Golly reading reviews is a minefield isn't it?You either get screams of "BRILLIANT!" or "RUBBISH!",i am going to raise my voice for what its worth and say "VERY GOOD!".Plus I may add "GILLIAN ANDERSON...FOX!".
Yep I think I shall lower my credibility a bit by pointing out that Anderson has previously escaped my fittie radar,but boy does she have something....she can investigate me any day of the week.Anyways...
1.The Fall has been commissioned for a second series,the chorus of "whats with the ending" HEAVILY suggests this motive and considering its a crime drama,its on the bbc....its beyond moronic to think the makers were not aiming for this.
Well done makers,job done.
To be honest if it had ended here I would still say well done.Little neat,tidy endings where everything is put into nice pretty box with a bow for easy gluttonous consumption bore me to tears.Scooby doo endings no thanks.
Let me point out though this is no Twin Peaks style cliffhanger but a perfectly natural conclusion that leaves doors open.
I pretty much jump behind the sofa at the mere mention of tv drama.Especially shows like the woeful Wire In The Blood.
But I took a punt with The Fall.
Crime shows featuring sadistic killers and cops seem to be back on trend,i assume due to the success of The Killing which I never watched but am well aware of due to its cultural impact and from the numerous comedy sketches about foreign,pasty women in fluffy jumpers.
2.The Fall is pretty dark,gritty[before you stick your finger down your throat at that mention of gritty I don't mean council estate gritty with Massive Attacks Unfinished Sympathy soundtracking..]claustrophobic for a bbc aired drama.
The writer Allan Cubitt makes a noble attempt at not automatically falling into british cop show cliché and if he does its extremely mild and excusable.
3.I think Jaimie Dornan who plays the killer Paul Spector is commendable.For ONCE we get a serial killer who is horrible and sinister not devilish and charismatic.Not at any point did I think he was "alright" or "cool".This guy has nothing behind his eyes,he's staring into the abyss and its staring back.
As much as it can and the programme is allowed it tries to display Spectors psychopathology and there are genuine disturbing momments.In one part he has a trophy from one of his victims a necklace which he gives his little daughter to wear.
Gary Ridgeway the notorious Green River Killer who strangled hordes of prostitutes used to give victims jewellery for his co workers to wear,therefore getting a truly sick kick.
4.I am actually excited by the prospect of a cop show that focuses exclusively on one killer....its about time.Too many shows feature far too many killers,one every episode...always getting caught....therefore the writers come up with sillier and zanier cartoon killers committing sillier and zanier deeds.Then it just becomes a cartoon with absolutely no footing in reality.CSI,Law And Order,Dexter....
So I for one will definetly be watching the second series and if the writing is kept to this standard there is no problems.
5.Gillian Anderson is really good in this,very nice to look at and her british accent is sexy.

I ve decided to write individual reviews for each series as I haven't finished series 3 yet.

I found the first series to be fairly engrossing if a slightly mediocre affair. I enjoy police/psychological thrillers and particularly British ones ie Cracker, Prime Suspect, Trial And Retribution etc and was looking forward to this considering all the hype.
It's certainly watchable and of course the premise is interesting but it's let down by a few things in my opinion.
Firstly in series 1 you get very litthe insight into Paul Spector psyche. Yes, we recommend introduced to him a serial killer who's living a seemingly normal fairly mundane life with a career and family but his character comes across as extremely flat. We see him early on commit heinous acts and carry on as normal as I suppose he d manage to do being a psychoath with no sense of conscience but he just seems very two dimensional. Given that we know who the killer is from the outset this would seem to be the perfect opportunity to give his character some depth. What drives him to kill, how does he view the women who's lives he takes. How does he view the authorities that are trying to apprehend him and most importantly how does he view himself. Very little insight is given into this in series one.

My second major criticism is Stella Gibson's remarkably dry and unsympathetic character almost completely bereft of personality. Instead of bothering to pad out her character the writers have rather given her a penchant for sleeping aroundo with any man she fancies at a moments notice. It's not only that I didn't much care for her as much as she really bored me.
My final criticism is of the extremely hammy acting by Stella s superior officer who despite being obviously meant to be a bit of a pathetic individual in the story has a terrible penchant for over acting. Every line he delivers in that same nervous wreck, over emotional whiny tone like he's constantly about to burst into tears.
I can't help feeling this show is somewhat over rated but I can't help enjoying it nonetheless. Not a particularly original premise but at least it's better than the now commonplace offerings of Midsomer Murders or Scott And Bailey. I'd recommend to anyone who enjoys more gritty and low key police thrillers but just don't be surprised if you feel like you very seen it all before!

Great story about a Ball that leaves the bag of a fella in belfast r suhn, aw aye yer man dies at the end too, wile bad cramps he dies with. On the toilet skitter flying outa him.

This is good TV! Regards the central characters - The only element I'm not particularly keen on relates to Gillian Anderson's character, played in a way that seems overtly flat, restrained, and somewhat unnatural given the presenting circumstances, almost catatonic. Actually, deadpan would offer a better description, perhaps something of a psychopath herself, in other arena's, or so it seems, but I think the story would have more of an impact if her character was more emotionally committed, as opposed to a sexually motivated manipulator. Anyway, there is a great deal of depth to be found elsewhere.

The serial killer is expertly played by Jamie Dornan, effectively grooming the audience, me at least, perhaps others, naturally blending the contrasts of his character between the seemingly compassionate, loving family man on one hand, and fixated serial killer on the other, and even as his nicer side erodes, as the focus on his crimes builds towards causing him enormous difficulty, it's hard not to try and tune into his seemingly humane persona. This becomes very clear to me at times his character is confronted by other extreme characters, who's interference I should be relieved to see, however I find myself more repulsed by their attitudes, in general, than I am by the serial killer himself.

Characters aside, this a well written, well directed drama, and I'm very interested in seeing it develop further.

I have to say I watched this before 50 shades of Gray and I can understand why Jamie Dorman was cast as Mr Gray, in The Fall he plays a very convincing narcissistic split personality serial killer, he truely is the boy next door with a dark side nobody knows about. His very unique good looks help I think as I can see why with the right look he looks completely harmless, Peter (Jamie Dorman) is by all accounts is a family man who works in a job that you need sympathy and understanding someone like that surely couldn't kill coldly. Gillan Anderson surprised me not only does the woman never age but I was expecting a older scully from her x file days the only similarity between her character Stella and Agent Scully is they are both law enforcement. Stella is very shrewd and devious in how she obtains information for what she wants, she has a ruthless side that allows her to get into the head of the killer she's chasing. This series is totally addictive and I'm looking forward to watching season two, a clever cast well written script fantastic feel for the time period and area it's set in if I could have given it 10 stars I would have.

The bbc put out a lot of promotion adverts for this show and thats what what made me watch it simple enough and also i was suffering the loss of Of ITV1's Broardchurch and needed a tv fix. Every monday night i was fixed in front of the tv it should have been called gripped not the fall as a viewer thats what i was. The rather lovely looking Jamie Dornan plays our family man Paul Spector with a dark hidden secret he's a seriel kller and DCI Stella Gibson aka Gillian Anderson is brought to Belfast to find the killer of these murdered women. As the viewer we know who the killer is right from the off but the the police have no clue and as time goes on the clock is closing in on spector. I think Gillian Anderson is really great but the show in my opinon belongs to Jamie Dornan he is terrifying and disturbing to watch as spector man who does terrble things and plays a devoted husband and father with such ease great casting. This is one of the best pieces of tv in a long while and so the ending didnt please everyone but i look forward to season 2 can't wait!

The Fall is classy, well written and beautifully acted piece of TV gold. Character and plot driven you really get to se the multi-faceted side to the main 'bad guy' in this who is a wonderfully complex character. I say the main one as there are several other not so good characters with interwoven plot lines running through it. Gillian Anderson is superb in a role that potentially makes you actually prefer the bad guy from a personality point of view! OK he is utterly awful in the obvious way but then he has all these other better sides to him you wonder why he has turned into this monster. And then the person who is supposed to be the 'good guy' (GA) appears to be pretty much a sociopath. It's fascinating.
Whilst often people get very into the adult roles, someone who deserves a mention is the child that plays 'Peter's' daughter. Absolutely wonderful turn from a young girl playing a complex role.
This is an utterly addictive watch - went through the last 3 episodes back to back last night - and now I think I'm just going to have to own season 2 now....!
One of the best pieces of TV (aside from GOT obv) in a long time....

I downloaded this series after a recommend from a friend who had just been to see 50 Shades of Grey and we were discussing whether I would want to go and see the movie. She told me that she actually thought Jamie Dornan was far more attractive as the serial killer in this BBC production. I had no clue as to who he was and had no intention of reading or viewing the 50 Shades books or movie. But I knew that this series had done amazingly well in the UK ( but I had always been away when it was ). So now I have watched season 1 - I am so hooked. Jamie Dornan is brilliant as is Gillian Anderson. In fact the whole cast are brilliant. It is a compelling view. Dornan as Spector is utterly detestable. Anderson's police inspector and cougar character is utterly compelling. The whole series is so dark and yet down to earth in it's Belfast setting and the ongoing post IRA Northern Irish gang scenario. I now understand why it got such critical acclaim. Season 2 already downloaded. Can it get any better!!!!