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48 of 51 people found the following review helpful
So the people who released this series on DVD have seen good sense and released the whole series. Originally transmitted in 1994 the third and last series of the excellent “Between The Lines” failed to live up the standards set by the previous two series. But they were very, very high standards indeed.
The central cast of characters are still all there, Tony Clark ( Neil Pearson) Mo ( Siobhan Redmond) and Harry ( Tom Georgeson) but after the cliff hanger episode for the end of the previous series the producers had left the characters with no where to go , but out of the Police Force. This severely compromises the drama as one of its chief precepts was the internal politics and sociological strife caused by working for The Metropolitan Police. Especially within the complaints division. Once that was removed it neuters the dynamics and tension between the characters and essentially becomes just another detective series, all be it a very good one.
Having left the force Clark, Harry and Mo team up as a detective agency, a fairly flimsy premise to keep the interplay between the characters alive it would seem but made believable by the quality of the writing and the terrific performances. Effectively they have formed a slightly dysfunctional family with shifting parameters at play, after all Tony Clark was once the boss and now he isn’t. Reduced to investigating fraud in Hotels ( Opening episode “Foxtrot Oscar” ) and other by comparison to their former careers, petty shenanigans, they end up by the end of the series ( A double header entitled “The End User”) becoming involved in some very dangerous fraught business involving paramilitary groups . Clark has become very romantically occupied with Sarah Teale (The magnificently named Sylvestra Le Touzel) and might even have fallen out of love with himself and in love with her, while Harry has gone off the rails a bit following the death of his wife but the impending peril that this work has involved them in has made them all, particularly Clark, realise how precious what they have is. The series ends on a sombre ambiguous note. It never came back so we never found out what became of Tony and Harry. For mainstream television this was seriously intelligent down beat stuff.
The picture quality , as on the previous box sets isn’t that great, and one or twice the censor steps in which for a release rated 15 is preposterous. I would quite like to step in the censor some where tender. Still petty moans aside I’m just glad some body had the sense to release the full run of this under -rated superb drama at all. Give that man / woman a chocolate Noddy.
The central cast of characters are still all there, Tony Clark ( Neil Pearson) Mo ( Siobhan Redmond) and Harry ( Tom Georgeson) but after the cliff hanger episode for the end of the previous series the producers had left the characters with no where to go , but out of the Police Force. This severely compromises the drama as one of its chief precepts was the internal politics and sociological strife caused by working for The Metropolitan Police. Especially within the complaints division. Once that was removed it neuters the dynamics and tension between the characters and essentially becomes just another detective series, all be it a very good one.
Having left the force Clark, Harry and Mo team up as a detective agency, a fairly flimsy premise to keep the interplay between the characters alive it would seem but made believable by the quality of the writing and the terrific performances. Effectively they have formed a slightly dysfunctional family with shifting parameters at play, after all Tony Clark was once the boss and now he isn’t. Reduced to investigating fraud in Hotels ( Opening episode “Foxtrot Oscar” ) and other by comparison to their former careers, petty shenanigans, they end up by the end of the series ( A double header entitled “The End User”) becoming involved in some very dangerous fraught business involving paramilitary groups . Clark has become very romantically occupied with Sarah Teale (The magnificently named Sylvestra Le Touzel) and might even have fallen out of love with himself and in love with her, while Harry has gone off the rails a bit following the death of his wife but the impending peril that this work has involved them in has made them all, particularly Clark, realise how precious what they have is. The series ends on a sombre ambiguous note. It never came back so we never found out what became of Tony and Harry. For mainstream television this was seriously intelligent down beat stuff.
The picture quality , as on the previous box sets isn’t that great, and one or twice the censor steps in which for a release rated 15 is preposterous. I would quite like to step in the censor some where tender. Still petty moans aside I’m just glad some body had the sense to release the full run of this under -rated superb drama at all. Give that man / woman a chocolate Noddy.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
I just wanted to chime in to say how much I enjoyed this series, in case anyone is put off by the notion that it's inferior to the previous two series. In my opinion it's just as good: don't hesitate.
It is fair to say, though, that the first couple of episodes here are discouraging--one set in Tunisia, one in a hotel--two very unsuitable locations for "Between the Lines" plots. After that, however, the series, like the previous one, gains momentum superbly, building up several intertwining narrative strands that hold you to the end.
Yes, you could say that private detective work doing deniable operations through John Deakin is a less plausible world than that of the complaints division of the police. But this series has two pluses that compensate, in my opinion. First there's the return of the potent John Deakin character, who'd been largely replaced in the second series by CS Graves, a rather superficial character, woodenly acted, now cut. Secondly, there's the presence of the superb actress Sylvestra Le Touzel as Sarah Teale--a much more believable paramour for Clark than that of the second series, the annoying Mrs Berridge. Add these two characters to the incomparable trio of Clark, Naylor, and Connell, and you have a five-handed ensemble to die for.
The plausibility issue need only be a worry if you take "Between the Lines" as a realistic drama: I don't. It is, in my opinion, a systematic investigation of the politics of law and order in British society--each plot placing the microscope over a different spot. The writers, who include the excellent playwright Dusty Hughes, move from one relevant issue to another, exposing the impossibility of any true justice when it comes to, as Deakin once put it, "big boys' rules". In my view, our three heroes are everyman characters, caught between the lines of natural morality and institutional immorality.
The series is prevented from becoming schematic, however, by the detailed humanisation of the three central characters. Their personal lives are wound convincingly into the plots and develop from one episode to another as if in a novel--sometimes gut-wrenchingly moving, often comedic (oneliners come and go as if this was "Minder"). The human and comic details are sparingly touched in without turning the show into a soap opera or a comic crime caper. The editing is deft, imparting compulsive pace throughout. The only notable flaw, for me, as in most television crime series, is the lack of sufficient budget to mount convincing crowd scenes.
It is fair to say, though, that the first couple of episodes here are discouraging--one set in Tunisia, one in a hotel--two very unsuitable locations for "Between the Lines" plots. After that, however, the series, like the previous one, gains momentum superbly, building up several intertwining narrative strands that hold you to the end.
Yes, you could say that private detective work doing deniable operations through John Deakin is a less plausible world than that of the complaints division of the police. But this series has two pluses that compensate, in my opinion. First there's the return of the potent John Deakin character, who'd been largely replaced in the second series by CS Graves, a rather superficial character, woodenly acted, now cut. Secondly, there's the presence of the superb actress Sylvestra Le Touzel as Sarah Teale--a much more believable paramour for Clark than that of the second series, the annoying Mrs Berridge. Add these two characters to the incomparable trio of Clark, Naylor, and Connell, and you have a five-handed ensemble to die for.
The plausibility issue need only be a worry if you take "Between the Lines" as a realistic drama: I don't. It is, in my opinion, a systematic investigation of the politics of law and order in British society--each plot placing the microscope over a different spot. The writers, who include the excellent playwright Dusty Hughes, move from one relevant issue to another, exposing the impossibility of any true justice when it comes to, as Deakin once put it, "big boys' rules". In my view, our three heroes are everyman characters, caught between the lines of natural morality and institutional immorality.
The series is prevented from becoming schematic, however, by the detailed humanisation of the three central characters. Their personal lives are wound convincingly into the plots and develop from one episode to another as if in a novel--sometimes gut-wrenchingly moving, often comedic (oneliners come and go as if this was "Minder"). The human and comic details are sparingly touched in without turning the show into a soap opera or a comic crime caper. The editing is deft, imparting compulsive pace throughout. The only notable flaw, for me, as in most television crime series, is the lack of sufficient budget to mount convincing crowd scenes.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful
I found Season 1 slightly disappointing - until the last few episodes, from then on it gets better and better.
Season 2 is awesome - after watching each episode you realize that you just saw something amazingly good.
Season 3 - what can I say ? Absolutely Great - it is even better than Season 2 : Perfect.
Season 2 is awesome - after watching each episode you realize that you just saw something amazingly good.
Season 3 - what can I say ? Absolutely Great - it is even better than Season 2 : Perfect.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Between the Lines.
A masterly performance by Mr Pearson ! supported by one of the best casts ever:
Tom Georgeson, Siobhan Redmond, Robin Lermitte and the late and very much missed... Read more
Tom Georgeson, Siobhan Redmond, Robin Lermitte and the late and very much missed... Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. Hussey
Yes, well worth watching.
I really enjoyed the first two series but hestitated before buying the third because of the mixed reviews. Read more
Published on 14 May 2010 by CityBoy
between the lines series 3
not as good as series 1 and 2, lost it's way after they left the police force, found this series a bit mediocre.
Published on 6 Nov 2009 by Sharon Brew
Between the Lines
I bought all three episode box sets. I used to love the series when it was on TV, didn't disappoint watching them all again on DVD.
Published on 2 July 2009 by Janine Goodbourne
Get Season One and Two, but forget season Three
I really enjoyed the first two seasons, but this one has been oh so disappointing. It really does seem that they are clutching at straws to keep it going and with some quite absurd... Read more
Published on 8 Mar 2007 by Darren Priest
My favourite of the 3 series
This was always my favourite series of Between The Lines..I have a huge crush on Tom Georgeson and we see much more of his character, Harry Naylor, in this series than in the... Read more
Published on 8 April 2006
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