Angel Eyes Part One 

Have always adored detective dramas/mystery series. This has been apparent from an early age, half my life even, when getting into Agatha Christie through Joan Hickson's Miss Marple and David Suchet's Poirot and into 'Inspector Morse'.

Whether it's the more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' (and its prequel series 'Endeavour') and anything Agatha Christie. Whether it's the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' (though that is balanced brilliantly with comedy too). And whether it's the light-hearted ones like 'Murder She Wrote'. 'Taggart' is one of the biggest examples of the grittier ones, especially the Mark McManus years and the earlier James MacPherson episodes.

"Angel Eyes" is a great episode, one of the stronger episodes overall and for me it is definitely one of the standout episodes of the Jardine-era.

Still wasn't sure at this point about the character of Stuart and his actor Colin McCredie, they were not particularly interesting or straight away settled at this very early stage of his appearances, a bit bland though that we learn more about him here is good. The ending is intriguing and clever, if a bit over-the-top perhaps.

Enough that of what made 'Taggart' such a good show however when it was in its prime is evident and almost everything works here.

Really like the slick, gritty look and Glasgow is like an ominous character on its own. The music matches the show's tone and has a good amount of atmosphere while the theme song/tune is one that stays in the memory for a long time. The relationship between Jardine and Reid was always blossoming nicely and had blossomed by this point and then accentuated with Jackie further blossoming it, showing why it was one of the best things about this period of 'Taggart'.

As to be expected, "Angel Eyes" is thoughtfully scripted mostly with nothing ridiculous happening and things being taken seriously without being too morose. The personal life subplots are intriguing and add to the characters rather than distracting, some daring topics explored with tact, and the family drama is touching. The story is involving in its complexity and intricacy with nothing being what it seems, making the most of the long length (have generally found the 2000s episodes too short and rushed) without padding anything out. Some parts are not for the faint hearted with some elaborately staged and disturbing murders, but nothing feels gratuitous and the investigations are compelling (Jackie's prominent role is a highlight) and with enough twists to stop it from being obvious.

James MacPherson continues to fill Mark McManus' big shoes with aplomb and Blythe Duff is terrific, have always liked her. The supporting cast are solid, the acting for the daughter agreed stands out, and Robert Robertson as ever steals every scene he's in.

In summation, excellent episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox