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The quietly successful BBC legal period drama Garrow's Law returned to our screens this week for a third series. And, on the whole, it's business as usual for Mr Garrow at the Old Bailey, even if his home life has changed rather a lot following the events at the end of series two.
And, it's this very consistency that is both the greatest asset but also the biggest problem of Garrow's Law. When you tune in to watch it, you know exactly what you're going to get: a solid, well-acted hour of period drama, which will explore an interesting aspect of legal history and the very different world of trials in the late eighteenth century. There's nothing wrong with being consistent, but there's nothing exciting about it.
That's not to say that Garrow's Law is badly made, or even boring. The writing is a little clunky and expositional at times, but that's an inevitability with dramas like this. And the sets and costumes avoid the usual period drama sumptuousness, opting for a darker, more authentic feeling over opulence. Well, apart from the judges' wigs, anyway. As usual, Garrow's case is absorbing, although the people involved did feel more like vehicles for telling the tale rather than fully-developed characters. But the contemporary ideas of madness were interesting enough, and Garrow's defence was compelling enough to sustain the hour even if the character he was defending wasn't.
Unfortunately, the focus on Garrow's love life remains as strong as ever. And despite the fact that he and Sarah are now lovers, living together following her separation from Sir Arthur, it all feels pretty much the same as it did before, just with slightly less hats and slightly more kissing. It's a pity, because the actors deserve better and I really feel like I should care about her son, but I just can't. Still, Olivia Grant and Rupert Graves do make a pretty good pair of villains, so hopefully the story will pick up as Sarah is force to face up to Sir Arthur.
The acting, as expected, is top notch. Of the one-off characters in this episode. Clive Russell had a lovely cameo as the custodian of the asylum. And even if Silvester's continued attempts to destroy Garrow are getting as tired as the scenes of William making puppy-dog eyes at Sarah, Aidan McArdle manages to bring enough of a twinkle to the role to make it work. My love for Alun Armstrong shows no sign of abating, and I like Southouse even more for his distrust of Sarah and Garrow. Lyndsey Marshal is as vulnerable yet imposing as ever, and the rather gorgeous Andrew Buchan continues to make Garrow more than just a mouth-piece for idealistic ideas.
Don't get me wrong; Garrow's Law is an engaging hour of television, thanks to some strong acting and the fact that these stories deserve to be told. I just wish they'd do something a bit unexpected with it for once.
Garrow's Law continues on Sunday at 9pm on BBC1.
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