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It has been said of Silent Witness that its premise is fairly implausible. The idea that forensic pathologists could take an active part in a murder investigation, accompany detectives in interviewing suspects and even investigate by themselves is pretty far-fetched. However, as a seasoned crime-drama viewer, I know that plausibility is not the most vital element of a programme such as this - just look at Midsommer Murders. Now admittedly series 14 did take things a little far, with Harry being shot in the face and set on fire and then managing to come back to life, kill a pimp, expose corrupt diplomats, take on the mafia, and deliver a baby all in one day. Things did get a little out of control.
The thing is, I don’t care. Despite the improbable storylines and implausibly attractive and well-adjusted pathologists, the fact that Silent Witness is so well executed means that even fourteen series on, it is still one of the best crime-dramas on TV. Yes Nikki wears stilettos in the lab while slicing and dicing, but the acting is good, the characters and their relationships are well written and have evolved over time, with love interests that keep us hoping as much as any soap, and there are plenty of gory scenes of sawing through skulls and investigating stomach contents to relish from the comfort of the sofa. Besides, its American counterpart CSI redefines implausibility and no one cares. The fact is that without the beautiful people, gung-ho investigations and poetic license with the facts, I would have spent my Tuesday evenings watching dead people being chopped up for an hour and that would have been no fun at all.
Series fourteen began with a psychiatrist who is crazier than his patients. The murderer turns out to be his daughter who is even crazier than he is. Even Nikki goes a bit mental. This episode did a great job manipulating the viewer’s imagination and gave a great sense of characters’ troubled minds with its twisty-turny plot and confused editing. We moved on to an investigation set on wild moors and peat bogs, with well-preserved bodies being poked and prodded with great enthusiasm and distinctly off country-types who said things like ‘Arrr’. Episode three’s look at army secrecy covered some well-trodden ground with great aplomb while the aforementioned brilliantly sill Hungarian episode also featured one of the best cliff-hangers I’ve seen in a long time. I had a similarly enthusiastic reaction to the final episode, which clearly took a lot of inspiration from The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and carried it off very well. I’ve never quite trusted the Dutch - I think it’s the accent or possibly that they seem overly friendly - and this episode did not help reconcile me to what is no doubt a very trustworthy nation.
From the moment the really creepy opening credits began this series all the way through many a grisly murder to the very last scene of Leo‘s MBE and a thinly veiled Emilia Fox pregnancy, Silent Witness kept me coming back for more, and more is still what I want.
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