The Lemon Fool

I do like Silent Witness and realise it's just entertainment but isn't some of the "investigation" just a bit far fetched ?

This week , a nub-end is spotted being flicked out the 4x4 on a CCTV video , low and behold it's still there , not swept up , when the team descend to search the site.
Last week an imprint of the letter H on a body yields that they know it was caused by the young lady laying on a grate made by Hardy & Co (or whoever) and that grate is easily found inside some remote storm drain . I'm not a drain expert but reckon that would be amazing research .

Having said all that , I'll still be looking forward to Part 2 on Tuesday !

i like the actors and characters in this series , but the writing seems poor to me.

I missed last evening's episode but overall I am surprised that pathologists play such a hands on role in investigations. I thought they merely attended those crime where bodies have been found, passed on their expert opinions to the Police and performed post mortems but this series suggests they play a much fuller role. Of course their role in the TV series might be simply enhanced for dramatic effect. In any event I enjoy the series and will download the episodes I have missed.

I agree. It does sometimes seem to be amazingly badly researched. Maybe they have run out of good ideas? Or writers who know what they're talking about? In the street gangs episode of the last series they declared the perp would "get several years for statutory rape". Which is an American crime, not a British one. And in this country extremely unlikely the 19yo gang leader would even be charged for sex with a 15yo, let alone get a custodial sentence.

Gryff

Mike88 wrote:I missed last evening's episode but overall I am surprised that pathologists play such a hands on role in investigations. I thought they merely attended those crime where bodies have been found, passed on their expert opinions to the Police and performed post mortems but this series suggests they play a much fuller role. Of course their role in the TV series might be simply enhanced for dramatic effect. In any event I enjoy the series and will download the episodes I have missed.

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anyone wonder if these "forensic pathologists" actually exist anywhere in the real world ?

anyone wonder if these "forensic pathologists" actually exist anywhere in the real world ?

They do but

Forensic pathology is probably the most high profile of all the pathological specialties, but is relatively small in terms of number of practitioners.

which is a quote from The Royal College of Pathologists website.

Can't say too much in case anyone is yet to watch it but it's almost like they ran out of viewing time and a chunk was edited out to suit . Maybe it was just me or anyone else a bit confused ?

poundcoin wrote:Can't say too much in case anyone is yet to watch it but it's almost like they ran out of viewing time and a chunk was edited out to suit . Maybe it was just me or anyone else a bit confused ?

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another fine mess - poor writing - awful dialogue .

the previous series with same actors was far better .

Missus M tells me SW peaked about 2 series after Amanda Burton left - that must be getting on for 10 years ago - and has got increasingly ridiculous since. It certainly seems to have jumped the shark now.

I always preferred Shouty Man (aka Trevor Eve) in Waking The Dead which used to air/compete at a similar time.

poundcoin wrote:I do like Silent Witness and realise it's just entertainment but isn't some of the "investigation" just a bit far fetched ?

This week , a nub-end is spotted being flicked out the 4x4 on a CCTV video , low and behold it's still there , not swept up , when the team descend to search the site.
Last week an imprint of the letter H on a body yields that they know it was caused by the young lady laying on a grate made by Hardy & Co (or whoever) and that grate is easily found inside some remote storm drain . I'm not a drain expert but reckon that would be amazing research .

Well, as you say, it is just entertainment!

I thought the cigarette thing a bit unlikely myself in the first place. But... no, I think that is plausible provided not too much time had elapsed.
To be fair to the 'H' thing, to me they didn't know what caused it, that was the point. On searching a site for the discarded or hidden weapon they looked in a drain that was in the area, found the knife and also noticed the H from the manufacturer's trademark.

The main criticism of the whole thing is that in real life they would not get involved in all this sleuthing in the first place - that's supposed to be the police's job. But then, the series has to be about more than cutting up dead bodies.

P.S. I do dislike the theme music.

moorfield wrote:I always preferred Shouty Man (aka Trevor Eve) in Waking The Dead which used to air/compete at a similar time.

Now that was OTT!
I believe I originally gave up watching when it was originally on. Liked the actors etc - couldn't take any more repetitive flashbacks. (Probably more in the earlier series)

And I hated the theme music even more than on Silent Witness!

XFool wrote:
The main criticism of the whole thing is that in real life they would not get involved in all this sleuthing in the first place - that's supposed to be the police's job. But then, the series has to be about more than cutting up dead bodies.

Sounds even more far fetched in next weeks final episode(s) of this series .
Ms Fox was on this morning's TV saying they are going to Mexico to investigate some drug related crime .
A good jolly for everyone (though think she said it was actually filmed in Tenerife!).

On balance I much prefer Nicola Walker and Unforgotten .

poundcoin wrote:Ms Fox was on this morning's TV saying they are going to Mexico to investigate some drug related crime .
A good jolly for everyone (though think she said it was actually filmed in Tenerife!).

I always take it as a warning sign when a popular UK drama series goes with a plot set in foreign parts.

I gave up on Silent Witness several series ago, even OH who is a massive fan of Miss Fox found the plots improbable and badly written. I have to agree with Poundc Forgotten is great, so understated and brilliantly acted, no stupid car chases and odd beggars who have occasional flashes of brilliance and solve everything.

R6

Must say that I've found the plots in Silent Witness farfetched in the extreme with the least likely of clues uncovered in the least likely of ways even given today's technology.
Doesn't help that I think that Ms. Fox must suffer from some form of facial and laryngeal paralysis given the po-faced, remote character she has to play. Too many series are continued when it must be clear that much of their success depended on the original cast.

quelquod wrote: Too many series are continued when it must be clear that much of their success depended on the original cast.

True and getting back to "Unforgotten" that just wouldn't be the same without Nicola Walker .
Excellent writing can't wait for next weeks episode after her final comment last week .
They do seem to have adopted a bit of a Columbo approach with her though . When she is leaving after interviewing suspects and they think they have got away with it , she stops at the door and asks a final searching question .

quelquod wrote:Too many series are continued when it must be clear that much of their success depended on the original cast.

In many cases yes, but I don't think that is true of Silent Witness. It was rubbish when Amanda Burton was in it cos she was ALWAYS right. It wasn't worth anyone else being there. IMO best few series were the ones just after she left, as another poster as already suggested. In this case it is writing, not characters, that is the problem.

Gryff

poundcoin wrote:

quelquod wrote:.

..
They do seem to have adopted a bit of a Columbo approach with her though . When she is leaving after interviewing suspects and they think they have got away with it , she stops at the door and asks a final searching question .

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this is normal practice in most detective soaps -- and in my experience HMRC !

( i was entirely innocent though )

With this thread in mind, yesterday evening I watched a 2006 episode of Silent Witness. Honestly I can say the plot was ridiculous to the point that a schoolkid confounded the experts by suggesting the murder victim was a guitar player because the body had short nails on its left hand. While this observation was undoubtedly true I would ask why a 15 year old was allowed to see a dead body in the first place. This kid was allowed into the room where post mortums were performed and spent time hanging around the Lyle Centre while others were trying to work. If that was an example of the older plots being better then I must disagree with those posters who believe that writing on early episodes of SW is superior to current offerings.

For those nostalgic posters, past episodes of Silent Witness is shown on the Drama Channel on Sundays at 9pm.

Won't say too much in case others haven't watched it yet but after bulling up Unforgotten , I must say I thought the ending was a bit unlikely .
In fact I must have missed a vital piece of the plot as I'm unsure who did what to who !