It seems often the case that even normally sober police procedural series like to throw in one or two episodes with a hint of the supernatural.
They've certainly not done it by halves here. In fact they've thrown in everything but the kitchen sink, or maybe that should be cauldron. We've got hypnotism, hypnotherapy, Tarot cards, magic as entertainment and escapology, magic as witchcraft. witchcraft as Wicca, satanism and the "left hand path", magic rituals, sex magic, murder as human sacrifice, sigils, pentacles and pentagrams aplenty.
Striving to preside magisterially over this farrago of gothic horror is guest star Richard E Grant as Lee Knight. A nice turn also by Nancy Carroll playing Samantha Mantell; an amusing contrast to the role we are more familiar with her in, as Lady Felicia in the holy and rather twee Father Brown.
There's not so much scope for our usual heroes Dalziel and Pascoe to show their personalities and irreverent wit. This episode suffers as a result and because it seems to take itself too seriously. If I thought it was genuine parody I could have been more understanding.
They've certainly not done it by halves here. In fact they've thrown in everything but the kitchen sink, or maybe that should be cauldron. We've got hypnotism, hypnotherapy, Tarot cards, magic as entertainment and escapology, magic as witchcraft. witchcraft as Wicca, satanism and the "left hand path", magic rituals, sex magic, murder as human sacrifice, sigils, pentacles and pentagrams aplenty.
Striving to preside magisterially over this farrago of gothic horror is guest star Richard E Grant as Lee Knight. A nice turn also by Nancy Carroll playing Samantha Mantell; an amusing contrast to the role we are more familiar with her in, as Lady Felicia in the holy and rather twee Father Brown.
There's not so much scope for our usual heroes Dalziel and Pascoe to show their personalities and irreverent wit. This episode suffers as a result and because it seems to take itself too seriously. If I thought it was genuine parody I could have been more understanding.
