It isn’t just Chris’ life in danger either; remember Casey and Marco, the ‘baghead’ and the ‘scally’ who leapt off the screen in series one thanks to Emily Fairn and Josh Finan’s elemental performances? They’re back and in no less trouble than before. Casey has big and dangerous plans for her future as a high-rolling dealer, while Marco is struggling with the demands of fatherhood. They’re still each other’s best friend and worst enemy, and you still watch their every stupid move with your heart in your mouth.
Fairn continues to make Casey the most exciting TV character of any scene she’s in, and Finan does even more beautiful work as Marco this time around. As well as funny and entertaining, he’s tender and desperate. They’re all desperate, and you would be too in their shoes.
Martin Freeman does an excellent job of putting us in Chris’ shoes. His twitching jaw muscle alone works harder than most actors. Freeman convinced us on the Scouse accent last time, leaving room here to admire everything else he puts into the performance. The swallowing. The turning head. The silent nods to self. And, boy oh boy, the rage. Chris’ anger comes on like a boiler roaring into life. It’s totally convincing and, like the rest of The Responder, hard to watch.
Or at least, it would be hard to watch if it wasn’t accompanied by such humanity and humour. Schumacher’s writing has all the social conscience of Jimmy McGovern’s while also whirring with energy and wit. Some gags, like the one deliberately mixing up Philip Larkin and Andy McNab, or the one about the drive-in takeaway order placed mid-death threat, are old-school craft. More still are folded into the whole mixture, into the pitter-patter of vibrant dialogue that accompanies the action.
Satisfyingly this time, that action devotes more space to Chris’ colleague Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo) than series one. Her story of surviving an abusive relationship is given proper exploration here and not swept cleanly away after the unforgettable scene in which she confronted her sadistic partner at his place of work.
There’s more Rachel, more Chris under extreme pressure, more tension and more humour fizzing out from under the twisted cap of this shaken-up-bottle series. Without being able to speak to the finale, which wasn’t made available to preview, hot on the heels of Blue Lights series two, this one looks like another British crime drama triumph.
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