ianlouisiana Review of Case Sensitive

Case Sensitive (2011–2012)

This could be the start of something big - if ITV keep their nerve...

[10/10 · 5 May 2011]

In "Case Sensitive" the performances are paramount.The actual storyline is intriguing enough but the actors take this production by the scruff of the neck and run off with it. Miss Olivia Williams is outstanding as D.S.Zailer,bruised and vulnerable,treated with patronising tolerance by her superior officer and ill - concealed disdain by some of her peers,she - like every other female detective has to be twice as good as her male colleagues just to keep her job. Rxcently transferred from the Met - hardly a by - word for sexual equality in the C.I.D. - she is still trying to deal with the after effects of a drunken sexual encounter with her new partner the wonderful Mr Darren Boyd,a performance of quiet subtlety cleverly showing his character's basic decency and modesty combined with a determination and detective ability that should have earned him a Commendation from the Chief Constable. When a woman and her daughter are found dead in the bath it soon becomes clear after a peremptory investigation that the police have decided that her husband(Mr Rupert Graves impressively strung out) is the murderer and put all their efforts towards finding evidence against him rather than keeping a more open minded approach.This kind of tunnel vision of course has accounted for several miscarriages of justice,a fact not lost on Mr Boyd who delves more deeply into the case than D.S. Zailer and her boss deem necessary. It is he rather than Zailer who opens the enquiry out,albeit her gentle humanity coaxes the final vital bit of information from a reluctant child witness. Miss Williams and Mr Boyd have a wry,subdued chemistry that could develop into something interesting and involving should ITV try to turn "Case Sensitive" into a series.They are definitely a class act. With high production values and careful casting it is clearly not done on the cheap.If the makers can hold their nerve,something very substantial could be on their hands.