Prey Series 1-2 (2014-2015) - Review

Starring: John Simm, Philip Glenister & Rosie Cavaliero

Written By: Chris Lunt

Directed By: Nick Murphy & Lewis Arnold

Certificate: 15 

 

Prey is one of the more quiet television dramas. While many dramas receive a lot of hype, and after they've aired, a lot of awards recognition, Prey never really got that attention. I don't understand why, as ITV's trailers for Series 1 were really good and with John Simm, you've got a terrific actor at the heart of the show. That being said, Series 1 was still something of a 2014 sleeper hit, and achieved some very solid ratings, enough for ITV to commission a second series. In the second series, Philip Glenister took the lead role in the high-octane thriller, but the ratings suffered quite a slump. Was Prey just unable to maintain a faithful audience for more than one series, or has it not quite got the recognition it deserves? 

 

Series 1 follows Detective Sergeant Marcus Farrow, operating in Manchester. When Marcus comes home one night to discover his wife and son brutally murdered, the police reach the conclusion that he committed the crime. Though arrested and charged, Marcus manages to escape and goes on the run throughout the city. With the police hot on his tail, led by DCI Susan Reinhardt, Marcus has to work fast to prove that he didn't kill his wife and son, by finding the real killer. Along the way, he discovers that the murder of his family is somehow connected to a similar murder case from over ten years ago.

 

The most striking thing about Prey is the sense of gritty realism that runs over a course of three episodes. The series is hard-hitting and is surrounded by a constant sense of danger, and this is something made clear in the first few minutes of Episode 1. In a space of about five minutes, we see Marcus gushing blood, surviving a crash that leaves a van overturned, and then being hit by a lorry as he makes his escape. This realistic feel is helped by the fact that nearly all the lead characters wear little to no make-up, and a noticeably limited use of dramatic music. While there is some music present, its use is sparse and only there when it's really needed. I also read somewhere that Prey is thought to be the first mainstream show in the UK to use entirely natural lighting, and when watching, it certainly looks that way, particularly at night where the only light comes from the flashing blue lights of police cars.

 

As I've previously said, the trailers for Prey were fantastic, and even if you're not that keen to watch the show, they're still worth checking out online. The trailers put great emphasis on Marcus being chased through various urban locations, and when you sit down to watch the actual show, they don't disappoint. Prey offers plenty of frequent and exhilarating chase sequences and the stakes always feel very real. Perhaps the best of these scenes comes about at the end of Episode 2, when Reinhardt is in pursuit of Marcus on the train. There are tons of jaw-dropping moments, such as when it looks like Marcus has been hit by another train and when both he and Reinhardt end up wading their way through water, only for Marcus to finally knock her out cold.

 

Marcus as a character is pretty solid, and he clearly has an every-man appeal. Before he's forced to go on the run, we spend some time getting to know him and the people around him, and it's here that we see he's a good and well-liked detective, getting on well with people at work. However, when at home, we see a more flawed side to the character, particularly due to a troubled relationship with his wife. It's a combination of these scenes at work and those at home that make Marcus such a believable character. The character is even better thanks to a strong, powerful performance from John Simm. His performance here makes us sympathize with Marcus, as while he tries to uncover the truth, everyone and everything works against him, to the point where even his only surviving son isn't convinced that he's not a murderer. You can clearly understand why Marcus is so angry to a lot of people, and when he shouts that brilliant “I didn't do it!” line, he's fully justified in his outburst.

 

One of the best things about Series 1 is a great and fast-paced script. It's perfectly suited to a three-episode format, and each episode has something different going on. The first episode sees Marcus' world fall apart, while the second sees him try and piece the mystery together, before the third episode finally delivers some answers. I really enjoy the first episode thanks to its comparatively slower pace than the other two. It builds up and establishes the main mystery slowly, setting things up for future episodes. However, the second Marcus opens the living room door to find his dying wife covered in blood and on the floor, that's when everything kicks off. In that moment, you can almost subliminally hear the sound of a large thud, as everything collapses around Marcus. The audience stay engaged over the remaining two episodes thanks to an intriguing mystery and conspiracy that's littered with plenty of twists and turns. This mystery proves that Prey is more intelligent than just being a generic thriller, and while I won't spoil it here, it all reaches a very dark but satisfying conclusion by the end of Episode 3.

 

The biggest issue that I have with Series 1, and to some extent in Series 2, is the character of DCI Susan Reinhardt. Yes, Reinhardt is a non-nonsense detective that frequently comes close to catching Marcus, but at the same time, I really don't know just how I feel about her. While I suppose it makes a nice change to see a main character that isn't exactly charming or a role model, she sometimes comes across as so dour and depressing, that it's hard to feel anything towards her. I imagine that Reinhardt was supposed to be a down to earth and more realistic character, but it never quite feels that way. Not to mention, she's given a subplot concerning her breakup with her ex Tony, but these bits are just difficult to watch. The whole story of Reinhardt effectively stalking Tony as he tries to get on with his own family life, just feels very odd and out of place. By the end of the first series, it goes absolutely nowhere, and it never gets brought up in Series 2. It's something that's so barely explored or built upon, that it would have been better just being written out of the script.

 

In Series 2, we are faced with an almost entirely different cast, with the only returning character being Susan Reinhardt, and you don't need to have watched the first series for this one to make sense. Still, in the second series, we follow prison officer Dave Murdoch, played by Philip Glenister. In a matter of hours, Dave ends up on the wrong side of the law, when he receives a phone call whilst visiting a hospital with a prisoner. The caller demands that he brings the prisoner, Jules Hope, to him, and with his heavily pregnant daughter held hostage, Dave has no choice but to do as the caller says. But as Dave tries to save his daughter and bring Jules to the specified location, Reinhardt and the police are not far behind him.

 

Series 2 manages to keep the same thing that made the first one such a great watch, and that's its sense of realism and danger. The locations and situations that Dave finds himself in feel very realistic, to the point where you start to believe such a thing could happen in real life. There are also plenty more tense chase sequences that go well with frequent shocks and dramatic moments. For instance, there's a split-second moment in Episode 1 where a police officer gets run over by a car, and it happens so quickly and unexpectedly, that I was left stunned. Taking over in the lead role, we have Philip Glenister providing a great performance as Dave, and his character is very reminiscent of Marcus Farrow. Dave is another character with an every-man appeal – you sympathize with the terrible situation he's found himself in, but at the same time, you recognize the troubles in his life, in particular the somewhat poor relationship he has with his daughter at the start of the series. The main thing that separates Marcus and Dave though, is how well trained they are to evade being caught by Reinhardt and the police, and for me, this made for an interesting change in dynamic. While Marcus was a detective who knew how to evade capture, Dave is a prison officer, and is arguably not as knowledgeable about things such as where to hide and planning his next moves.

 

Unfortunately, in comparison to Series 1, there's very little I can write about the second series. This isn't because Series 2 was forgettable or there wasn't much going on, it's just that it's all been done before. Aside from the things I've already mentioned, there isn't all that much that's new in the second series, and at the end of the day, it feels like a retread of Series 1. We even have a complex mystery to follow, with even more twists and turns, and this series didn't really need it. Building up a complex mystery is something that's already been done, and to be honest, it would have probably been the right time for Prey to just become a straight-up chase thriller. This would have helped massively in preventing the repetitive feel of Series 2, but with how it turned out, you can understand why there was such a drop in the ratings – it had been seen and done before.

 

In conclusion, Prey, particularly its first series, is a tense, gritty and draining watch. Series 1 is definitely stronger than its successor, and out of the two, its the one I'd recommend that you watch. To some extent, I'd also argue that if have the opportunity to watch Series 2, it may be worth your attention even if it is something more of a mixed bag. However, my own verdict on Prey as a whole, is that it's a dark yet exhilarating show, with some really strong lead performances, particularly from John Simm and Philip Glenister, and it moves just as fast as its promotional material suggests.

 

 

Prey



7/10