'Taggart' was a personal favourite for a while and one of my most watched shows in my teenage years when first getting into it. Actually got into the show via the early Burke episodes, but seeing all the Taggart and Jardine period episodes since it was clear to me that those periods were much better than Burke's and a good deal of the Burke episodes went down in my estimations. Especially the later ones where 'Taggart' really had run out of ideas and became very tired.
Something that is very evident in "Tenement". It is not a terrible episode, actually don't think any of the 'Taggart' episodes are. Though there are a fair share of average and less ones. The pretty mediocre "Tenement" is one of them and this is being said with regret, it is also one of the episodes that never did much for me. While it has its moments, tiredness and predictability were big problems and makes one saddened that such a great show in its glory days has become this.
Am going to begin mentioning the good. "Tenement" is well-made visually, with the usual grit and moodiness in the photography. The scenery is both picturesque and unforgiving. The theme tune is still extremely memorable, very 80s but endearing so and atmospheric.
Did like the team interaction, with some nice banter going on, and the regular cast are all fine.
Was not so crazy this time with the supporting cast, all forgettable in stock roles. The only one to stand out is Lorraine McGowan, for all the wrong reasons. Playing her character as too much of an overdone cartoon. There is a severe lack of tautness and tension, nothing surprises with too many over familiar plot elements and too few twists. The conclusion is silly and predictable and there are too many characters, none particularly interesting and too few of them suspects.
Its lack of tautness and tension is obvious in the rather perfunctory script and the story's pacing is dull and too stretched out. The music is again, apart from the main theme, at odds with what goes on and sounds twenty years out of date.
Mediocre on the whole sadly. 4/10.