Eternal Law

I admit it, I enjoy Eternal Law an ungodly amount every single week. The episodic plots are rarely good. The occasional weekly supporting actor can be atrocious. There are some dodgy special effects.

But the show has heart. It has a beguiling sense of optimism, hope, and the belief that love - while painful - is worthwhile. The show doesn't take itself seriously at all. It knows it is ridiculous. It's not trying to be Drama. The angel lawyers have gigantic wings that suddenly appear in scenes, with very little rhyme or reason. There are scenes in which angel lawyers smoke cigars on top of York Minster with their wings unfurled! But, and this is important, whilst the cheese is strong with this one, there are also a lot of balancing scenes. There are some good, tasty water crackers being used as a base for the cheese (with maybe a bit of pepper, if that's your thing) so that the taste isn't all boursin.

I adore all of the characters, who are well-rounded, with complex motivations and understandings. This is including the villain of the piece, Richard, who is a fallen angel, rather menacing, and yet completely hilarious every second he's on screen. There are compelling dynamics between the leads, not to mention some fantastic dialogue (after the pilot, which still had stellar lines such as "What happens if we get shot in this world?"/"Hurts to buggery.") Zak has epic angelpain, yet still manages to be wise and witty. Tom is adorably confused and on the steep learning curve that is life. Mrs Sheringham is supportive yet tortured. Hannah is oddly compelled to the craziness that is Zak Gist and his emotional temperature control of doom. It's all golden.

And it isn't merely the characters I have fun with. Apart from the somewhat dodgy SFX on occasion the show is shot beautifully, with interesting yet not jarring camera-work and York shown from every stunning vantage-point. The music and credits are similarly quality work.

I am very much looking forward to buying the DVDs. And whilst I doubt there will be a second series, I will jump for joy if there is one. Eternal Law makes me happy. It isn't High Art, but that doesn't mean it isn't good. It is, in its own, special, way. When it's good, it's wonderful, when it's bad, it's laughable. But I am never, ever bored.

Have watched a few episodes now and think the series is great. People are always saying we do not have any new ideas for dramas and then when one comes along they are over critical, judging by some of the reviews.

Even the opening titles are enjoyable. Being a critic does not mean you only have to criticise.

Just sit back and enjoy a great series cleverly written with a fantastic cast and excellent acting. The stories about the Court Cases are interesting and involved and the back story about the Lawers is intriguing. To explain the concept to someone who has not seen an episode it may appear bizarre and I watched the first episode just to try it out but I was very pleasantly surprised and it is quickly becoming my favourite series.

I am really enjoying the individuality of the characters and their strangeness. The stories are enjoyable and so far have had the endings I prefer, but I doubt that will continue throughout, else characters like Richard Pembroke would be wasted.

The only drawback I see is that so far, several of the characters are exactly like they are in the places I know them from. I immediately recognized Zak Gist (Samuel West) as Siegfried Farnon (All Creatures Great & Small), then Richard Pembroke (Tobias Menzies) as "Black Jack" Randall (Outlander), and Mack Steen as Argus Filch (Harry Potter).

Pembroke's likeness to Jack Randall makes me detest him at least as much as I'm supposed to do, and Gist frustrates me just as Siegfried does, but he does have that likeable side as well.

Each angel has its quirks, and their struggles are interesting and endearing. One moment they are angelic, and the next they are very human. I am very entertained and interested to see what comes next.

This series hit me in so many ways - it had intrigue, Machievellian plots and soul. I really don't think it was promoted enough so that it reached enough people. Perhaps show series one again and see how it goes down. Promote it effectively and see how it goes. The characters were utterly believable despite the whole 'are angels real, or not?' question. It also took in a beautiful location that will appeal to not only the Brits but any foreign visitors to the UK who have visited York. I particularly liked the segue between every day people that the 'lawyers' served and the angelic realm. The end notes of each program where you saw the angels on top of York minster in their true angelic forms, when they hashed over the last case always showed the angst experienced by the angels while dealing with the case. Please just try again with this and promote it professionally.

I'm surprised this got such a bad rating. It's the kind of quirky TV series the Brits are so good at. The subject matter is a little off- putting to the first time viewer (angel lawyers, really?!) but shouldn't be as this is a good old-fashioned human drama and the angelic theme is just a good guy/bad guy spin. In fact if you are tuning in expecting to see a 'Supernatural'-esque show you are more likely to be disappointed. It could have just have easily been a courtroom drama and in that respect it delivers. The angelic element adds a little mystery, and the city of York is the kind of backdrop where you can believe mortals and eternals could mix. Whilst it might not be the best-written series on TV, it's also not worth a 5.6 rating.

Doesn't look like it will return for a series 2 but if you can catch series 1 somewhere - on DVD or demand - well worth a watch.