MovieChat Forums > The Shadow Line (2012) Discussion > What an ending! (Here be big spoilers)

What an ending! (Here be big spoilers)

posted 14 years ago by cremonese64
26 replies | jump to latest

Now lets be honest here, did anyone really expect a happy ending with a theme like that following it?

I had heard that the ending would leave us 'open mouthed with shock'. Pah! I challenged them and my god i swear my mouth hit the floor. I could not believe what i was seeing, Hugo Blick had brass balls to film that, and I'm so glad he did. Bleak is not the word for it, I could have cried when we saw poor Joseph, I yelled at him not to leave his gun behind, but it was in that moment when he walked to the car, we could see him resigned to his fate. Of course, the scene afterwards was the real shocker - c'mon, nobody saw that coming, right?

Second series? Doubtful, but please give Mr Blick all the money and freedom he needs to do another series like this, because this was fantastic. He's destined for big things.

I really hope he and the cast are recognized for this. Some cliches here and there (The suicide on the boat, unecessary), and it started off slowly (I love slow paced drama anyway), but it was thoroughly enjoyable, very entertaining, Ejiofor, Rea, Eccleston were superb and the atmosphere and directing was fantastic, I just loved Kierston Wareing's character, can't wait for the DVD.

[–] Gaz911 14 years ago

Yes I'd worked out must of it but killing the two main characters and the police woman turning out to be in on it was a shock

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Nehpetslaird1-1 14 years ago

Agreed, it was a bit dodgy in places but that series was one of the most compelling things i've seen in years. Absolutley brilliant IMO.

[–] mostorar 14 years ago

I enjoyed the series and was surprised by the ending, but in future projects Blick needs to tone down the arty morale parts, Patterson saluting the baby at the end was F'ing ridiculous.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] mostorar 14 years ago

They also drilled home the idea of this morale line that everyone had to walk, so people at home could go 'hey that's where the title comes from!' If they only had that talk about 'the line' once it would have been meaningful, but they brought it up every chance they had.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] UnlovedSeason 14 years ago

Absolutely stunning conclusion and gripping throughout.

Two things about the screenplay that particularly impressed me:

No-one mentions at any point that heroin is a bad thing – the actual root of all the morality and immorality at the heart of the story – the war against (and the mob's war for) the drug is lost entirely by the characters. Even when the retired Commander Penney was explaining on the yacht, Gabriel didn't say anything about how distributing this stuff destroys lives, families, society or whatever. It's an unspoken given that one side is against and the other for... but actually it's just a means both sides, it transpires, are using to make money.

The fact that our two main characters of Gabriel and Bede never meet, never encounter each other even in passing. The former gets the latter's name but that's not even vice versa. In fact, Bede never even gets near to the real antagonist of the piece, Gatehouse. So the last line in the press conference, the Big Lie about there being absolutely no connection between the two, was perfect.

I do like to be caught out by a good drama and Honey's betrayal was such a shock. I suppose when she started to mention the death of the reporter MacGovern on his bike, that was her giving her boss his last chance to drop it. Instead he cut her off, pretended the call he'd had was about his wife then, in fact, went alone to the yacht, sealing his fate. And to think, at the time I was thinking: trust her Gabriel! You need someone to watch your back! ... Hook, line and sinker.

... because I reappear with tedious inevitability

[–] thombo1 14 years ago

in future projects Blick needs to tone down the arty morale parts, Patterson saluting the baby at the end was F'ing ridiculous.

Seemed to me like he was doing it ironically. You think that the man who ordered the Jonah's murder would salute his baby son without any kind of malice or sick sense of humour involved?

Others see what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.Pablo Picasso

[–] Squeeth2 14 years ago

I was disappointed. As soon as Gabriel boasted about his sniper I was waiting for the double-cross.

The ingredients were all there but like Red Riding they didn't hang together so the last dei ex machinae grated all the more. There was something really intersting in the process of corruption being renewed over generations but Marx did it a lot better than this lot. I thought the cast did well but the narrative let them down badly at the end. It would have been better to have had an ending as mundane as it was anti-heroic. As it was the portrayal of official guardians as the real gangsters was done better in a few scenes in 'A Clockwork Orange'.

Marlon, Claudia and Dimby the cats 1989-2005, 2007 and 2010.

[–] alfa-16 14 years ago

I think the degree of difficulty just turned out to be too high.

This could have run and run with more ambition and better planning and rebooted the conspiracists whole world. They needed worms to turn, though. I just got depressed as the only characters we cared about checked out as there was simply no end-game for them.

The final episode was really quite dull.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] Batsu73 14 years ago

There was an ominous foreshadowing right at the start with Honey testing her sniper rifle on the range although her conduct in the press conference showed she has paid a price for her alleigance to Counterpoint. She's going to carry Gabriel's death with her from here on in. She is not the same animal as Patterson.

At first I thought Gabriel might make it or possibly become another Counterpoint asset but of course Gatehouse lured him because everything had to look 'just right'. The most tragic note for me was the death of Joseph Bede, even though he was clearly resigned to his fate once he realised he had lost his wife. I just thought - take the gun! But he had nothing left to live for and Babour had already warned him that Jay Wratten would want to kill him.

Throughout his appearances, Beatty came across as very competent but the futile raid on the warehouse and then Sgt Foley's revelations that you survive by not knowing anything revealed him to be depressingly in the dark about the real powers at work. At least one of the gooy guys made it out alive.

Jay Wratten and Rattallack are the new Harvey Wratten and Glickman, Patterson and Honey are the new Halton and Perry, another body gets found shot to death in a car and the cycle begins again. Interestingly the only constant is Gatehouse.

Kudos to the excellent cast and crew and most importantly Hugo Blick for delivering something new and exciting. It might not have the right note every time but it was damn fine television.

[–] Squeeth2 14 years ago

~~~~~She's going to carry Gabriel's death with her from here on in. She is not the same animal as Patterson.~~~~~

Come off it, she did the deed then claimed the role of the victim. She's a perfect recruit.

Marlon, Claudia and Dimby the cats 1989-2005, 2007 and 2010.

[–] Batsu73 14 years ago

You really think she looked comfortable with it? I don't think she's quite as on message with 'the end justifies the means' as Patterson.

[–] thombo1 14 years ago

As it was hinted that Gatehouse, Jay Wratten and Ratallack would eventually turn on each other, I can see Lia Honey meeting a similar end to Jonah if she lets her conscience get the better of her. The whole ending really did emphasise this theme of a continuing cycle of events.

Others see what is and asked why. I have seen what could be and asked why not.Pablo Picasso

[–] Squeeth2 14 years ago

Of course, her scruples were as false as her lips.

Marlon, Claudia and Dimby the cats 1989-2005, 2007 and 2010.

[–] nooyster 14 years ago

Don't get me started on the mutilation of David Peace's Red Riding Trilogy! aaaaaggghhhhh could'nt bear the mauled mess they made of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aObZJN9zDtA&feature=related

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] disconnexions 14 years ago

Brilliant series. I never suspected his partner until the last episode when she asked to come along with him. I was thinking about how she didn't talk to him about his "other family" and wondering if she was the one that told the crooked cops about his child in the first place. It also made sense for her to be crooked so she could keep an eye on him.

I have to say that of all the "crooked cop" storylines I've seen this one was one of the best. Having the police pensions tied up with the illegal money is the most realistic reason for all of the cops to be in on it. It's not as simple as "good vs evil"; it's the police protecting their own families and retirements. Excellent twist on a truly overused story.

http://www.facebook.com/bringbacklaworder

[–] mostorar 14 years ago

The books aren't that good.

[–] 14 years ago

[deleted]

[–] JulesForTheWinnfield 14 years ago

He's not talking about The Shadow Line...

[–] Chiffmonkey 14 years ago

I saw that scene coming a mile off. Never trust the new partner in a police drama.

[–] Jessica_Rabbit69 12 years ago

I am quite late to the party, I just discovered this show. I completely missed it when it aired the first time.

All in all I liked it a lot.

As in all British production the acting is outstanding. I have never seen Chiwetel Ejiofor before, but he was quite impressive as Jonah Gabriel (also a very attractive man).

Stephen Rea managed to turn a harmless looking old coot with a funny hat into a creepy psycho.

The ending was a punch in the gut. I really didn't see this coming. I couldn't believe they killed Gabriel off and let the bad guys win.
Well, actually, this being a British drama, I can. A lot of them are very dark and depressing, but it was quite hard to take that in the end all the good guys were dead and all the bad guys won. Maybe like in real life, but it was depressing to see.

Jessica Rabbit
"I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way."