Two related plot lines highlight No Man Is an Island: Hamish trying to deal both his deep mourning and help a damsel in distress while the people of Lochdubh deal with a replacement Constable. The latter is very funny while the former is deeply moving. Robert Carlyle does some of his best work as he continues to place the welfare of others above himself and struggles to come to terms with his loss. A beautiful and quirky episode that is rewarding to watch.
3 Reviews
Quite brilliant.
keysam-0261024 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Wracked with guilt over Alex' death, Hamish has gone off on leave. He's taken himself off to the island he and Alex thought of as 'theirs', perhaps more accurately, hers. He's intending to take his own life, probably.
Meanwhile, back in Lochdubh (where they know he's gone on leave but not where, or what his plan is), a temporary constable has arrived. He's very ship shape and eager. Luckily, the man before the man before Macbeth gave the villagers, organised by TV John, an exact template for dealing with this sort of situation....
Many TV shows would struggle here, and have their main character moping about for many episodes. Luckily we're dealing with a cleverer writer. Hamish encounters an older woman on the island, whose personal story resembles his in that she has been recently bereaved, but who is not willing to give up. She's also not willing to allow Hamish to fob her off when she asks for his story, and uses her current precarious situation to basically blackmail him into opening up. Hamish finally allows himself to grieve.
Our writer - Daniel Boyle - also sticks Alex' dad and Isobel - the sort of 'other woman' in a boat together, so they can also air out their problems, then has them rescue Hamish and Belle, in the course of which the Major makes it clear to Hamish that he (the Major) is not blaming Hamish for what happened.
The upshot is that by the end of the episode, the three from Lochdubh have had a catharsis which will undoubtedly help them come to terms more quickly with the loss of Alex. It's very deft.
It's a great episode. At one turn moving, at the next hilarious as the villagers 'deal' with the replacement constable.
Great telly.
Meanwhile, back in Lochdubh (where they know he's gone on leave but not where, or what his plan is), a temporary constable has arrived. He's very ship shape and eager. Luckily, the man before the man before Macbeth gave the villagers, organised by TV John, an exact template for dealing with this sort of situation....
Many TV shows would struggle here, and have their main character moping about for many episodes. Luckily we're dealing with a cleverer writer. Hamish encounters an older woman on the island, whose personal story resembles his in that she has been recently bereaved, but who is not willing to give up. She's also not willing to allow Hamish to fob her off when she asks for his story, and uses her current precarious situation to basically blackmail him into opening up. Hamish finally allows himself to grieve.
Our writer - Daniel Boyle - also sticks Alex' dad and Isobel - the sort of 'other woman' in a boat together, so they can also air out their problems, then has them rescue Hamish and Belle, in the course of which the Major makes it clear to Hamish that he (the Major) is not blaming Hamish for what happened.
The upshot is that by the end of the episode, the three from Lochdubh have had a catharsis which will undoubtedly help them come to terms more quickly with the loss of Alex. It's very deft.
It's a great episode. At one turn moving, at the next hilarious as the villagers 'deal' with the replacement constable.
Great telly.
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