Showtrial season 2 review: Does the BBC crime drama live up to season 1?

As a seasoned gamer of crime dramas with over two decades under my belt, I must say that the return of BBC’s Showtrial for its second season is nothing short of exhilarating. Having witnessed the high-stakes drama unfold in the first season, I was eager to see how they would tackle a new case while keeping the suspense and intrigue intact.

A while back, the BBC program “Showtrial” followed an intriguing murder case right up to the point where the jury announced who was responsible for the crime.

If you enjoyed the sharp crime series, here’s some great news – it returns for a fresh season! However, be cautious if you had strong attachments to the original characters, as this time around, there’s a complete shift in the cast as they delve into a new high-profile murder investigation.

Located in Brighton, although its five-episode run was filmed in Belfast giving it a different appearance from the actual city, our current victim is prominent environmental advocate Marcus Calderwood. While he was out cycling, a vehicle crashed into him from behind.

In his final moments, he identifies a copper as the guilty party, dubbed Officer X. X is unmasked as one PC Justin Mitchell (Michael Socha), who is completely unbothered by the damning heap of evidence against him. He takes a sort of cocky Joker merriment in the rigmarole of police interrogation and deploying his seemingly bogus alibis.

There’s been a continuous flow of fresh disclosures – such as the details behind Mitchell’s grudge against Calderwood – making one question if Mitchell actually committed the act, leading to an ongoing debate in your mind.

In the story, Mitchell approaches lawyer Sam Malik (portrayed by Adeel Akhtar in “Fool Me Once”), hoping for his representation due to Malik’s renowned success with seemingly hopeless cases involving guilty parties. Unlike Saul Goodman, Malik is not a manipulative charmer; instead, he appears indifferent about everything – this becomes clearer as the narrative unfolds. In reality, it seems that Malik is the one in greater distress, not just existentially but also personally.

Similar to the first season of Showtrial, we move back and forth between the prosecution and investigating officers, led by tough-as-nails DI Miles Southgate (Joe Dempsie) and Leila Hassoun-Kenny (Nathalie Armin). Since the suspect is a police officer, it adds an intriguing twist that the Brighton Police Department must bring in detectives from another force to handle the case. This sets up a thought-provoking “Who guards the guardians?” scenario.

Details about the situation are gradually released, providing glimpses into the public uproar surrounding the case. A journalist characterizes Calderwood’s death as a politically motivated assassination. This is an issue that the police are acutely aware of due to anti-police sentiments and a prevailing narrative influencing public perception.

If you’ve caught up with the last season of Showtrial or Netflix’s series Trial By Media, you might find the discussion on the role of media in trial outcomes familiar. However, don’t worry if it seems repetitive, as there are plenty of other intriguing aspects to explore.

Like a teetering Jenga tower, in just five snappy episodes, there is idea balanced atop idea, and it’s a lot to get to grips with. Once we get to the mention of dodgy extra-judicial killings in Colombia, it starts to become a bit much.

The drum most loudly hammered regards issues within policing. “It’s not just a bad apple, the basket itself is rotten,” says the same journalist as before at a press conference.

There’s nepotism, public skepticism, mishandling of evidence, offensive group conversations among officers, and dark humor that becomes clearer when you see the awful situations these officers are dealing with.

Through a balanced perspective on both parties involved, we adopt a two-sided viewpoint in the discussion. As one officer questions him during interrogation, he wonders aloud, “Who stands with us?” Ben Richards’ writing remains swift, but subtleties are not his primary flavor.

In this narrative, the storyline, characters, and minor plots are all driven by relevant issues. Keeping tabs on who’s who might require a cheat-sheet due to the multitude of first names, surnames, and occasional nicknames used.

In contrast to the first season’s university student character whose death evoked strong emotions, Calderwell serves as a symbol rather than an individual to mourn, despite his role in climate activism being overshadowed by other aspects.

Absolutely! Despite its overly dramatic elements, this fast-paced crime investigation transforming into a legal trial will undoubtedly captivate audiences.

You can catch the court trial starting from 6 am this coming Sunday, October 6, on BBC iPlayer. It will then be broadcast on BBC One every Sunday evening at 9 pm.

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2024-10-01 11:19