Series 3 of Shetland goes full Scandi-noir to devastatingly powerful effect
“I’m worried, though
I’m talking about you”
Coming to Shetland late, and working my way rather speedily through it since I can’t resist, is proving quite the journey. I noted that Series 2 was giving me more Scandi vibes than I had been expecting as I’d definitely thought the show was more cosy than chilling is its crime drama-ness. The changes for Series 3 though really dial up the ante, blasting the show with Atlantic wind and revealing its heart to be something distinctly chillier and, quite frankly, making for fantastic TV.
This is the first season to use the “based on the characters created by Ann Cleeves” line as it is the first to be written exclusively for the small screen rather than an adaptation of one of her novels. More crucially, it drops the episodic case-of-the-week format for a more serialised approach, a single case – albeit with multiple storyline threads coming out of it – stripped over the six episodes, allowing for greater depth of characterisation not just for the guest cast but also for DI Jimmy Pérez and his investigative team.
The case is a compelling one, starting with a meet-cute on a ferry leading to a horrific death in a shipping container, with a side helping of a young boy overdosing on ecstasy he found on a beach and a menacing man with a murky past who is very quick to put in a police complaints. It unfolds in a most pleasing manner, happy to take the extra time it has been afforded by this format, even throwing in some trips to Glasgow for the team before taking such a dark turn, not least with the arrival of James Cosmo’s terrifying gangster boss Arthur MacCall.
I suspect the change in format makes for a more appealing gigs for actors as the quality of the supporting cast goes up another notch. Ciarán Hinds and Saskia Reeves are a great couple who deserved longer, Archie Panjabi’s DS Asha Israni gets her flirt seriously on with Douglas Henshall’s Jimmy in the name of pursuing justice; and the marvellous Anna Chancellor rocks up wonderfully as Phyllis Brenan, partner to Julie Graham’s Rhona, the procurator fiscal and again, you just wish we had more time with this acest of lesbian couples.
Special mention to Alison O’Donnell though, delivering some truly powerful work in the face of what happens to Tosh, an often overplayed device but one which is given depth and harrowing nuance through both writing and performance. I hope something happens to change her mind about the decision she makes at the end here. I was seriously blown away by how good this series was altogether though, a real step up in quality in almost every way (I really didn’t guess whodunnit either) – now Shetland just has to maintain it for six more series… 😂.
