Goodbye China (11 Sep. 2011)

Gently and his sidekick Bacchus investigate the suspicious death of Gently's friend and ex-snout, China.

Director:

Gillies MacKinnon

Writers:

Alan Hunter (novels), Peter Flannery (created for television by),

Stars:

James Acton, Jay Miller, Niek Versteeg

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
James Acton	...	Danny Shepherd
Jay Miller	...	David Blackburn
Niek Versteeg	...	John Blackburn
Martin Shaw	...	George Gently
Lucy Akhurst	...	Liz Thompson
Simon Hubbard	...	PC Taylor
Lee Ingleby	...	John Bacchus
Philip Harrison	...	PC
Tony Rohr	...	China
Jane Holman	...	Norma
Shaun Prendergast	...	Lafferty
Christine Bottomley	...	Terri Molloy
Diana O'Hara	...	Ward Sister
Darren Morfitt	...	Paul Collison
Dean Lennox Kelly	...	Sgt Molloy

Storyline

Gently learns that his old informant China Mates has died,after an apparently accidental fall in the nearby town of Wellaby. He suspects foul play when a nurse contradicts the coroner's report and it transpires that her husband, Sergeant Tommy Molloy,took China to hospital and not an ambulance. Gently visits his colleague,Superintendant Alan Shepherd,whose autistic son Danny was robbed by the thieving teenage Blackburn brothers,one of whom has recently disappeared and the other is discovered a gibbering wreck. Gently initially believes that Molloy killed China and blamed the young thugs though ultimately a different cover-up is exposed,which tests Gently's loyalty and earns him the derision of Bacchus.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 September 2011 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Company Pictures, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

User Reviews

The police go too far

This moving episode opens with a couple of yobs breaking into a home for children with severe learning difficulties and assaulting one of the children; that isn't the case that Insp. Gently is initially interested in though; he starts of asking a few questions about the death of a former informant known as China. When he learns of China's death he just wants to know what happened but soon realises that his routine questions are being met by lies. As the investigation deepens he learns of the disappearance of the two yobs; one of whom Bacchus had spoken to earlier on an apparently unrelated matter. With the evidence pointing towards police brutality Gently must decide whether or not to proceed.

I have enjoyed most episodes of this series and this one was particularly good; at first I thought it was going to be a story of bad police officers doing bad things but while what they did was undeniable bad the story was written in a way that made their reasoning sympathetic. As always Martin Shaw did a fine job as Gently and Lee Ingleby was entertaining as Bacchus. Guest stars Dean Lennox Kelly and Neil Pearson put in convincing performances as two misguided police officers. As well as having a crime to solve it was nice to see Gently having a bit of a private life even if it was spent with a woman in the police force.