LITTLE ROCK — What is it? Prime Suspect: The Complete Collection, about 25 hours on nine discs from Acorn Media.
How much? $124.99.
When? Now.
Police drama? Yes. But it’s not your runof-the-mill police procedural.
When a popular colleague dies of a heart attack during a homicide investigation, Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) of Scotland Yard sees a golden opportunity.
She has been marginalized by her superiors, repeatedly passed over for major cases even when she’s on call. She knows she’s perfectly capable and ready for the task, but a woman has never headed up a murder investigation. And the very idea makes the men upstairs queasy.
This time, though, they don’t have agood excuse not to give her the case.
So Tennison steps in to lead a team of hostile subordinates in solving a homicide that’s far more complicated than it first appeared.
That was the first season. Six more followed off and on from 1991 to 2006, with each season revolving around one ongoing mystery. The only diversion from the formula is Season 4, which consists of three self-contained cases.
Is it a good mystery? Yes. But the point isn’t necessarily whodunit - it’s the chase.
What’s not typical about it? You can hardly flip through the channels without stumbling on a slew of procedurals these days. But back in 1991, the gritty, realistic lookat investigative procedure was quite fresh. And today’s procedurals can’t match Prime Suspect when it comes to acting, writing and characterization.
Which brings us to Jane Tennison - the focal point for the series and one of the most complex, magnetic detectives you’ll find on the screen.
While she fightsagainst the maledominated establishment, don’t go in expecting to find a campaigning feminist. She’s too focused on her career and reputation to care much about the big picture.
Tennison lives for her job. So her personal life is, more often than not, an utter shambles.
She is prickly, obstinate, obsessive and dismissive. She makes mistakes. She’s also razor-sharp, insightful, vulnerable and, ultimately, commands sympathy and respect.
It’s a wonderful, rich performance by Mirren. And whatever Tennison’s faults, you’ll probably find yourself rooting for her.
Just don’t call her “ma’am.”
Extras? Only two. There’s a 23-minute behind-the-scenes bit on Season 6. For Season 7’s set, there’s a 50-minute look at the series as a whole.
New this week: CSI: NY, Season 6; The Deputy, series; Man V. Food, Season 2; Poldark, Season 2; Sex and the City, complete collection.
Next week: Beverly Hills, 90210, Season 10; Cadfael, complete collection; The Facts of Life, Season 5; The Fugitive, Season 4, Volume 1; Mad About You, Season 5; Nip/Tuck, complete series; The Pacific miniseries; V, Season 1.
Style, Pages 58 on 10/24/2010