Richard's Online Journal

[29/07/07] The Strange Series of Dr. Jekyll

"Ahem, Mr Hyde, eyes up- Uh. That's... that's quite a stare. Quite... unco... hey, look! Breasts!"

If you haven’t been watching this on BBC 1, and haven’t got a good excuse, shame on you. The ratings have been awful, but as a show, we haven’t seen a better bit of adult-focused fantasy in aeons. Don’t anyone dare mention Torchwood. There’s just no comparison, in any way, shape or form.

I heart Steven Moffat.

Jekyll is one of those shows that’s almost impossible to describe, not because it’s desperately complicated, but becase of its nature, and the need to avoid saying too much. In terms of personality, it’s as split as its main character - a little comedy, a little horror, and a whole lot of uncertainty. The first episode sets things up like an American drama; a clever premise, simple rules. Communication via dictaphones. All kinds of surveillance equipment. A pretty assistant. It almost seems like this version of Dr. Jekyll is going to be out solving mysteries; a House, Monk, or Dexter, with a split personality.

The second promptly throws almost all of that out of the window. In the third, everything spins again. The narrative is twisted, atmospheric, non-linear…

...and absolutely captivating. It almost feels like stream of consciousness plotting, with characters appearing and disappearing almost at random, plot threads constantly looping, and Hyde’s powers and characteristics all the more powerful for being utterly enigmatic. He’s a fired-up Joker; the malicious grin and joie de vivre of a born killer who’s just discovered the God Mode cheat.

The Jekyll side - Dr. Jackman - suffers from the usual flaw of being a complete dullard, but a dullard who grows quickly. James Nesbitt does a great dual-performance as the pair of them, shackled only by some of the plot devices in the early episodes. No matter how subdued Jekyll and manic Hyde, there’s no chance that anyone’s going to mistake them for different people. As soon as the show develops the confidence to let his two sides stand alone, things improve dramatically - he carries it off with panache, using little more than his eyes and a gleeful grin. Gina Bellman takes a bit longer to get comfortable, but is firmly in her stride when her character starts taking a proper part in the story. And Denis Lawson and Meera Syal are terrific as a wry lesbian detective and sinister businessman.

Wait. Wrong way round there…

With my reviewer hat on, yes, the story definitely has its weaknesses. It’s very slow paced, and while that helps to build atmosphere, you do get to the end of episodes and realise that not all that much has actually happened, especially compared to how much has been set up. Without wanting to spoil anything, too many of the characters are sidelined early on in favour of a frankly embarassing Ancient Evil Conspiracy that really should be sent to its room and told not to be so silly. Powerful they may be, but competent? No. Fox Mulder would have chewed the whole organisation out in one season; Angel could probably have done it in an episode or so.

And the less said about Mr. Hyde’s scary teeth prosthetics, the better.

But really, most of that stuff doesn’t matter. As a whole, Jekyll’s a flawed gem, but the gem bit is the important part of that description. It’s a character and atmosphere piece more than anything else; one with some great acting, and more than a few outright ‘punch the air’ moments. Like much of Moffat’s work, it’s not afraid to both show a lighter side and play with the genre. Moreover, unlike most of the genre right now, it’s not afraid to finish its story. All but a couple of major questions raised in the course of the series are answered by the time the final credits roll - and you get the clues to piece them together long before the big reveal, if you want to be a bit Jonathan Creek about it.

This is a complete show, and one I don’t plan to spoil by posting too much about the story or the individual episodes. Suffice to say, it’s not what you’ll expect when you start the first. Embrace that. Go into it knowing as little as possible, on the sofa, and in a darkened room to better enjoy the atmosphere.

Do so now. The DVD’s out on Monday. If you’ve missed seeing it on TV, go buy or rent. While I don’t know if I want a second series - I think it’s a show that stands best as a one-off - it’d be nothing short of heresy for Moffat and co not to at least be offered one. Not after Hyperdrive and Torchwood getting a second crack at the whip.