Customer Reviews

Wire In The Blood: The Complete Fifth Season

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Just so you know!!!

Episode One: Prayer of the Bone, was considered a "special" and is not included in the Season 5 Set. It is scheduled to be released as a separate DVD on August 5th 2008. Each episode is about 83 minutes in length. This is a quality series that seems to improve each year as the character delvelopment matures.


~ ~ SEASON 5 EPISODES ~ ~

Episode One: Prayer of the Bone

In the season premiere, Dr. Tony Hill (Robson Green) finds himself a fish out of water when he's invited to Texas as an expert witness in a case where an Iraq combat veteran has confessed to brutally slaughtering his wife and two young children. His defense team claims that he's suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, but the prosecution asks Tony, who met with the soldier in the UK, to join them in disproving that claim. Alone in a strange country, surrounded by hostile lawyers and police, Tony finds himself at the center of a death penalty case with competing legal and political interests. He's insulted, threatened, framed, and physically attacked while the case takes a strange turn. Everyone seems to have a vested interest in the case - everyone except the suspect, who strangely seems determined to die.



Episode Two: The Color of Amber

When a woman sees a young girl being snatched by a man in a car, DI Alex Fielding (Simone Lahbib) fears they may only have hours to get her back alive. Since only one percent of the victims in abduction cases survive beyond a day, new ACC James Morrison (Christopher Colquhoun) reacts by calling an Amber alert, which floods the media with public pleas for information. He also pulls Tony in to help with profiling likely abductors.



Episode Three: Nocebo

Alex investigates the murder of a teenage girl and a young boy, who bear signs of ritual killings. The trail leads to a property tycoon who'll stop at nothing to get the rent, a preacher whose healing activities involve animal sacrifice, and a self-styled artist whose works not only depict violence, but are painted in blood. Tony puzzles over what the killer might want to gain and why. Is this religion? And is it one killer or two, with one suspect the acolyte of another?


Episode Four: The Names of Angels

Two women are found raped and strangled, wearing the clothing of victims killed years earlier in Europe. Is the killer boasting to police about past crimes, leaving bodies where they can easily be found? And why is he choosing victims from the business world? As Tony tries to unravel the deadly puzzle, he's confronted by an unpleasant distraction - an 18-year-old released killer turns up on his doorstep.



Episode Five: Anything You Can Do

When a vulnerable elderly woman is suffocated in her home, Alex and Tony suspect Bernard Kelly (Ian Peck), a security guard who has a dysfunctional relationship with his mother and was seen at the scene of the crime by several witnesses. But when the killings escalate, it appears to be the work of more than one murderer. Could the deaths be connected to the sudden return of Tony's old hero, respected psychologist Jonathan Goode?


. . .

This is not a review for season five only but also for all four previous seasons as well as season six currently being shown on British television.

The show tells the story of a crime detective unit based in a fictional city in northern England. Together with the help of a brilliant but dysfunctional clinical psychologist (played to perfection by Robson Green), they try to solve the most grisly and disturbing murder cases.

Each episode lasts 90 minutes so this gives more room for character and story development. It's also more brutal, intense and violent than most television shows so not for the squeamish.

This is state of the art finely crafted crime drama featuring strong scripts and three dimensional characters you really care for. The acting by all involved is truly superb and the writing is top notch. It's riveting, captivating, engrossing, gripping and powerful stuff with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing right until the last minute. This will have you glued on your sofa and make you shiver. Turn off the lights, sit comfortably and enjoy!

This is a wonderful show, but at $45 dollars for just four 86 minute episodes you have to ask yourself shouldn't I rent it from netflix?


Yes that's right four disks with one episode each. They probebly could have gotten on to two, but then it would have been more obvious what alot of money it costs.

I really like this original and clever show. I have a question though - where is a first episode of the fifth season? It was shot in Texas and was about american soldier with PTSD. BBC site gives a full description of the Episode One: Prayer of the Bone . Why the season called full if one episode is missing? If anyone knows the answer I would be very interested to know.

I've been a sort of halfhearted fan of this series since season one, but season five finally won me over completely. The stories are especially compelling and original this time, and less "demented" (despite the quote on the box!) than previous seasons. Each episode is written, produced, and directed in an entirely different style, e.g., the first one is fast-paced, with the camera never alighting for more than a few seconds, while the second one is very grainy, jumpy, and almost completely colorless; the last episode is a bit over saturated with color, giving it a sort of surreal look. This is somewhat daring, but it works extremely well.

Another strength of this season is the character of Alex. I really liked Carol, but Alex is at least as compelling, if not more so. Also Kevin and Paula, as the "minor" characters, are superbly well written and well acted.

And then there's Tony, who is my "small exception." He's as charming and likeable as ever, if not more so, and seems to have become a bit more compassionate and considerate of other people. (I was thoroughly charmed by the popcorn-with-Ben scene!) But a little of his eccentricity is gone. We don't really see just how much of a complete oddball he is. However, they more than made up for it in "Prayer of the Bone" so I can't really even call it a flaw.

If you like a truly suspenseful, intelligent, multi-layered drama, but previous episodes have left you uncertain about watching this series, give season five a try.

Robson embellishes any movie he is in, regardless of the quality of the rest of it. I love having him to myself in TOUCHING EVIL, and WIRE IN THE BLOOD series. As another reviewer stated, he has perfected the role, ([bleeding heart psychiatrist]), who seems less afraid, but rather enchanted, with the illnesses of his patients. He empathizes with how they got the way they are instead of despising them for how they evolved from their molding circumstances. Without condescention, he faces the bad (the killer), and the good (the police and innocent victims), without judging either. That could make him appear apathetic, or stoic, but doesn't because of the way he has a grip on the role he plays (compassionate!). I have all of the captioned above and hope the rumors aren't true that this is the last of WIRE....But if it is, I'll be looking forward to whatever he does next!

I caught an episode of Wire in the Blood - Nocebo as a rerun on HBO. I am completely won over by this intricate crime drama. I would recommend this show to anyone tired and bored by the endless stream of mindless trival 'reality' shows to get into this program to challenge their mind and engage the active part of their brain. Cast was well chosen and act as though this is not a program but real crime drama. Not wooden but includes little pieces of their lives away from the crime scene. A must see program. Robson Green is a superb actor. Not too know it all but human to make mistakes and regret them. Excellent

Enjoyed this product very much. I enjoyed the increasing involment between DI Fielding and the lead character. The chemistry is increasing the longer they spend together. I also liked that we got to see a little more of DI Fielding's personal life in this chapter.

This show always is excellent, as far as british crime or mystery shows
goes this is one of the best ever made. The stories are well done and the acting is top notch with interesting twists in the realistic and brutal storylines. This show pulls no punches as it enters into the twisted minds of criminals and the profiler psychiatrist who helps out in a northern english city police force. The show looks like it is shot in Manchester but it is called by another name in the show. One episode is not on this disc the excellent 'prayer of the bone" which is on a seperate disc. Still crime shows don't get much better than this one on either side of the ocean. It's just a great show that never has had a less than well made episode. Unfortunately like all British shows you only get about five shows a year , but these are an hour and a half shows , still one could hope for at least 8 of these a year. The realism and depth of the main character Tony Hill as protrayed by the excellent Robson Green is well worth viewing because he just makes this role truly part of himself in everyway. I bet he went to crime scenes even in real life to research his role. But the writers too must be applauded for their way above average stories. Lets hope this show continues on for many years to come.

Wire in the Blood is back in full force with an excellent season - great stories, well told & full of intrigue. The extras on Disc 1 are also worth watching as they provide some interesting insights into the entire series.