD Review

“The Fall” is a flawed, but involving British series.

In the 5 episode first series of “The Fall,” viewers are essentially being told two stories at once. In one storyline, we follow London Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson who has been called into Belfast by ACC Jim Burns to investigate a murder and its possible connection to another murder. The second main storyline involves a disturbed man (Paul Spector) who lives dual lives as a ritualistic serial killer and a grief counselor/family man. As Stella’s investigation deepens, she begins to discover that the murders are in fact connected and that a serial killer is on the loose. Of course, there are other subplots along the way involving a Detective (James Olson), the victims of Spector’s heinous crimes, corrupt officers, and a brothel.

Unlike the average police procedural, “The Fall” feels refreshingly different. For one thing, this series has a serialized storytelling structure. None of the 5 episodes are stand-alone affairs as they are all connected. The other aspect that sets “The Fall” apart from other series is the dual perspectives of a killer (Paul Spector) and a Detective (Stella Gibson). While we almost always get the POV of a cop/detective in a procedural, it was downright creepy and disturbing to see the serial killer’s perspective. To me, it was this dark and unsettling storytelling angle that really grabbed my interest from the get go.

On the subject of the two leads, I have to say that Gillian Anderson (Stella) and Jamie Dornan (Paul) did a fine job in their roles. Anderson’s portrayal of Stella is vastly different than characters she has played in the past (namely Agent Scully). As for Dornan, he is entirely convincing in a very challenging and nasty role.

As admirable as “The Fall” may be, however, the series does feel disappointingly anti-climactic. For the first 4 episodes, writer Allan Cubitt carefully sets up the story. One would think that episode 5 would resolve some storylines, but instead, we get a supremely anti-climactic ending that leaves viewers with many questions. Now, I know a second series is on the horizon and that perhaps Mr. Cubitt was trying to hook viewers into watching a second series in order to see what happens next. However, even if that is the case, the lack of any resolutions and a rather clumsy ending to episode 5 simply feels like a bit of a cheat to the viewers that have stuck with the show.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: Widescreen. How does it look? I’d give the video quality an A-.

Audio Track: Dolby Digital Stereo. How does it sound?  Solid.

The only extras here are Acorn trailers and a “Behind The Scenes” featurette which contains cast and crew interviews, plot and character discussions, casting information, etc.

Overall Thoughts: “The Fall” is hit-and-miss, but I’ll certainly watch this over just about any crime drama on the air.

October 18, 2013 - Posted by nicklyons1 | DVD review | Gillian Anderson, Jamie Dornan, The Fall Series 1 DVD Review, The Fall Series 2