Luther - A Retrospective

Gritty and highly intelligent, Luther was a true gem amongst the stones of television shows. The British TV series crept onto screens in 2010 and was broadcast on the BBC (One). Like many BBC shows, Luther had relatively few episodes (6 in Series 1, 4 in Series 2 and 4 in Series 3) but every episode was packed full of quality; at every corner there was a different twist or turn, a new or exciting character was introduced or re-appeared and there was never a dull moment throughout the 3 series. Luther is perhaps one of those shows where you were truly sad that it was so short-lived, as it had so much potential to be even better and long-lasting, but considering how long production took for the episodes (there was a 2 year gap between Series 2 and 3) it almost seemed inevitable that it would come to a close.

Starring in the title role was Idris Elba, who played the slightly demented at times, and extremely hard-hitting and dedicated, detective Chief Inspector John Luther. The legendary Luther seemed to cause havoc wherever he went, and if the going got tough, you could be sure that Luther would be willing to go to any lengths to get the job done (hanging people over the sides of buildings, teaming up with a psychopathic killer and covering up other people’s murders are just a few activities in his day-to-day routine).

But of course, helping (and stalking) Luther on his journey was Alice Morgan, portrayed by Ruth Wilson, a highly intelligent psychopath who killed her parents and developed an obsession with Luther. Assisting John on several tasks (including killing people who had wronged John and helping him escape from custody); Alice proved that she was a vital part to the team. Two parts disturbing, three parts creepy and an ounce of adorableness, Alice and Luther made for a dynamic duo, and Wilson and Elba’s on-screen chemistry was electric. Completing the unstoppable team was Justin Ripley, played by Warren Brown. Ripley was a young policeman who was loyal to Luther till the end – the end being his unfortunate demise near the end of the third series. Ripley and Luther got in a number of tight scrapes, but the two managed to soldier through and there was certainly a bromance going on between the two.

In addition to its fantastic range of characters, Luther also provided excellent character development, as Luther, Morgan and Ripley soon became fan favourites. Elba’s performance as Luther was as legendary as the character itself; able to fully grasp all of the complex emotions and also emulate Luther’s anger issues in a scarily perfect manner, Elba was triumphant in his role and earned much critical praise for his performance. Wilson also received praise for her role as the calculated Alice, and she simply stole every scene she was in with a simple look on her face or a menacing stare.

Luther is one of the shows that just had everything, from creepy, but highly engaging and stimulating plots to well-thought out characters and fantastic dialogue. The suspense in Luther was built up brilliantly as it often relied on leaving out certain points or not being able to truly understand them until the ending sequence. While it is with a heavy heart that we mourn the loss of our beloved television series, there is hope in the future for a possible feature film or spin-off series involving Alice Morgan, as these ideas remain in the pipeline (fingers crossed).