Strike: Troubled Blood - Review

The fifth season of the BBC's adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s (written under the pseudonym Robert Gailbraith) detective series returned to our screens this winter. Following the plot of Troubled Blood, Strike is approached by a woman asking for help finding her mother, who went missing in 1974 when a psychopathic serial killer stalked the streets. Here we see Tom Burke and Holiday Grainger reprise their roles as private investigators Strike and Robin, who take on their first cold case.

The case in question centres on a then-local doctor and mother, Margot Bamborough played by Abigail Lawrie (who incidentally made her screen acting debut in the Casual Vacancy, another BBC and Rowling adaptation several years ago), who disappeared on a five-minute walk to meet a friend. Due to poor handling of the case, Margot is still technically a missing person - despite many theories linking her case to a serial killer's crimes around the time.

Sue Tully and Tom Edge return to direct and pen this series, respectively. Edge does a superb job of adapting Troubled Blood, tackling both the investigation in present day and Margot’s life with perfectly balanced scriptwriting.

In the book, we are limited to retellings of past events from half a century prior through unreliable narrators. Here, Margot is brought to life through Lawrie‘a stellar performances and through flashbacks, we see the relationships that defined her life and the moments leading to her untimely demise.

Tully’s direction of this series is simply superb. She gave both storylines a distinct style while maintaining a cinematic atmosphere throughout all four episodes. As we see the investigation into Margot’s disappearance, Robin and Strike’s paths cross with similar missing women and girls still unsolved, the horrific underworld of gangs and unwilling witnesses who have much more to hide.

While Strike and Robin have always had a Sherlock and Watson dynamic, their budding friendship and partnership are tested. While Strike is facing a personal crisis with the impending death of his beloved aunt, Robin steps up in terms of handling company and Margot’s case.

As readers and viewers will know, this case resonates with Robin on a personal level. From her own experiences and delving deeper into the investigation, Robin is only more determined to discover the truth for Margot’s daughter. This season in particular focuses on several women whose lives have become interwoven throughout the decades.

Meanwhile, Strike confronts his past in emotional scenes - from his estranged father wanting to reconnect to his aunt’s illness, the stress of both starts to impact his work and personal life. For a character who spent four seasons and books avoiding sentimentality and complicated feelings, Strike is hit with both in this season. Troubled Blood also delves deeper into the romantic tension between the leads and their conflict with being work partners and best friends.

Season five has one of the best ensemble casts I've seen in awhile. Truly superb casting all round. I was initially apprehensive about such a large book - 944 pages, to be exact - being adapted into a four-episode arc. Personally I think this could've been five or six episodes, but Edge did a great job at maintaining the book’s core plot and characters.

Strike and Robin expand the agency with some new people to help handle their increasing case load. Ruth Sheen as Pat Chauncey was marvellous casting and embodied Pat’s dry wit excellently. Jonas Armstrong takes on the role of Saul Morris - who played the narcissistic role rather well. He captured the right amount of sleazy and narcissistic wrapped up in faux lad banter charm. Jack Greenlees plays a much more genuinely charming Sam Barclay, and there are some nice scenes between him and his co-stars. We also get to see many more familiar faces from previous seasons.

This season was definitely one of the darkest that we've seen on Strike and the reveal of Margot’s fate and the culprit were perfectly revealed in both of the timelines. Even though I had read the book, I was hooked from the first episode.

Troubled Blood got the adaptation it deserved and everyone behind the camera and in front did a brilliant job. Dark and chilling, but also heartfelt and poignant - this season was British crime drama at its best; fans of the series will not be disappointed. I am eager to see how the BBC adapt The Ink Black Heart. Hopefully, it's not too long a wait.

My rating for Strike: Troubled Blood is ★★★★★.