The Escape Artist

I was thinking today how cool it is to see David Tennant doing something other than Doctor Who. I will always see Christopher Eccleston as my favorite because he was my first but Tennant and his relationship with my beloved Rose Tyler was my favorite Doctor Who story arc of all time. The resolution of that tales just ripped my heart out and you know there is nothing I love more than my own ennui. This weekend we will see the first trailer for this year's Doctor Who Christmas Special - the 50th Anniversary Edition which stars Tennant as the Tenth Doctor. But before that, let's take a look at his latest project I am in the middle of watching.

Since leaving Doctor Who, Tennant just this year, was in the highly recommended Broadchurch - eight episodes of a great British sea-side murder mystery - and now The Escape Artist.

The Escape Artist revolves around Will Burton, a talented junior barrister of peerless intellect and winning charm who specialises in spiriting people out of tight legal corners. He is in high demand as he has never lost a case. But when his talents acquit the notorious prime suspect in an horrific murder trial, that brilliance comes back to bite him with unexpected and chilling results, not to mention a shocking twist in the tale.

 

"Everyone deserves a good defence."

If ever a legal truism came back to bite it's believer in the ass it's to be found in The Escape Artist. The three part drama from BBC-1 stars Tennant as a defence lawyer who never has lost a case, including his latest one that involved the murder and sexual mutilation of a young girl. Using a technicality in the law, Tennant get's his client a new trial, only freeing the man to murder Tennant's wife for reasons that are not clear - in fact they are frustratingly unclear after the first episode. I mean, Tennant DID get his client off and that client should be grateful and not return the effort by remaining psychopathic. I guess asking a crazy person not to act crazy is a pretty stupid thing to expect also.

But that is just the beginning of the tightening of the screws. That makes the show uncomfortable to watch at times because all the really rotten stuff happens within the first 40 minutes. I saw the set up coming but was still shocked when it happened. Such a jolting story move can either work for or against the story. We don't really have an emotional attachment with the wife when she is killed. I think, however, with only two more parts to go, that we needed to get tossed into the muck quickly to get the most out of the drama and anguish to come. THAT is where the real story is to be told.

Ah Britain, I love ya and your dramatic television. No one does these kind of legal dramas better and I will fight any man who tries to tell me different. Maximum story for minimum investment. I also can never get enough of British court scenes. Call me queer but I love the robes and wigs. It's a good look for jurisprudence.