Ripper Street

I hadn't seen five minutes of episode one when I knew I had to review this show.
However I decided to wait until I had seen episode two in order to make a more informed decision. And I have. It's a magnificent show!

So, what's it all about? Well, the name says alot, but it's also a bit misleading. The scene is set in Whitechapel in the spring of 1889, but six months after Jack the Ripper cast his bloody shadow over London. The show follows H-Division, who's job it was to catch the Ripper, and since they failed, the people have little respect for the police, and are apt to mob violence.

The main characters are Detective Inspector Edmund Reid (Matthew Macfadyen, MI-5, Pillars of the earth), a good man who believes in the law, but knows that in order to get things done, sometimes you must compromise your morals. He is assisted by the rough and grim Detective Sergeant Bennet Drake (Jerome Flynn, Game of Thrones) and the American army doctor and ex Pinkerton, Captain Homer Jackson (Adam Rothenberg, The Ex list) a clever and observant man, with a serious weakness for vice and a fugitive from a dark past.

The visuals in Ripper Street are glorious in all their grimy misery. After all, Whitechapel, though not the worst part of Victorias London, was more than bad enough. The show does well in capturing this in everything from the filthy walls, to the ragged clothes which makes every clean shirt collar seem so much more sophisticated.

If you like the Victorian era, you should definately watch the show, but if you like me, are obsessed with Victoriana, you simply must watch it. Bit of a warning though, it's not for the squeamish. It can be very violent and bloody. 

Enjoy the trailer!