@Susan Sex scenes were a ridiculous addition. Totally unprofessional and therefore unbelievable that David/Dave would leave himself as vulnerable as that, nor that, knowing how his PTSD could make him react, would he reveal that side of himself. And don’t get me started on an ex-Army Met PPO walking round with his hands in his pockets. Never in a million years!
@Susan There were too many howlers for me to gloss over. Once again there was that trick of everyone leaping to their feet for a ‘captain on the bridge’ moment, which I’m told is very outdated. I could just about accept it in LoD in the corridor, that time, but in an Ops Room with a live Op going down? Doubt that, very much.
@Susan And yes, there are more women senior officers these days (Cressida Dick, for example) but there seemed to be nothing but in that, in all branches of all services.
I felt it was over-the-top at times, yet not necessarily an implausible story. So I got hooked in for the six episodes, gripped and enthralled. Couldn’t wait for Sundays to come around. A fantastic production (some of the location shoots were very impressive) and really good on-screen performances (especially from Keeley Hawes who is always so believable).
But nothing frustrates me more than a tired, lazy ending – especially one that involves the guilty party just opening up and telling the police how and why they did everything… It’s so irritating. We had weeks of subtle work being carried out with nobody knowing who’s masterminding it all… and then we just get two incidents of guilty parties just opening up and detailing their masterminding just to clear up the story.
Hats off to Jed Mercurio – I totally envy him. He’s a fantastic writer (loved all of the Lines Duties). But isn’t a reveal ‘tell’ ending just highly annoying? Especially as all of the writing had been so perfect up until that point.
Compulsive viewing. Not the best acting. The ‘hero’ was typecast in the final episode. He had to stand, wooden as a tree with his arms out like branches, and then walk an implausible distance slowly. I was wishing the bomb would go off and we could get back to some equally implausible detection. Liked the diverse casting (not the actors so much); like the many twists, apart from the bombmaker (daft); and absolutely hated the ‘happy ever after’ ending.
disappointed in last episode thought most of teh episode pointless and dare I say boring …now Killing Eve was all phenomenal binge watched the whole thing. Bonkers but I loved that about it !!!
@Heather It was always lacking credibility for me, but it was watchable. Not something I’d rush to watch again, as I do with LoD, which I’ve now watched 4 times, I think 🙂
I enjoyed it but thought the finale was weak. If I am honest if it hadn’t have been for all the hype around it and knowing that avoiding spoilers would be incredibly difficult I would’ve recorded it and watched another night. Line of Duty is much better and I am enjoying Killing Eve much, much more.
@Beverley I found it embarrassing at times 😉 But big names can get away with howlers, it seems. Like him constantly buttoning himself up tight in a close-fitting jacket – how the heck would he get as his sidearm in an emergency? And as for that ridiculous frisk of him in the club – really?? I’m an ex-military wife and lived for a time with an SAS headbanger. So I speak from experience 😉
@Beverley So many things left floating. Like who was the wife’s mystery boyfriend, for one? I thought for a moment that was going to turn into a Saul’s wife (Homeland) incident.
@Lesley I was convinced that he was involved somewhere and there would be some huge reveal. It was a decent crime drama and I did enjoy it but I have seen better I think.
@Beverley Oh for sure. I watched it to the end, which I don’t if it’s too dire. I’m still talking to young ex-Army friend and we’re comparing all the notes on all the very many howlers – we could be hear all night! And said friend has served in the same theatres that David/Dave was meant to have done.
No not at all, I had high hopes for it, with its pedigree. I wanted to like it. But the errors were just too glaring for me to ignore, and so many of them. I can overlook a few because it is only fiction, but it was just so implausible in so many areas for me.
Just talking to a young ex-Army friend and pleased to see I spotted most of the errors he’s referring to 🙂 One of the most glaring was him sitting down in that club without having his back to a wall and full sight of the whole place. No way. Not a soldier with combat experience, and certainly not a firearms-trained police officer.
Love Killing Eve. Just the facial expressions of Jodie Comer are worth watching it for …. she rely carried it. Bodyguard didn’t have me enthralled. Maybe the lack of much expression in his long hard stares!
It was a thrilling, on the edge of your seat last episode. However I think most of us felt that the police were a little blind when he was standing there with the bomb covered in blood from a severe beating, come on are they blind !
Loved The Bodyguard-yes the sex was unprofessional- that was sort of the point I felt- I really enjoyed it- Line Of Duty is truly superb and Jed at his best I feel. Killing Eve- the lead actress is annoying the bejeezus out of me at the moment so I hope it improves. Keeping Faith was a bit of a washout-again the lead actress was incredibly annoying and it didn’t improve
Being a thriller writer, I’m usually quite hard on plots that are too unbelievable or have too many holes in them but even though The Bodyguard was guilty of both of those things, I loved it. It wasn’t until it was over that I realised how many times I’d forgotten to breathe. I haven’t felt so bereft since the last episode of Poldark. ?
I’ve been ‘saving it up’ so I can watch the whole thing in one go on demand. So, I’ve only seen episode 1 so far. It was much better than I thought it would be. The only problem now is avoiding spoilers for the next five episodes…. 🙂
Enjoyed it but there were some flaws in the final episode. One that stood out for me was why no-one thought to question why his face was so bloody. I found that a bit unbelievable.I agree with some comments that the ending was a bit soft. I was expecting the car to be blown up but that would have put an end to any future series. Devious mind I’ve got. Must be reading too much!
Totally agree with that. I’ve been reading books in the genre and they are helluva lot more believable. Ian Patrick’s Rubicon and Stoned Love, nail it.
Not bad, but a weak ending that only went to play on existing stereotypes. It didn’t really tie in that the woman was the bomb-maker, and I imagine this was a hot fix towards the end. I thought the inside woman was good, but she kind of unravelled too quickly – a bit Scooby Doo. It was pretty strong until the last 20 minutes.
He would never have fallen for the blank. I’ve handled hundreds of weapons, yet never once just picked one up and taken it for granted it was loaded/unloaded. No soldier would, no bodyguard either.
Agreed, but surely the whole point he was chosen was that he was not up to the job? No point in her appointing someone on the ball who would actually have protected the Principal properly?
I finally caught up on the last episode last night. It’s interesting because most people I’ve spoken to started out loving it and their interest slowly wore off… the ending not satisfying. However, for me, the beginning didn’t grab me straight away, but I stuck it out of fear of missing out. It grew on me, but I agree with Lesley about many of the plot holes and David’s comment about the ending being way too much of a reveal. I could understand the first confession, not the second. It wasn’t my fav, and I have Killing Eve lined up next and CAN’T WAIT for the next Line of Duty.
My personal favourite for a long time (apart from Line of Duty, of course) was The Night Manager. Very very few holes to pick in that one. And then, of course, Tom Hiddlebum 🙂
@Mel The other Tom was very good, too. The one who kept his kit on 😉 Very clever how they made him look so much smaller than he is, although I know he is quite short.
It got better. Once the ‘hero’ had lost his illicit shag he was forced to do some work. It ended brilliantly – a bit like the Wizard of Oz, but instead of three blokes dressed up as a lion, a piece of tin and a Michael Foot lookalike, we had a guy pretending to be a tree. Typecast. Yeah. You missed some classic TV. It was compulsive viewing. (Spoiler alert: the goodies won.)
@Mel I watched the bugger all the way through. It was a remarkable piece of TV. A bit like a drug (not that I’d admit to anything). The fantasy, the lack of continuity and on and on, they were almost secondary to a remarkably twisting plot. Personally, I’d’ve read the book (there wasn’t one), but it would’ve been so bloody long and involved. Let’s get back to The Sweeney – now that was brill.
Exciting to watch with a plot line that is highly improbable. He’s such a security risk he would never be allowed near a Minister. But maybe that’s something to do with its success and something that we authors can learn from. If you can convince your audience that your improbability is believable you may end up with something that is original and appealing…
Loved it, wasnt sure about the sex scenes. But the last episode was breath taking.
@Sarah I enjoyed it. To me the sex scenes had no relevance to the story. Could have been left to our imagination!
@Susan Sex scenes were a ridiculous addition. Totally unprofessional and therefore unbelievable that David/Dave would leave himself as vulnerable as that, nor that, knowing how his PTSD could make him react, would he reveal that side of himself. And don’t get me started on an ex-Army Met PPO walking round with his hands in his pockets. Never in a million years!
@Lesley Wasn’t impressed with his walk through the streets of London in his situation!
@Lesley Had to let a few things go
@Susan Wasn’t impressed with much of it TBH. As if they’d let people stand so close without having any idea of what size/sort of bomb it was.
@Susan There were too many howlers for me to gloss over. Once again there was that trick of everyone leaping to their feet for a ‘captain on the bridge’ moment, which I’m told is very outdated. I could just about accept it in LoD in the corridor, that time, but in an Ops Room with a live Op going down? Doubt that, very much.
@Lesley I have to admit I got a bit confused as to which organisation was which.
@Susan And yes, there are more women senior officers these days (Cressida Dick, for example) but there seemed to be nothing but in that, in all branches of all services.
I felt it was over-the-top at times, yet not necessarily an implausible story. So I got hooked in for the six episodes, gripped and enthralled. Couldn’t wait for Sundays to come around. A fantastic production (some of the location shoots were very impressive) and really good on-screen performances (especially from Keeley Hawes who is always so believable).
But nothing frustrates me more than a tired, lazy ending – especially one that involves the guilty party just opening up and telling the police how and why they did everything… It’s so irritating. We had weeks of subtle work being carried out with nobody knowing who’s masterminding it all… and then we just get two incidents of guilty parties just opening up and detailing their masterminding just to clear up the story.
Hats off to Jed Mercurio – I totally envy him. He’s a fantastic writer (loved all of the Lines Duties). But isn’t a reveal ‘tell’ ending just highly annoying? Especially as all of the writing had been so perfect up until that point.
@David I agree. The last piece of the jigsaw gave in too easy
Loved it just watched last nights wow what a ending xx
Didn’t see it. Was reading Force of Nature, follow-up to THe Dry, by Jane Harper.
Loved the whole series
Compulsive viewing. Not the best acting. The ‘hero’ was typecast in the final episode. He had to stand, wooden as a tree with his arms out like branches, and then walk an implausible distance slowly. I was wishing the bomb would go off and we could get back to some equally implausible detection. Liked the diverse casting (not the actors so much); like the many twists, apart from the bombmaker (daft); and absolutely hated the ‘happy ever after’ ending.
Liked the first 2 episodes and the finale. Killing Eve, now that’s brilliant!!
Loved killing eve got bit addicted nothing to watch now xx
@Sam. Not too keen
@Liz I know the feeling!!
@Susan really? It’s fantastic !!
I loved Bodyguard and Killing Eve. Both really good actors too.
@Susan me neither.
@Sharon I was hoping it wasn’t just me! ?
I absolutely loved Killing Eve – gave up on Bodyguard. Perhaps the difference was one of expectations.
I loved the whole thing!
Haven’t watched it yet so not reading anyone’s comments
Well, Steve Arnott is really The Caddy and Hastings isn’t H 😉
Can’t wait for the next Line of Duty, though. I have a theory I’m backing. #HastingsIsNotH #HandsOffHastings 😉
Best drama I have watched for a long time. Starting to watch Killing Eve now
disappointed in last episode thought most of teh episode pointless and dare I say boring …now Killing Eve was all phenomenal binge watched the whole thing. Bonkers but I loved that about it !!!
Certainly not worth dragging out into the extra 15 mins, IMHO.
@Lesley Totally agree especially as they’d done this in the first episode. I’d really enjoyed it so far too.
@Heather It was always lacking credibility for me, but it was watchable. Not something I’d rush to watch again, as I do with LoD, which I’ve now watched 4 times, I think 🙂
@Lesley My daughter is now sulking that she is going to be tormented by adverts for LOD until next year…she was screaming at the tv last night. x
@Heather Tell her to pity old ladies like me whose main ambition now is to live long enough to see the final two series of LoD 🙂
Loved it and him ***sigh***
I enjoyed it but thought the finale was weak. If I am honest if it hadn’t have been for all the hype around it and knowing that avoiding spoilers would be incredibly difficult I would’ve recorded it and watched another night. Line of Duty is much better and I am enjoying Killing Eve much, much more.
Considering they are the same writer and production team, and one of the same actors, Guardybod and LoD really were chalk and cheese, weren’t they?
@Lesley The writer was the pull and the LoD connection
@Lesley Completely! I found it quite clunky at times.
@Beverley I found it embarrassing at times 😉 But big names can get away with howlers, it seems. Like him constantly buttoning himself up tight in a close-fitting jacket – how the heck would he get as his sidearm in an emergency? And as for that ridiculous frisk of him in the club – really?? I’m an ex-military wife and lived for a time with an SAS headbanger. So I speak from experience 😉
@Beverley So many things left floating. Like who was the wife’s mystery boyfriend, for one? I thought for a moment that was going to turn into a Saul’s wife (Homeland) incident.
@Lesley I was convinced that he was involved somewhere and there would be some huge reveal. It was a decent crime drama and I did enjoy it but I have seen better I think.
@Beverley Oh for sure. I watched it to the end, which I don’t if it’s too dire. I’m still talking to young ex-Army friend and we’re comparing all the notes on all the very many howlers – we could be hear all night! And said friend has served in the same theatres that David/Dave was meant to have done.
2 out of 10 I know it’s only fiction but come on!!
It was riveting! Great series. Think some people were determined to criticise it.
No not at all, I had high hopes for it, with its pedigree. I wanted to like it. But the errors were just too glaring for me to ignore, and so many of them. I can overlook a few because it is only fiction, but it was just so implausible in so many areas for me.
Just talking to a young ex-Army friend and pleased to see I spotted most of the errors he’s referring to 🙂 One of the most glaring was him sitting down in that club without having his back to a wall and full sight of the whole place. No way. Not a soldier with combat experience, and certainly not a firearms-trained police officer.
Love Killing Eve. Just the facial expressions of Jodie Comer are worth watching it for …. she rely carried it. Bodyguard didn’t have me enthralled. Maybe the lack of much expression in his long hard stares!
Jodie Comer is very well cast.
We enjoyed really enjoyed it. We are also watching Strangers and Killing Eve, both great dramas too
Only watched the first one of Strangers. Need to catch up. Thinking of binge watch Killing Eve
@Susan We have finally run out of stuff recorded so not going to binge watch!
Loved it!
I loved it! Loved killing Eve also, and strangers! All gripping
Ooh yes and Strangers. Very good.
Loved it love Jed Mercurio’s writing
Of course, we do need to make allowances for the fact that he was specifically chosen because he was so inept and so damaged 🙂
I loved it.
Loved it!!
Haven’t seen it!
I didn’t see it , but hearing so many things about it , may have to see if it’s on catch up
It was a thrilling, on the edge of your seat last episode. However I think most of us felt that the police were a little blind when he was standing there with the bomb covered in blood from a severe beating, come on are they blind !
Loved The Bodyguard-yes the sex was unprofessional- that was sort of the point I felt- I really enjoyed it- Line Of Duty is truly superb and Jed at his best I feel. Killing Eve- the lead actress is annoying the bejeezus out of me at the moment so I hope it improves. Keeping Faith was a bit of a washout-again the lead actress was incredibly annoying and it didn’t improve
I enjoyed Keeping Faith, but would have enjoyed it more if the lead actress hadn’t mumbled all the way through.
Loved it !
I loved it because although a lot of it was so unlikely, it had interesting characters and moved along at a good pace.
Loved it I’ve checked to see if there is a second series, it is being considered.
Hard to see how a second series would be justified. He was given the job because of how bad he was 🙂
@Lesley I’ve just read that there is possibly another 3 or 4 series!
@Susan But equally I’ve read that there won’t be 🙂
Loved it. Very tense.
Being a thriller writer, I’m usually quite hard on plots that are too unbelievable or have too many holes in them but even though The Bodyguard was guilty of both of those things, I loved it. It wasn’t until it was over that I realised how many times I’d forgotten to breathe. I haven’t felt so bereft since the last episode of Poldark. ?
I write police procedurals – probably why I watched it with a less forgiving eye 😉
Try killing Eve brilliant
loved it x
Bit of a weak ending
I’ve been ‘saving it up’ so I can watch the whole thing in one go on demand. So, I’ve only seen episode 1 so far. It was much better than I thought it would be. The only problem now is avoiding spoilers for the next five episodes…. 🙂
I thought it was brilliant
Loved every minute of it.
And it didn’t have the obvious ending ….
Bored by episode three. ?
Amazing loved it need more
Loved it watched the last 3 shows back to back as was on holiday wanted it to last longer ?
Good last episode!
Excellent really enjoyed it
Loved it x
It was good but don’t think it deserved the hype. Couldn’t escape It yesterday x
It was ok I thought but just goes to show what rubbish has been shown in the past. This was relatively good compared to those!
@Susan I’ve been watching the truth about the harry quebert affair. It’s sensational xx
@Kerry I’ve only watched the first episode . I think it is a binge worthy watch
Love Patrick Dempsey x
Enjoyed it but there were some flaws in the final episode. One that stood out for me was why no-one thought to question why his face was so bloody. I found that a bit unbelievable.I agree with some comments that the ending was a bit soft. I was expecting the car to be blown up but that would have put an end to any future series. Devious mind I’ve got. Must be reading too much!
BBC seem to be blowing their own trumpet about this series. Only stands out, for me , because of the previously very poor offerings
Totally agree with that. I’ve been reading books in the genre and they are helluva lot more believable. Ian Patrick’s Rubicon and Stoned Love, nail it.
Not bad, but a weak ending that only went to play on existing stereotypes. It didn’t really tie in that the woman was the bomb-maker, and I imagine this was a hot fix towards the end. I thought the inside woman was good, but she kind of unravelled too quickly – a bit Scooby Doo. It was pretty strong until the last 20 minutes.
Good summing up
He would never have fallen for the blank. I’ve handled hundreds of weapons, yet never once just picked one up and taken it for granted it was loaded/unloaded. No soldier would, no bodyguard either.
Agreed, but surely the whole point he was chosen was that he was not up to the job? No point in her appointing someone on the ball who would actually have protected the Principal properly?
Last episode was too long. Worked out it was one of the police women, but fell for the misdirection! Great series
Loved it!
I just watched it for a tv show, not to find plot holes in it.
I doubt any of us watched it to find plotholes, but when they are so gaping, you can’t help but notice them 🙂
I finally caught up on the last episode last night. It’s interesting because most people I’ve spoken to started out loving it and their interest slowly wore off… the ending not satisfying. However, for me, the beginning didn’t grab me straight away, but I stuck it out of fear of missing out. It grew on me, but I agree with Lesley about many of the plot holes and David’s comment about the ending being way too much of a reveal. I could understand the first confession, not the second. It wasn’t my fav, and I have Killing Eve lined up next and CAN’T WAIT for the next Line of Duty.
I’ve been saying this to a lot of people but The truth about the harry quebert affair is the best tv I’ve seen for a while
@Kerry I meant to hit record on that too, and completely forgot. The adverts for it looked really interesting!
@Kerry I must look for that.
@Tara We should set up a closed group somewhere for LoD fans to discuss their theories. I have one 🙂 #HandsOffHastings #HastingsIsNotH 🙂
It’s one of those, to me anyway, that comes along once in a blue moon and completely blows me away Hannibal is another example and Dexter
@Kerry Hmmm.
@Lesley I read your comment further up the post and totally agree #HastingsIsNotH I just wish we didn’t have to wait so long!
@Tara Lots of people have fallen for the trick they played, I think, without thinking it through 😉
Love the HQ affair. Sorry, gave up on Killing Eve too. ?
I enjoyed it, but preferred Killing Eve.
My personal favourite for a long time (apart from Line of Duty, of course) was The Night Manager. Very very few holes to pick in that one. And then, of course, Tom Hiddlebum 🙂
Agree, bloody loved that, Lesley.
@Mel Sublime! But required a bit of brainwork from the watcher 😉
I missed that one.
@Susan Really worth looking out for IMHO.
@Lesley I will search for this
You must know by now I am very hard to please 🙂 But I found it excellent. And not just for Tom Hiddlebum 😉
@Lesley, indeed.
Excellent series, Susan. I bought the DVD from Amazon. X
@Mel I think I’ve worn the DVDs out 🙂
I bet. ???
@Mel The other Tom was very good, too. The one who kept his kit on 😉 Very clever how they made him look so much smaller than he is, although I know he is quite short.
Have to say I stopped watching it once the affair started. ?
It got better. Once the ‘hero’ had lost his illicit shag he was forced to do some work. It ended brilliantly – a bit like the Wizard of Oz, but instead of three blokes dressed up as a lion, a piece of tin and a Michael Foot lookalike, we had a guy pretending to be a tree. Typecast. Yeah. You missed some classic TV. It was compulsive viewing. (Spoiler alert: the goodies won.)
@Richard, still not tempted to watch it on catchup. ?
@Mel I watched the bugger all the way through. It was a remarkable piece of TV. A bit like a drug (not that I’d admit to anything). The fantasy, the lack of continuity and on and on, they were almost secondary to a remarkably twisting plot. Personally, I’d’ve read the book (there wasn’t one), but it would’ve been so bloody long and involved. Let’s get back to The Sweeney – now that was brill.
I loved it.
Me too!
Exciting to watch with a plot line that is highly improbable. He’s such a security risk he would never be allowed near a Minister. But maybe that’s something to do with its success and something that we authors can learn from. If you can convince your audience that your improbability is believable you may end up with something that is original and appealing…