What is it? Dirk Gently, four hour-long episodes on two discs from Acorn Media
How much? $39.99
When? Now
I’m not sure what to make of that name. You probably won’t be sure what to make of the character either.
Dirk (Stephen Mangan) is a self-described “holistic detective.” His whole process is based on his belief in “the fundamental interconnectedness of all things.”
To put it simply, Dirk believes that everything and everyone are connected. So, if you follow one tiny strand of a mystery, it will eventually lead you to the solution. Even two strange events that seem completely unrelated are, in fact, inextricably linked. Case in point: an elderly lady’s missing cat, a missing billionaire, a 15-year-old minor hit and-run and a warehouse explosion.
Dirk may be a good detective, but he isn’t exactly successful from a financial standpoint. His office is a crumbling mess of Post-it notes and broken furniture. And then there’s the white board upon which he works out his theories. When the case is over, he doesn’t erase it. Instead, he just slaps a coat of white paint on it and starts over.
In short, he’s always short on funds. And he’s odd.
It’s Dirk’s good luck that, while investigating the disappearance of the aforementioned cat, he runs into an old chum from his days at Cambridge University, Richard MacDuff (Darren Boyd). MacDuff has recently been laid off and is struggling to find new work, while holding on to a tidy severance package. Even better for Dirk, MacDuff is impressionable. One hypnosis session and a fat check later, Dirk has a new partner. Or assistant. They never can quite agree. Regardless, MacDuff becomes Dirk’s Watson.
MacDuff’s girlfriend, the responsible, level-headed doctor Susan (Helen Baxendale), is not particularly impressed. She was also at school with Dirk and doesn’t exactly have a stellar opinion of his abilities or of his personality in general.
Nevertheless, she occasionally gets dragged along on cases, like when Dirk travels back to Cambridge to protect an expensive (and creepy) robot and ends up a suspect in his mentor’s murder.
Susan isn’t the only one who dislikes Dirk, and with good reason. Dirk is a self-centered, immature, insensitive genius who is unscrupulous when it comes to getting his own way or lining his own pocket. His capacity for caring for other living beings is relatively low.
But he can also be bizarrely funny - as long as you don’t have to actually deal with him yourself.
It sounds a little strange. Strange isn’t quite the word for it.
The series is based on books by English author Douglas Adams, who also wrote The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. From its odd stories to the camera tricks and plunky music, this is a series that wears its “quirky” badge for all to see.
Like the hero, the mysteries are never straightforward. In fact, they all have a slightly science-fiction bent to them, throwing in, for instance, a little time travel or artificial intelligence. But it’s not enough to put off the sci-fi-averse among us.
If your humor is a little twisted and you don’t mind some minor out-of-this-world shenanigans, it’s worth a watch.
Are there extras? No.
New this week: Beetlejuice, Complete Series; Covert Affairs, Season 3; Inspector George Gently, Seasons 1-5; Longmire, Season 1; Red Widow, Season 1; Suits, Season 1.
Next week: Breaking Bad, Season 5; Falling Skies, Season 2; Major Crimes, Season 1; Pretty Little Liars, Season 3; White Collar, Season 4; Wilfred, Complete Series.
Style, Pages 50 on 05/26/2013