Yahoo News 6 things Luther needs to fix in series 5
We love Luther. It's not high art, nor is it particularly smart. By star Idris Elba's own admission, it's a heightened, even outlandish, drama with our anti-hero John chasing down villains in a grim, gothic London where it never stops raining. Like Batman in Hackney Wick.
But it's always been popcorn entertainment of the highest order. That is, until the show's most recent outing – a 2015 two-parter – which left a large proportion of fans and critics feeling unsatisfied.
We here at Digital Spy noted how, after a promising start, the concluding chapter fell flat. Den of Geek similarly called it a "muted effort", the Express branded it "unsatisfying" and The Telegraph argued that Luther "felt like a show that's run out of good ideas".
Over in the States, things weren't much sunnier. The Boston Globe suggested that "Luther, whose first season remains its best, is going on too long", with the New York Times agreeing that "there's a sense of going through the motions. It's hard to be a bad-ass forever."
So, with filming on a fifth series now underway, how can Luther rediscover its spark and restore John's bad-ass credentials? We've got a few suggestions.
1. Bring back Alice Morgan
Alice! Where the f**k is Alice?!
Let's deal with this one straight out of the gate – Ruth Wilson's psychotic but seductive Alice Morgan was a fascinating figure and the perfect counterpoint to Elba's John Luther (who's every bit as damaged, but revels in it rather less).
The Catwoman to his Dark Knight, Wilson's commitment to award-winning US drama The Affair prevented her from taking part in Luther's fourth series, which was a large part of why the series felt so underwhelming.
Not only was the two-parter missing that John/Alice spark, but the means by which Alice was dispatched were seriously lacklustre. She was apparently killed off-screen – drowned by the murderous Megan (Laura Haddock) – though the whole thing was laden with heavy ambiguity as to whether Megan really did the deed, and as to whether Alice was really sleeping with the fishes at all.
It was obvious that Luther writer Neil Cross wanted to address Alice's absence while still leaving the door a little ajar for a possible future comeback. But if she is to depart the series for good, we need an exit more concrete and satisfying than that.
Alice must return, even if it is just go out in a proper blaze of glory.
2. Resolve Megan's fate
The limp climax to Alice's story also damaged the effectiveness of series four's antagonist, Megan. Confronted by John in the two-parter's closing sequence, Megan teases that she "perhaps" had a motive for hurting Alice, before adding with a smile, "But I didn't."
Again, the intention clearly was to leave a little room to manoeuvre when it came to Alice's fate, but without any solid proof as to Megan's crimes, it was unclear how afraid of her we – and John – should be. Was she a credible threat, or just cruel and deluded?
John might've promised to even the score with Megan ("I'm coming for you!") but with Laura Haddock absent from series five's confirmed cast list, it looks as though Luther might be looking to move on from the whole thing as quickly as possible.
Perhaps Haddock's involvement is being concealed so a surprise can be sprung on us later – but if that's not the case, here's hoping the show does at least go some way to resolving her (and Alice's) fate.
3. Give Luther a worthy nemesis
John Luther is an endlessly intriguing anti-hero, played with heaps of charisma by powerhouse Elba. Which can make finding an opponent to match him quite tricky.
The first series delivered with DCI Ian Reed. Luther's most loyal friend, corrupt cop Ian betrayed John to save his own skin and cover up his involvement in a heist gone wrong. Sympathetically portrayed by the superb Steven Mackintosh, Reed was a compelling foe whose actions also cost John dearly when he accidentally killed his ex-wife Zoe (Indira Varma).
Series three's tortured vigilante Tom Marwood was another sympathetic nemesis who presented a genuine threat. Played by the imposing Elliot Cowan, Marwood brutally offed loyal DS Justin Ripley (Warren Brown).
Otherwise, though, many of Luther's adversaries have been one-note monsters with gruesome tics in place of compelling personalities. Series five needs to deliver another complex rival, one who's either physically or psychologically intimidating (or both), who can really damage John... even if that means we need to lose another beloved cast member.
4. Don't just rely on chills and spills
Which leads us to our next point… Luther has never been afraid to get a little grisly, but when the series is at its best, the carnage has a reason to exist; the trail of bodies that Ian Reed left behind, which ultimately led to his downfall, or the many victims who fell prey to Marwood, convincing an ill-fated Ripley to try and bring down the vigilante alone.
The show's at its weakest when it relies on spills, chills and things that go bump in the night in place of a strong plot, rather than using murder and mayhem as a catalyst.
While the concluding chapters of series three involved the more substantial Marwood arc, earlier episodes featured the serial killer Paul Ellis (Kevin Fuller). His slayings offered plenty of nightmarish moments – you'll never forget the moment he slides out from under a sleeping victim's bed – but little else. He killed a bunch of people, horribly, then Luther caught him. That was it. Sound and fury, signifying nothing.
Luther wouldn't be Luther without the violence and viscera. But it can't just be about that.
5. Don't write out the sidekick
DS Justin Ripley was the heart of Luther and while writing the character out was unquestionably a powerful gut-punch, the show's never quite managed to replace him.
Rose Leslie showed promise as Ripley's successor DS Emma Lane, who joined John to hunt down a cannibal killer in series four, but she won't be returning for this year's follow-up. Instead, Wunmi Mosaku – who's making a bit of a career out of playing stern cops after similar roles in Kiri and The End of the F***ing World – will step in as new recruit DS Catherine Halliday.
Fingers crossed that BAFTA winner Mosaku sticks around for any potential future series, allowing the show to dig deep into this new dynamic. The long-standing friendship between John and Justin helped lend some warmth, and a much-needed emotional through-line, to the grisly goings-on of the first three series.
That's something that Luther could hopefully echo with John and Catherine... so long as she's not dispatched a few episodes in.
6. Have Luther go rogue
Yes, we know what you're thinking. It's Luther – he's always bending the rules, disobeying orders and generally indulging in practices that would have any real-world copper sacked on the spot.
But later series have seen John's behaviour become accepted, almost encouraged, by his colleagues. His actions might be outrageous, but he's protected at the highest level, robbing us of much of the peril and tension of earlier outings.
It's easy to forget, but John's first boss was Det. Supt. Rose Teller (Saskia Reeves), with Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley) originally brought in as an internal affairs officer, tasked with questioning Luther over his questionable conduct.
These days, Schenk practically hero-worships John, with little exploration afforded to his swift transition from opponent to staunch supporter. If it wants to reintroduce a little of the sense of danger that pervaded the early years, Luther needs to put its lead character back on the fringes again, maybe reigniting a little of the old antagonism between him and Schenk for good measure. There's no room for a cuddly father figure in this universe.
Luther will return to BBC One later this year.
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