Well, I made it through the first series of The Sweeney and I actually ended up enjoying it a lot more than I'd imagined.
I was just a little lad when this was first broadcast, so was never able to view it on the telly. I picked up a boxed set the other day at a car boot and decided to give it a go.
Although by today's standards the pacing is basic and painfully slow at times it still has a certain charm. The innocence of simpler times is what I'm especially relishing watching these through older eyes.
What have I learned? Well, it seems that '70s coppers stored more booze in their desks than than you'd find at the local pub. Having an afternoon whisky was nothing out of the ordinary whilst doing your paperwork.
Also, it's evident that unless you constantly smoked, then you weren't really from the 1970s. Regan even lit up two ciggies in his mouth at one point.
Robbers loved to zoom around deserted, dusty, dirty roads with the occasional pile of boxes just begging to be smacked into.
This episode in particular was a departure from the standard format up until now. Regan was a lot more intense - having his daughter kidnapped would cause this, I guess.
There is one brief scene near the beginning which features Regan and his informant meeting in a public park when two young ladies walk past. One of them leans over to tie her boots whilst wearing a short skirt and reveals a bit more than she realises to both the chaps.
This incident is completely superfluous, unnecessary and primarily only included for titillation. Suffice to say that this was seen all too often in those much less PC and far off days of yesteryear.
Overall a great series ending which adds a little more depth to Regan - and to a lesser extent, Carter, with his fishwife.