Whitechapel Series 1 [DVD]

Whitechapel is a dark series that gets darker over four seasons. I rate season 4 three stars and the first three seasons a dwindling five stars.An assortment of idiosyncratic, well-developed, and well-played (if not always likeable) characters investigate sets of serial murderers. The main character is DI Chandler, a novice w/ friends in high places, who struggles with serious, but not quite incapacitating, obsessive compulsive disorder. His sidekick is DS Miles, a seasoned detective who resents what he sees as Chandler’s ineptitude but ultimately credits his OCD for progress in their work. They are aided by Edward Buchan, a highly competent crime historian fancied by Chandler and despised by Miles. He is not on the payroll, but Buchan, an expert on the Jack the Ripper, at least initially supports himself by conducting Ripper tours of London and selling books. Several other well developed characters round out the team.In each of the first two seasons, three episodes address a single basic story line. In the first, by helping to stop a Jack the Ripper copycat, Buchan is discovered. In the second, hampered by insiders on and off the team and aided by Buchan, Chandler and Miles bring down an infamous gang resurrected a couple of decades after the incarceration of its now dead founder.Each of the remaining two seasons has six episodes. Episodes in the third season appear in pairs with three story lines addressing different sets of murders. The final season addresses two discrete strings of murder, but the story lines are integrated. The final scene seems to set the stage for more. Alas, that was not to be. Whatever the cause, cancellation appears unrelated to ratings. Rated at 4.6, the final season beats the first’s 4.4 and the second’s 4.5 ratings.Reviews of season 4 foretelling increasingly explicit mayhem coupled with paranormal overlays, made me reluctant to continue. For those similarly put off by gore, not to mention paranormal folderol, I must say that, fascinated by Chandler, Miles, Buchan, and other members of the team, I did continue. Moreover, I have no regrets. Others, too, may find excellent acting and further character development adequate compensation for unnecessarily grisly scenes and pithy story lines.

There are no better storytellers than the English. After all, it's their language. They also have fine actors and aren't afraid to let their characters look human, rather than like Barbie and Ken. This is an excellent police drama. We watch a number of British series on Acorn TV and Whitechapel competes with the best.

A newly minted DI gets assigned to Whitechapel in London to check his block for bigger and better things, and walks straight into a case involving a serial killer. The new DI, Joseph Chandler, doesn't meld with his hard-bitten, street-wise team at first, but they will have to learn to work together. Their mysterious opponent is meticulously recreating the reign of terror of Jack the Ripper.The storyline takes a little while to get rolling, introducing Chandler and setting up the scenario that has him and his team chasing their mysterious opponent up a series of blind alleys. With Chandler under pressure from his chain of command and the media, they frantically rehash the case files from the first Jack the Ripper for clues about the new killer. The ending is a race against time to save the Ripper's next victim. Well recommended as a different and exciting police procedural.

As British police dramas go, Whitechapel is average. The first season revolves around a serial killer who is reacting the murders of Jack the Ripper. The hero is an inexperienced police officer who has been fast tracked for promotion. If he catches the killer his will look good. If not, then he is off the fast track. His superiors are an ugly bunch of elitists and his colleagues are slackers who don't give him respect (at least initially). He suffers from OCD and has little experience with violent crime. After the first episode, this all becomes predictable and boring. I'm now watching the second season. It seems to have more promise.

Whitechapel runs red in a series of murders of women. Newly promoted Detective Inspector Chandler, tall, handsome and untried must prove to the men in his division that he has what it takes and is not simply an expert in three day courses and police politics, i.e. boot-licking.The members of his division sneer at him at first as he successfully orders them to wear neckties, put their trash in bins and tidy up their office and take a shower now and then. Slovenly policemen do not get respect. Chandler's chief opponent is Sergeant Inspector Miles, who is the proverbial hard-boiled cynical detective. The men obey Chandler, they have to but their grumbles subside as they see their new boss develop into a leader commanding their respect. They clean up their office, don neckties, albeit garish ones,put their trash in bins, stop belching and chewing gum and lolling on desks.A Ripperologist warns that a copycat Ripper is on the lose who will one by one imitate the ghastly mutilations of 1888. Edward Buchan, the Ripper enthusiast, conducts Ripper tours and Chandler joins one of them.Buchan predicts where the killer will strike next, the officers go to that area, lounge around all night and then they hear a terrible scream....Not only are the distinct and interesting characters beautifully played but the camera crew create absolutely fantastic scenes, sometimes garish, sometimes shimmering like a mirage, sometimes lunging back and forth to portray tension, brilliant color suddenly giving way to immensely moody and terrifying thready darkness where you think you see something awful. (You do). The camera hones in on the faces, too, so close the emotions are vividly portrayed, almost in slow motion. The camera loves Chandler's beautiful hands, moving in often on his restless fingers, hands that could grace a violin. “Whitechapel” is exciting, taut and fast-moving yet strangely intimate with sharp stabs of gallows humor to alleviate the tenseness of a murder scene. It is a classy production, breathtakingly origina

His career on the line? For fastidious posh D.I. Chandler, this 2008 London East End posting was intended to be a brief stepping-stone to fast track promotion. Instead everything has gone wrong. A serial killer is on the loose, gruesomely replicating Jack the Ripper's crimes of exactly one hundred and twenty years earlier. Superiors demand quick results. The media labels him incompetent and bays for his blood. The original Ripper was never caught. What hope this time round, Chandler with subordinates so uncouth, disrespectful and smelly....Much impresses. Whilst an excellent drama in its own right, there is a fascinating look at those original murders. Dripping with atmosphere, the series is further enhanced by strong scripts and great performances. As Chandler, Rupert Penry-Jones gains sympathy as one out of his depth but rising to the formidable challenges. Phil Davis, as ever, is superb - he here abrasive D.S. Miles, cop of the old school. Steve Pemberton shines as the quirky Ripperologist, for twenty years an authority on the subject. Is he a hindrance or a help? Surely he is not playing games and be the one they seek?Only three episodes. An interesting thirty minute bonus feature. Here cast speak about their characters, creators describe research done to get Ripper details right. (Apparently there are surprisingly many Ripperologists around, probably eager to pounce on any mistakes.)So much is so good, it does not surprise three seasons were to follow.

Actually very good. Gritty and macabre, with a "hero" you don't like all that much. Enjoyed it while it lasted on Netflix, and bought it when it dissappered. The first series I found was much better than the rest, maybe cause it's the copycat of Jack The Ripper. All in all superior to Ripper Street, which it has been compared to

The 19th century Jack the Ripper mystery mocks our 21st century heroes’ attempts to solve present day copycat murders. The DI (Rupert Penry Jones) is a fast track hooray and his case-hardened DS (Phil Davis), isn’t. The modern day lack of gaslight, smoggy miasma and carriage wheels clattering over cobbles is more than made up for by original camera techniques and the professional fog that initially chokes their investigation. The clever parallels between then and now place a heavy burden on the detail of the original murders which the writers excel at through the device of a creepy amateur Ripperologist (Steve Pemberton). Anyone with even a passing interest in Jack the Ripper needs to see this.

Wonderful & how disappointed we were to buy Series 2 & 3 and they had no subtitles. My husband is deaf and we had to return them. Pity. Series 1 was great.

Quite an interesting new series reminds me a bit of Sherlock. Jack the Ripper returns or does he? Well there's bodies and blood for sure. The new DI (Penry-Jones) hasn't a clue what to do, brought straight in to investigate when he was on his way to the top without having to do any real police work so ofcourse that does not go down well with the team. He's floundering most of the way through but then starts to get a grip of what he can do so things start moving along and they manage to work out what is happening. It's a good start to a new series, I enjoyed it then went on to watch series 2 so it didn't put me off. Good for watching on a cold night from under the duvet!