When we meet Tennison, she occupies the rank of detective inspector in the London police. She's new in the department, heading up an all-boys team, where she is mocked by those she outranks and disdained by those who outrank her. She earns every bit of everyone's respect because of her devotion to job, her instincts and powers of observation, and her unfailing refusal to bend under the hazing. She earns ours because of her uncompromising sense of justice despite her deep, deep flaws.
In the early days, Tennison knows she can do the job, and she knows she can outfox the men. But she has a blind spot where her personal life is concerned, and her live-in fellow (Tom Wilkinson) discards her when she fails to support him instead of concentrating on the murder case she heads. Mirren reveals volumes with an upturn of her chin or a small toss of her wedged bob. But just you wait. Between this episode and the last, we watch Mirren deepen her character, roughening her texture and bravely sharing her flaws. Making the work even more fascinating to watch, the growth occurs not over a season or two but consistently interrupted by years of working on other roles—including three of Britain's greatest queens.
By the middle episodes, Tennison is toying with giving up cigarettes but still hews to dead-end relationships with unavailable men. She will soon replace both bad habits with a nightmarish addition to alcohol. Nonetheless, she has secured a promotion to superintendent through a clever tactic; sadly, her worth alone would not have attracted the notice of the big brass. The power struggles continue, the resentments fester, but she only augments her sterling record of solving cases. By this point, Tennison's likes and dislikes, fears and certainties register fascinatingly on Mirren's face. Whether the character is more at ease with revealing her thoughts or whether Mirren is allowing them to show more, the episodes are becoming addictive.
By the series' startling conclusion, Tennison is indeed a mess. Her memory is clouded by alcohol, her judgment clouded by loneliness. Mirren is raw, absolutely without vanity, and at the top of her game in each and every frame. The character is so richly drawn, so sadly human, it's a thrill and an honor to be able to watch her being created.
Apart from the wonders of Mirren's performances, the series offers a chance to observe top-of-the-line co-stars and guest stars—including the translucent Tom Bell as Tennison's reluctant colleague, John Bowe as the first prime suspect, Stuart Wilson as the kinda-creepy psychologist, and the heartbreaking Peter Capaldi as a transvestite.
Other treasures to look for include then-unknowns Ralph Fiennes as a pensive young witness, Jonny Lee Miller as a victim of pedophilia, and James Frain as a hip young man. It's also a chance to "discover" others among the seriously gifted cast, including a cheery Sophie Stanton as a stalwart young detective and a teenage Laura Greenwood as Tennison's protégé.
Genre: Crime/Mystery. Written by: Lynda La Plante (pilot), various. Directed by: Christopher Menaul (pilot), various. Starring: Helen Mirren.