For a long time I have been an ardent fan of "Taggart", in my opinion, the best show in the history of British television and the detective genre. It started off terrific with "Killer" (actually one of the best episodes), to continue two years later with "Dead Ringer", a good if not great episode, whereas "Murder in Season" was also decent. "Knife-Edge" is an amazing start to season 2, a brilliant episode in itself and the high point of the show.
The script of "Knife-Edge", as in the whole "Taggart", is absolutely stunning, it is complex and rich, it is layered like a pie, full of various magnificent plots and at the same time managing to focus on the central line. A lot of things happen, but the story doesn't look crowded and clogged (as it was with some later episodes of the show), the relationships of the characters are perfectly shown, and the ending is absolutely unexpected. Glenn Chandler is the best screenwriter of the show, and he did a great job here, this is one of the best scripts of "Taggart" (along with "Death Call" and "Dead Giveaway"), which makes us feel a sense of tension and uncertainty for 2 hours, so by the end we are biting our nails waiting for the denouement. The final is an absolute nail.
In addition to all its undeniable advantages, "Knife-Edge" is certainly one of the most atmospheric episodes of "Taggart". This is an indescribable feeling of something sinister and tense, capturing us from the very first seconds and not letting go until the finale. Visually, the episode looks amazing, an amazing rough view of Glasgow with insinuating lighting.
Every actor is great. Alastair Duncan is absolutely incomparable here as Livingston, and Mark McManus, Iain Anders and Stuart Hepburn are all beautiful. All the support is amazing: Christian Rodska looks elegant as AlexDiver, and Andrew McCulloch is tough and scary enough as Fred Swan, but the show steals AlexNorton as George Bryce, one of the show's most colorful characters, he outshines everyone, including Taggart.
That's what I call really awesome TV. 10/10.