Taggart (TV Series) So Long Baby (2009) User Reviews

Taggart finds a baby.

[bethwilliam · 7/10 · 15 January 2010]

As DI Ross leaves work to begin his holiday he finds an abandoned baby on the door step of a neighbor's house. When Ross investigates further he discovers a dead man lying on the kitchen floor in a pool of blood. Ross immediately cancels his holiday to help with the investigation.

The victim turns out to be Jack Revie, a retired businessman. DCI Burke discovers that the victims son, Jamie, was at home taking drugs while the murder was taking place. Joan Revie, the wife, was shopping in London and appears to have an alibi. Meanwhile Burke interviews a friend of Jamie's, Davy, who was also in the house that night and was overheard having an argument with the victim before he was murdered.

Meanwhile the victim's brother in law, Cassidy, reveals that Jack Revie was a often unfaithful to his wife. He insinuates that the abandoned baby may have been left by a distraught mistress.

Jackie Reid finds the mother of the baby. The team also uncovers evidence that half a million pounds is missing from the victim's account.

By the time the murderer is uncovered there are few surprises left. It is a story line that has been used before in other shows. However, that does not take from the quality of this show and its fine acting.

From cradle to grave

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 26 October 2022]

Actually like 'Taggart' very, very much indeed. Loved it even at its best. If more the earlier episodes (so the Taggart and early Jardine years) than the later years, when the lengths became shorter in particular the show felt well past its sell date unfortunately. "So Long Baby" was not one of my first 'Taggart' episodes watched when first getting into the show (back when the later Burke episodes aired in two parts on weekday afternoons), instead it was seen a couple of years after the show ended.

In a period where 'Taggart' was really starting to run out of ideas and where the shorter length format worked against it, "So Long Baby" is not half bad at all. It is not perfect, or great, or one of the best episodes of the show or from this period, but for very late 'Taggart' the episode is better than most of the other shorter length episodes. The subject matter is a tough one, "So Long Baby" is uncompromising in its approach to it while not being too heavy.

"So Long Baby" has a lot of good things. It is well-made visually, with the usual grit and moodiness in the photography. The scenery is both picturesque and unforgiving, The script intrigues, pulls no punches and there is some entertaining banter within the team. The team interaction is always cohesive and there is never a disconnect, with some nice banter and also intensity.

There are some nicely executed twists and turns with the denouement not being foreseeable or obvious too soon. The story does engage enough and doesn't feel too thin. As said, the approach to a subject as tough as this one pulls no punches while also being tactful enough. The acting is fine.

Did feel however that "So Long Baby" was too short, this was the period where 'Taggart' episode length were a good deal shorter, meaning that nearly all the episodes applicable to this felt too short and rushed and some felt rather tired and predictable.

Perhaps it is a bit too ordinary, as there is not much new here. The music is again, apart from the main theme, at odds with what goes on and sounds twenty years out of date.

On the whole, good if not great. 7/10.