Dalgliesh

I should disclose that I watched the Roy Marsden Dalgliesh years ago and felt it to be fabulous and worthy of P. D. James' novels. That entire series was superlative; tender, thoughtful and often rather spooky. When I saw the ads for this new series, I couldn't imagine it would be good. The first two episodes were mediocre. Above average compared to American procedurals but nothing particularly special. I nearly skipped the third episode. Praise be that I turned it on. It is wonderful. I think from seeing it I can critique retrospectively what ails the first two episodes. Tone. P. D. James has a voice in her novels that the original series was able to translate to the screen. It is restrained but under the restraint lies both a mounting tension and an overwhelming reflection of sorrow, encapsulated and reflected to us by Dalgliesh himself. Bertie Carvel captured that perfectly in the third episode. I was touched.