Last week’s first episode of Ridley came in for lukewarm verdicts from some viewers. But hopefully plenty of telly watchers stuck with the Adrian Dunbar ITV drama for episode 2, as it made for some cosier September Sunday evening viewing.
That’s not to say the second episode of the series saw the heat turned up all that much. Ridley remains a slow-burner. So much so the Government are probably working out whether it can be used as a sustainable energy resource.
But there are several fundamental aspects to take into consideration before writing Ridley off as “slow” or “boring”. And among them is that Sunday’s second instalment was thankfully a little less awash with tortuous grieving.
Here’s why episode 2 of Ridley demonstrated the series is worth sticking with.
Ridley episode 2
First up, Ridley isn’t reinventing the wheel when it comes to Sunday night ITV drama.
It airs in the ‘Vera slot’ and, indeed, is written by creator Paul Matthew Thompson, one of the lead writers of the Brenda Blethyn detective drama. In many respects – especially with a veteran, maverick copper as its central character – certain elements could be lifted and inserted into each drama, like for like.
Vera has had the benefit of being established on the box for many years. Ridley is finding its feet when the most vocal critiques are made as knee-jerk reactions on social media.
And while Brenda was a TV treasure before her Vera role, Ridley is seemingly burdened with expectations from many onlookers who expected to see Superintendent Hastings on his holidays in West Yorkshire. But Alex Ridley is not Ted Hastings.
Ridley is not Line of Duty
As yet, Ridley does not have the kind of catchphrases or rhapsodic charisma that viewers identify with Hastings, and also actor Adrian Dunbar. He’s a rightful lead star and audience draw, no doubt – Adrian is a pre-eminent TV actor.
However, some viewers seemed to dismiss Ridley after the first episode on the basis of what it isn’t – Ted Heads North – rather than what it is.
Ridley, unlike Line of Duty, is unlikely to win a battle for eyes if people watching it are scrolling through their phone simultaneously.
It doesn’t contain the crash-bang-wallops that prompt viewers who aren’t prioritising it over Facebook to look up.
Nonetheless, episode 2 was a much more satisfying watch than episode 1 when compared on it own terms.
Why did viewers slam Ridley as ‘slow’?
As might be expected from the first episode of an ITV drama, last week’s Ridley contained a lot of scene-setting. The main players were introduced alongside the episodic whodunnit murder mystery storyline.
We found out about Alex’s tragic family past. And his professional and shifting relationships with the likes of DI Carol Farman (Bronagh Waugh) and DCI Paul Goodwin (Terence Maynard) were established for the first time. In this way, there was lot of ‘business’ for viewers to become acquainted with.
The most recent second episode, however, was able to crack on without having to lay so much groundwork.
It could certainly be argued this was a weakness in the first ep which could have been handled any number of ways. Solutions could include keeping Alex’s past opaque and unexplained on purpose and addressing it all later on down the line.
But again – this is Sunday night ITV drama. Most viewers probably want an easy watch to pass the evening rather than a show that makes them look forward to Monday morning.
‘Northern Noir’
However, that seems to suggest there is a tension between maintaining viewers’ interest (across a whopping two hours) but also a light touch (as much as crime dramas can be ‘light’). And that first episode of Ridley was certainly not very light, or upbeat.
Creator Paul has also described the series as “northern noir”. He noted Ridley was filmed during the winter due to the pandemic and the effect on the show’s visual style.
He said: “When you’re filming at this time of year, you get the weather, and the light feels very different. Because obviously most shows are filmed in summer because it makes sense.”
Paul went on: “Also there’s the jazz score. It adds a real melancholy tinge and tone to the show, which really adds to that kind of noir feel and really lends itself to the finished product.”
The noir-ish elements may be why Ridley can be regarded as a bit slow, rather than considered.
Characters speak in low, hushed tones. Hardly anyone raises their voice. The dialogue is procedural, rather than flashy. Nearly all of the characters look haunted or washed out – but their reactions are always grounded, not hysterical or OTT.
There are no car chases or rapid cuts. And the background music could only be more doleful – even when the slow, slow strings occasionally swell – if every scene was set at a mortuary.
But – mother of God – was there a lot of trauma on display in that first episode. Even the ‘happy ending’ which saw a snatched child Catherine reunited as a young woman with her birth mother saw Catherine look completely disoriented as she was pulled in for a hug.
Ridley verdict
Episode 2 thankfully wasn’t as intense. It felt like the majority of the characters in the first episode either broke drown or were pushed close by recounting the most painful experiences of their lives.
But this episode, titled Hospitality, featured more hardboiled characters, as might be expected in a noir-ish drama.
The whisky-gulping hotelier James, the impenetrable scorned wife Debs, and her womanising husband Harry Graylish were rounded out with more than sheer trauma, for a start.
We’re not giving up on Ridley, yet.
Read more: Ridley viewers deliver verdict on new drama as they make same complaint
The third episode of Ridley airs on Sunday September 11 on ITV at 8pm.
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