Strange

[fenris]

Thought I'd start a thread about the BBC series Strange, which is being repeated on the Sci-Fi channel.

I missed some of the episodes when the series was initially screened in 2003, so I've not seen it in it's entirety. Plus I thought it would be interesting to contrast and compare Strange with Hex, which of course debuted a year later.

Unfortunately, Sci-Fi's screening of the first episode appeared to run several minutes late, and therefore my taping of the show is missing the ending. I'm going to tape the repeat screening on Sunday, and will post my thoughts after watching it.

[fenris]

Warning to anyone who's not seen the first episode of Strange - spoilers follow.

The thought that kept occuring to me as I watched the first episode was how much Samantha Janus looks like an older version of Christina Cole. They have very similar noses. An additional comparison to Hex is the fact that both shows have a female lead who's given birth to a demonic child.

The first episode goes a good job of establishing the main characters and the world in which they live. Janus's Jude Atkins is the main focus, the scriptwriter applying the tried-and-trusted method of using a character to act as the audience's eyes and ears. With Jude being a newcomer to John Strange's world of demons & unnatural deaths, and in need of answers, this allows the writer to explain things to the viewers as they are explained to her.

At the moment the title character is something of a mystery himself, his background only sketched in. It's established that a long-running feud exists between him and Canon Black, but the origins and exact nature of that dispute have not been fully explained. There was some nice foreshadowing, especially when Strange consciously puts away a personal photo that a curious Jude tries to sneak a look at.

Of course, no TV programme can be perfect, and there were some flaws. Not having Strange actually appear until a quarter of the way through the episode was a mistake, and the plot is reliant on numerous coincidences. For example, when the Reverend who's been translating ancient books for Strange is attacked by the demon Azal and hospitalised, the nurse treating him is Jude, and it just so happens that the bike courier who delivers such a volume to Strange (after the Reverend has been attacked) is Jude's boyfriend Rich. Furthermore, it just so happens that Jude's young son has stumbled across the well of energy where Azal periodically re-charges himself, and (in the biggest coincidence of all) it just so happens that Rich actually was Azal all along!

If it sounds like I'm knocking the writer, I'm not. Strange was a low budget show, and the scriptwriter does a solid and professional job of delivering the story within budget using a limited numbers of actors and sets. That said, Strange's plan to confront Azal seems ill thought out, and he nearly comes a cropper - the only thing that saves him is action being carried out by Jude at another location, and she's not even aware of the danger Strange is in (those coincidences again).

There's also a major plothole: we're lead to believe that the reason Jude jacked in her job as a top notch researcher and became a nurse was because of constant needling from Rich/Azal, and he did this because he feared that she would come across century-old photos of him in human form. Even if she had, what did Azal think was going to happen?
Now, I don't know about you, but if I came across photos on line of someone from long ago who looked remarkably like somebody I know, my reaction would be "what an amazing likeness" and I'd think no more of it. I wouldn't say "good grief, this means whatisname must be immortal."

Final verdict: the first episode gets Strange off to a good start.

[fenris]

Warning to anyone who's not seen the second episode of Strange - spoilers follow.

Episode #2: Zoxim.

Now established as both friends and an effective demon-hunting team, Strange and Jude investigate a series of deaths in which people are apparently being killed in unrelated hit-and-run incidents. But Canon Black - who seems to have a lot of sway with the authorities - is covering up the fact that the victims were actually aged to death...

Once again, coincidence pays a large part in the proceedings, as most of the victims - plus other individuals unknowingly involved in the killings - are personally known to Strange and Jude. However, this is merely once again the scriptwriter maximising a limited number of actors and locations.

More regrettable is the subplot suggesting that a real-life medical condition that results in rapid aging might actually be caused by demons, which seems in questionable taste, especially considering that children with this condition die at an early age.

At times it also appears that the writer can't make his mind up about key story elements. We're told that two of the demon Zoxim's victims were specifically targeted because they posed a direct threat to her, but it also appears that both were killed because they just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. (Unless of course, instead of tracking them down, Zoxim was relying on the extremely slim chance that both intended victims would catch a certain bus at a certain time - and amazingly they both did!)

There's an eerie climax set on a driverless double decker bus racing through the streets full of ghosts, but the way in which the demon is defeated is sadly uninspired - would magic really be so time code specific?

Final verdict: a solid, if unremarkable episode that builds well on the foundations laid in the pilot.

[fenris]

Episode #3: Kaa-Jinn.

From what I've read on-line, this episode was originally supposed to follow on from the pilot - and it shows.

At the beginning, although relaxed in each other's company, Jude and Strange clearly haven't spoken for some months, and aren't as comfortable and informal as they were portrayed in 'Zoxim'. Also, several references are made about Jude still coming to terms with her boyfriend Rich 'leaving her'.

Hopefully, if and when Strange is finally released on DVD, the broadcast order will be ignored and 'Kaa-Jinn' will precede 'Zoxim'.

Continuity matters aside, 'Kaa-Jinn' is an entertaining episode as Strange investigates the disappearance of a priest that seems to be linked with the accidental (?) death of a choirboy who was hit by a train while crossing the tracks. What sparks Strange's interest is that the boy's leg was severed by the impact - and nobody's seen it since.

It all results in a somewhat rushed and visually confusing climax at a tattoo parlour, as Strange and Jude must tackle not only with the Eastern demon Kaa-Jinn, but also his resurrected master, who possesses the power to "make the world tremble."

As usual, there are several flaws: there is a genuinely surprising plot-twist that unfortunately makes no sense, as it totally ignores the fact that tattoos take days to heal. Also, Kaa-Jinn's scheme requires at least six people to have identical tattoos on different parts of their bodies - how did he persuade them to have that specific design on that particular body part? It's never hinted that he used magic or some other means to convince them. Supposing someone insisted on having the tattoo on their left arm when Kaa-Jinn already had a left arm?

In addition, despite the fact that we 're informed he has the power to destroy the world, when Kaa-Jinn's demonic master makes his appearance in the finale, he looks rather nonthreateningly like a middle-aged man in a nappy. Plus Strange is able to hurt him by kneeing him in the groin. Ho hum...

Final verdict: despite the weaknesses mentioned above, this episode represents only a minor dip in quality, and doesn't disgrace itself.

[Daemonic Jackal]

when i originally saw strange i didnt like to me it was part X-files (which for me is the benchmark when it comes to sci-fi) part buffy and part jonathan creek but not as good as any of them. it seemed to like it was just ripping off other shows and ian richardsons character was way to similar to the cigarette smoking man. saying that though i wasnt a big fan of sci-fi back then as i am now so maybe it if i watched one or two i might change my opinion.

but i was never impressed with strange which is a shame cus its probably one the best names for a sc-fil show you could ever have, so simple yet so effective.

[fenris]

Episode #4: Costa Burra.

A slight change in format in this episode. Previously, each story has followed roughly the same template: mysterious deaths occur, Strange and Jude investigate, cross paths with Canon Black as he tries to cover things up, eventually identify and uncover a demon, then destroy it in a final confrontation.

However, this time the story works almost in reverse: Jude and Strange discover that Black is preventing a researcher from opening a tomb, and (working on the logic that everything Black does is suspicious) they proceed to investigate.
Eventually, deaths by supernatural causes do occur - the irony being that if everyone listened to Black, it could have all been avoided.

Beginning with a marvelous and lengthy opening sequence set in 1908, the episode makes good use of two fixtures of Irish folklore - the banshee and the 'death coach' (the latter has only appeared on television once before, in an episode of an early 1970s American series called The Sixth Sense, in which the coach pursued a airliner across the night sky). Further development of Strange's past - including how he encountered his first demon - is also touched upon.

Sadly though, despite a clever twist and a spectacular scene of the death coach bursting out of a brick wall, the episode's climax is slightly disappointing: with Jude and Strange seemingly done for, the latter basically just talks the banshee into giving up. But that is the only minus mark in an otherwise above-average episode.

Final verdict: best entry in the series so far.

[fenris]

Episode #5 - Incubus.

For most of it's running time, this episode is truly excellent. Unfortunately, it then stumbles at the final hurdle.

The storyline contains an intriguing number of plot-threads, concerning a young woman who is viciously attacked and almost killed in her flat (disturbingly, her assailant later visits her in hospital and finishes her off); the woman's flatmate turning vigilante and trying to hunt down the person responsible; a feud between a pair of animal rights activists and the owner of a safari park; and a female vicar (an old friend of Strange) who's having trouble with a nasty rodent-like creature that's ripping apart the tins in her larder and terrifying her dog.

Watching the episode, I knew that somehow all these separate strands were somehow going to be revealed as all linking together, but I had absolutely no idea how the writer was going to do it.
It's eventually achieved with a plot twist that's so outlandish I don't know whether to express disbelief at how ludicrous it was, or congratulate the writer for his ingenuity and audacity.

What I am certain about is that the story's climax is practically a repeat of the third episode's finale: not only do we once again have Jude strapped to a table and Strange barging in to rescue her, but it's extremely rushed and badly edited. A pity that an instalment that starts and continues so strongly, should conclude so poorly.

Final verdict: despite the disappointing ending, this is the series highpoint.

[fenris]

Episode #6: Dublik.

Strange continues to impress, with almost every episode surpassing the one preceding it. 'Dublik' is a wonderfully multi-layered installment, with the writer crucially taking his time to tell the story, as well as introducing a handful of supporting characters and giving them room to develop and breathe.

The mystery at the centre of the story is the best in the series thus far, and the realisation of the vampire-like Dublik's true nature is extremely well handled. This latter element also allows Strange to have it's first 'Demon of the Week' that is portrayed by a (quite impressive) special effect, as opposed to an actor with glowing eyes.

The episode also ends on a strong note, with a subtle but effective curtain-raiser to the next/final installment.

The only quibble I have with 'Dublik' is that it continues a trend established in previous episodes: during the course of their enquiries, Strange and Jude encounter a kindred spirit in the form of an East European girl who's followed the Dublik to England in order to stop it. But despite the fact that the girl has extensive knowledge & experience of the Dublik, at the climax, it's Strange and Jude alone who battle the creature.
Similar situations occurred in Episode #4, which featured a young Irish taxicab driver whose family had hunted the banshee for centuries, and in Episode #5 with the vigilante flatmate. In both cases, the story concluded with Jude and Strange destroying the respective demons, while the guest characters - who arguably had more reason/justification to be involved in the final confrontation - were nowhere to be seen.
I realise that Jude and Strange are the main characters and the stars of the series, but it seems odd that this apparent oversight keeps happening.

Final verdict: if you only see one episode of Strange, make it this one.

[fenris]

Warning to anyone who's not seen the final episode of Strange - spoilers follow.

Episode #7: Asmoth.

Strange concludes with a tension-filled installment that not only confounds the audience by refusing to do what the viewer expects, but also successfully pulls the rug out from under our feet not once, but twice.

With the stage seemingly set for Strange to re-encounter Asmoth, the demon who seriously wounded him and killed his fiance, not only does the individual responsible for leaving gnawed human bones (Asmoth's calling card) at several locations turn out to be just a human (but still very dangerous) cannibalistic serial killer, but Asmoth himself is revealed to just be an absentee red herring.

Instead, another old enemy makes an unexpected return - Azal, who was apparently destroyed in the first episode. He first appears to former lover Jude in a dream, but he's clearly not just a figment of her imagination, as he informs her of things that she would have had no way of knowing independently. Then he makes his presence felt in the episode's finale, when it's revealed that he's taken up residence in his and Jude's son (or at the very least can channel himself through the boy).

Another unexpected development is that Strange himself plays no part in the episode's climax, having been arrested, thrown into the overnight cells, and beaten up by overenthusiastic coppers. This is due to a zealous detective (played by veteran character actor Jim Carter) who's convinced that Strange was responsible for the murders carried out by Asmoth several years earlier. This new character is a terrific foil for Strange, and had the series continued to a second series, might have proved a more effective thorn in Strange's side than Canon Black.

But it wasn't to be, and ultimately Strange fades out with the title character in a coma, Jude at his bedside loyally clutching his hand, Asmoth still out there somewhere, Canon Black up to who knows what, and Azal reborn through his son.

Yet somehow it feels right. Although cut short - and I would loved to have seen how further seasons would have developed - this was never a series that was going to have a nice, clean-cut, happy ending.

Short-lived it may have been, but Strange is an impressive show that deserves respect.

[fenris]

Strange is being repeated on the (British) Sci-Fi channel at 21:00 on Tuesdays, starting 02/10/07. I assuming the timing is intended to capitalise on the publicity for Richard Coyle's new ITV1 series, The Whistleblowers.

To anyone out there who's not seen Strange, I urge you to give it a try. It was the closest thing to Hex that British television had produced prior to the genuine article coming along (it pre-dated Hex by a year).

If you had never heard of Strange, but stumbled across it while channel-hopping one night, you could easily mistake it for an unpublicised Hex spin-off.

[orokiah]

Thanks for the heads up fenris; I really enjoyed this series the last time they repeated it on Sci Fi. Very dark and absorbing and the late Ian Richardson was as excellent as always in it. Perhaps with Whistleblowers and Samantha Janus now being in EastEnders it'll attract a teeny bit bigger an audience, if only for curiosity's sake.

Shame there's still no sign of a DVD release though.

[fenris]

orokiah said:

Shame there's still no sign of a DVD release though.

Considering that practically every other British telefantasy series ever made seems to have been released on DVD, the fact that a recent effort such as Strange sits gathering dust in the archives is both a mystery and a crime. Maybe one day...

I watched the pilot episode when it was repeated this week, and I'm still amazed by how enjoyable Strange is. It's a shame it didn't find an audience. I think it had the misfortune of being too early - two years later New Who came along, achieved sky-high ratings, and single-handedly reintroduced science-fiction to the mainstream. If Strange had debuted after Who's success, it probably would have been a hit.

[dianabz]

It saddens me that Strange was no released on DVD. I liked it lots when it came out - although tuned in because I used to have a thing for Richard Coyle.

I wanted a seacond series but it seems the shows I like that aren't your mainstream Dr. Who stuff gets dropped like a hot potato. Sure I like horror a lot and it isn't all that popular in the ratings so this may explain things a bit.