Now, this is a story all about how… maverick police detective John Luther, already with enough on his plate, has to contend with an Internal Affairs investigation, a pair of new serial killers and a new love interest.
Happy days? During Series 2 and most of Series 3 of Luther, there remains a nagging feeling that something is missing. Idris Elba is fantastic in the title role, the plots remain ludicrously enjoyable and the serial killers eminently disturbing, but it just doesn’t have that spark that Series 1 possessed. Then Series 1 highlight Alice Morgan comes back for the final episode and you’re reminded that yes, something has been missing, and that something’s name is Ruth Wilson.
The scenes between Elba and Wilson are so much more twisted and complicated than anything else going on in Luther that the show should really be called Luther & Morgan. Instead, we’re left with plot devices masquerading as love interests, half-heartedly nefarious Internal Affairs investigations and effective if played-out serial killer plots. It’s testament to how badly developed the supporting cast are on this show that you just know if anyone starts talking about how important DCI John Luther is to them they’re either a goner or a near-goner. Creator Neil Cross writes the character of Luther very, very well. And that’s it.
A two-episode miniseries of Luther has been announced for 2015 (because this four-episode series was JUST TOO LONG) and you need know only one thing about it: Does it feature Ruth Wilson as Alice Morgan again? If so, it’s a must-watch. If not, it’s a may-watch. As great as Elba is, in the end, the key to Luther was never Luther himself.
The final frontier: A late season spark isn’t enough to save Series 3 of Luther from being three episodes of overture and one episode of show.
Best episode: 4) Episode Four. Apologies for repeating myself, but this is the one with Ruth Wilson in it, and the dramatic lift in quality will give you vertigo. Even though the idea of a vigilante serial killer the media is obsessing over has been done over and over again, strong acting and an unbearably tense finale keep this ep compelling.
Worst episode: 3) Episode Three. There’s a moment in this episode that is supposed to be a huge, earth-shattering, emotionally devastating plot twist… except it’s so inevitable it barely registers as a twist at all. Combine that with the fact this episode is all set-up and no payoff and you’ve got a very disappointing outing of Luther.
Season MVP: It’s Idris Elba, now, as ever. On my review of Series 2, I pitched a remake of Murder, She Wrote starring him as Jessica Fletcher. I’d like to add to that a gritty re-imagining of Diagnosis Murder with Elba in the Dick Van Dyke role and a big-budget remake of Murder on the Orient Express with Elba as Hercule Poirot. Elba as Bond and Batman as well. Elba as everything.
