Prime Suspect: The Scent of Darkness

Plot synopsis:
A prison guard walks down a hallway and enters a cell. Inside is George Marlow (Tim Woodward), who gives the guard a letter to mail. Marlow then picks up a book about his own case called "Not Proven". Mr. and Mrs. Branwell (Christopher Ashley and Penelope Beaumont) are calling their daughter Christine's friends after she didn't come home when she was supposed to. They report their daughter missing to the police. Some kids meet under a railway bridge. One owes another money and is knocked over. He lands next to the railway tracks, where he sees a black plastic bag containing a dead body. Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) is in a meeting with several male police bosses, complaining that a female police officer is being overlooked for promotions. Later, Tennison meets her lover, Patrick Schofield (Stuart Wilson), at a play; they are both late. Soon they are in a bathtub together, Tennison talking about justice and retribution, when she is called to investigate the dead body.Tennison arrives at the scene, where officer Tom Mitchell (Christopher Fulford) tells her it is a woman's body, which was dumped there after being violently killed. She returns home, but finds Schofield gone. She calls Richard Haskons (Richard Hawley) to have him meet her; he is with his two young children. They both see the pathologist, who shows them the stab wounds and marks of rope and iron clamps on the body. Tennison looks frightened when she mentions to Haskons the similarities between the injuries they have just seen and those in the case they previously investigated together, in which George Marlow was convicted. We also see Tennison at police archives looking over photographs from the old case. Next, Tennison is in the office of Chief Superintendent Kernan (John Benfield), requesting that she be allowed to handle the case. She goes to meet the team, and Tom Mitchell gives her the known details, with an abrupt attitude that annoys her. The dead woman is Margery Miller, a local woman and widow of a policeman. On the preceding Tuesday she was at the police social club, left on her own, but never returned home. Friday morning, she was dead.Tennison talks to Haskons about the book published by an author claiming George Marlow was innocent, "Not Proven". She thinks someone may have used the book as inspiration for a copycat murder. Mr. and Mrs. Branwell give a televised plea for help in finding their daughter. We see George Marlow watching with fellow inmates. Reading the book she talked about, Tennison discusses the case with Schofield who says that as a psychiatrist he finds it unlikely that someone copied a murder in detail. At the station, Tennison is updated on progress on identifying footprints from the crime scene. She is also informed that a Meditteranean-looking man was seen in a Ford Escort early Friday morning; she blames Mitchell for not telling her sooner. Some of the staff have caught on to the links with the Marlow case, and Tennison tells them that Marlow was guilty and no one should think otherwise.Tennison wakes up with Schofield. She says it is the first time she has ever wanted to stay home from work and that she will not let work stand in the way of another relationship. Elsewhere, Mr. and Mrs. Branwell are informed of their daughter's death. The body of sixteen-year-old Christine has been found in a similar state as Margery's. At the station, a cigarette-smoking Tennison goes over the facts with the squad. The girl must have been kept prisoner for three days before being killed. Also, traces of perfume were found in both women's hair. An officer suggests they check out a Greek man who the book on the Marlow murders claims might have committed the crimes, but Tennison refuses.Forensic identifies the scent in the women's hair as a gardenia perfume. Neither woman used that sort of perfume. Officer Mitchell complains to Tennison that she is not willing to follow leads that don't match her own ideas. She refutes the criticism, but is soon on her way with Haskons to look into the Greek man, Andreas Hulenkinis (Darrell D'Silva), who is the nephew of the proprietor of the garage where two of Marlow's murders took place. They go to the garage, now used by a small business, and Haskons questions Andreas at the cafe where he works. Andreas left the country for several years and has returned only recently. He says he knows nothing about the case and does not drive an Escort. Tennison comes to dinner at Schofield's place. She discovers the Marlow book on his desk and is upset that he has read it because of its nasty portrayal of her.The next day Tennison sees Kernan, who has had a complaint from Mitchell and shows her newspaper headlines with leaked information from the case. He takes her off the case against her objections. Mitchell takes over and orders Andreas and his uncle brought in for questioning. There's no firm link between Andreas and the van or the footprints, but he doesn't mind. Haskons details Christine's path home on the night of her abduction and centres on a car driven by a uniformed policeman seen in the vicinity with someone possibly in the back seat. We briefly see George Marlow in his cell sticking a newspaper article on the recent murders on the wall.Kernan meets Commander Trayner (Stafford Gordon) and Thorndike (Stephen Boxer). Thorndike is to conduct a discreet investigation into the Marlow case; Kernan's objections are ignored. Tennison is at a bar with Schofield. He tells her he looked in a file of hers after she fell asleep one night and came across a detail from the Marlow investigation: Gardenia scent was in fact among items found at the garage, and a sweet scent was noted on several of the victims. Since this information was never public the recent murders could not have been copied from the book. Meanwhile, the media start to speak of miscarriage of justice in Marlow's case.When Mitchell asks for the Marlow file the next day, Tennison has to pick it up at Schofield's place. She lets herself in and overhears the answering machine recording a message from Mark Whitehouse, the author of "Not Proven", who Schofield had denied knowing. She finds files on Marlow and herself in Schofield's filing cabinet. Kernan meets with Thorndike, who thinks the investigation should be opened up to include the old murders. Mitchell puts this into effect, though it means spreading the squad's resources thin. Tennison arranges to meet Haskons and asks him to provide her with information. Then she meets with Mark Whitehouse (Ray Fearon). He tells her how he met Moyra Henson, Marlow's former wife, and came to write the book. Kernan picks Tennison up in the street and tells her she has his support, but she has to be careful. At night she speaks to Schofield on the phone, but she is disillusioned with him.Another woman, Lynn Matthews, has gone missing. The police set out to find her, fearing she may be in the hands of the killer. The investigation is going nowhere, and Haskons is frustrated. Tennison visits George's mother, Doris Marlow (Joyce Redman), in Blackpool. She takes her for a walk on the pier, and the senile woman tells her fragments of an affair she once had and how George discovered it. The gardenia is the perfume she wore back then. Schofield is seen meeting with Thorndike, then comes to see Tennison. He explains that he has never met with Whitehouse and that his file on Tennison was for research for a book and no longer of use. Tennison doesn't trust him and throws him out.Tennison visits George Marlow in prison. She knows that the perfume confirms that Marlow was guilty and that only someone with access to him could have done the new murders. She tells him about her visit to Blackpool. He is upset, but doesn't tell her anything. Back at the station, leads are turning into dead ends. Jane Tennison is summoned to Commander Trainer's office. She is suspended from all duties because of her unauthorized visit with Marlow.Haskons visits Tennison early next morning. He has been looking into George Marlow's fellow prisoners from the past years. One of them is now free and living alone in the London area. Mitchell has told him not to investigate. He asks for Tennison's help, and they go to see the man only to find that he is not their guy. At the station, the squad finally has a list of police officers who drive cars like the one seen in Christine's neighbourhood and who were on duty at that time. Mitchell has each of their homes searched. While looking at Schofield's file on her, Tennison sees a picture of Moyra Henson and has the idea that it might have been Moyra who told someone about the perfume; she asks Schofield for help.In prison, George Marlow speaks to the prison guard (Pip Donaghy). He asks him if he will kill the woman today, and the guard turns towards him. We realize he is the killer and Marlow has just found out. He says he does not have the strength to go on, but Marlow convinces him he must finish the job. Tennison and Schofield visit Whitehouse to ask about Moyra. At the police station, the searches have brought nothing, and things are desperate. Then Tennison calls. The squad rush to the prison guard's home, and they are in time to save Lynn Matthews.Haskons and Mitchell interrogate the prison guard, Len. He tells them it was Moyra who told him about the perfume once after she visited Marlow; they had a relationship. After Moyra died, he wanted to feel what it was like to do what Marlow did. He says it turned out that it felt like being in hell.Tennison stands before a disciplinary committee headed by Commander Trayner. Trayner says her actions during the case was a serious breach of conduct, but since she also helped solve the case and save a life she is let off with a reprimande. In the street Patrick Schofield waits. She had mentioned to him that she would resign, but he understands that she won't. In the evening they go to a police party together. Schofield tells Tennison about the visit Thorndike paid him to ask him to inform on Tennison. Tennison asks Thorndike to dance and lets him know exactly how she feels about him.

Tags: mystery, psychological, murder

Review:
OK Give In. I previously wrote that part 2 in this set was going to be the most gripping for myself - without even having seen this one, part 3.
I liked the premise of part 2 and could not imagine I'd find another better.But OK: I give in.
It's just so juicy seeing Mirren have to haggle with these creeps who are simultaneously her superiors.
She says herself that acting is no big deal, but try telling that to all the two-bit actors out there who never seem to get it.
Did Chuck Norris ever say acting was no big deal?
(Come to think of it, he would say that, wouldn't he?)Tennison is up against it in this one.
Everything's at stake, and the plot follows a classic (but not worn out) story line found in many whodunits of this nature, namely Tennison's integrity is called into question.
And the case has her really upset.
And things fly in all possible directions.
Which is only good.There's no contest: even if you don't particularly like the format, odds are you'll still be 'glued to the tube' for this one and unable to break away.The writing, the direction, the acting - and above all (and it's a lot) Mirren stand out and shine.The UK have come out with some amazing detective series over the years, and this is one of their absolute best..
Nothing compares to Prime Suspect.
These series were popular, and still admired and remembered.
Helen Mirren is wonderful as always, playing Jane Tennison - a great detective, proving that women can be both strong and emotional (In real life as much as on the screen), which is a quality men rarely have...in my not at all humble opinion.
It's suitable for everyone not just fans of crime stories- it's not violent, it's emotional and filled with suspense and mystery..
It seemed like the absence of Lynda LaPlante was a major loss to the series and you can really feel it in this episode.
Characters who never showed much emotion in previous episodes were suddenly screaming for no reason.
I understand the theme of sexism but the chip on Mitchell's shoulder and the commander screaming at Jane was very unusual and seemed unprovoked.The actor playing Mitchell was too overdramatic.
The scene where he yelled at Richard was unexpected and seemed very unusual behavior for a guy who is angling for a promotion.
Perhaps this character had issues.
Since the show never bothered to let us in on them, it made for a confusing and ridiculous character arc.
Why would a man who is trying to build a team to help him start screaming and slamming doors?
Why was he so unwilling to properly investigate the case if he's trying to distinguish himself to the brass?When the commander kept cutting Jane off when she tried to speak and then yelled over her, it was very out of character for him.
Suddenly he's screaming at Jane because he's angry she didn't follow orders?
She's always gone her way and he's never reacted like this.
She gets results and solves cases.
Also it's the mid 90s so there are plenty of female officers in the police department in Britain.
All the young rookies were laughing and making jokes openly against a superior officer?
Just seems strange that they seem to be going backwards with women's rights in the police department when the rest of the country isn't fighting gender battles anymore.
There have been female PMs and MPs so I'm not sure why they are still harping on the woman angle.Sure, Jane has no bedside manner but only because she's had to fight for everything she's accomplished due to entrenched biases against her.
Also, DCI Mitchell was an even bigger jerk than she was and a far less thorough detective so why are they still so hateful towards her?
If there's a reason they don't like her, that's great.
But they didn't let us in on it, so this made for a tough watch.
It almost felt like they were trying to force drama in places it wasn't needed.The actor playing Marlowe was grossly miscast.
He looked like a criminal completely capable of taking lives.
The great thing about the original Marlowe was he maintained his cavalier attitude throughout which made him scarier.
The wide-eyed smiles were absent here because the actor playing him couldn't pull it off with his beady eyes.For the first time I found myself wishing they would just let Tennison do her job and stop with all the department drama as it's getting very tired.
If I wanted all that forced drama, I would watch Chicago PD.
I'm still trying to figure out why they keep bouncing Tennison from station to station.
When she became superintendent, didn't that mean she is in charge of one department like Kernan is?
Everytime she's put on a case she's got to prove herself all over again and it's beyond annoying since the other officers would have heard of her track record and that would have earned her some respect.On an unrelated note, this episode marks the end of Richard in the series which makes me sad because he's always been my favorite character..
Like as was said for 'Inner Circles', this is going to be fairly similarly worded to my review for the previous case 'The Lost Child', mainly because their strengths are exactly the same to each and to the previous three series.None of the three cases making up 'Prime Suspect IV' ('The Lost Child', 'Inner Circles' and 'Scent of Darkness) are as good as the three previous series (though it would have been a Herculean task to do so, considering their sheer brilliance), but high expectations were met if not quite surpassed.
All three are very good, often terrific with a lot of spot-on elements if falling short of perfection.
Once again, 'Scent of Darkness' continues with the changes in format introduced in 'The Lost Child', including Lynda La Plante not being involved and the lengths of the episodes being shorter, for the fourth series it was three cases clocking in around just over five hours overall for 'Prime Suspect IV' rather than one case split into two halves like in the first three 'Prime Suspect' series.'Inner Circles' and 'Scent of Darkness' feel more settled in the changes generally than 'The Lost Child', though to me they are about equal quality-wise.
'Scent of Darkness', again from personal opinion, is let down only by the meeting between Tennison and Marlow which, despite it being tense, missing the ambiguous nature that was most striking in the first 'Prime Suspect' series, and an ending that didn't satisfy as much as ought.However, 'Scent of Darkness' is stylishly and cleverly filmed, with slick editing and atmospheric lighting, and there is a consistently wonderful atmosphere throughout.
It is very gritty, if not quite as dark as 'Prime Suspect III', and effectively claustrophobic.
The scripting, like its predecessor, is some of the best there is of any mystery/detective drama, being superbly constructed and intelligent, plus it is hard to not be impressed by the cunning subtlety of the conflicts.Story-telling is very compelling and twisty, with an atmosphere that is gritty and harrowing but also intricate and honest.
It is a complex story that keeps one guessing right up to the end while also being easy to follow.
Tennison's personal life is balanced very well.Jane Tennison continues to be an interesting character, the character and the depiction of the police force was very ahead of the time back in the 90s and holds much fascination now even if not so novel.Helen Mirren gives a typically magnificent performance in the lead, and perfectly matched by Stuart Wilson.
Tim Woodward gives a very good, often excellent, account of himself, though John Bowe in the first series gave the character more chills and complexity.In conclusion, 'Prime Suspect IV' ends on a strong note.
Jane Tennison (Helen Mirren) leads the investigation.
They are similar to the first major case of the original episode.
George Marlow is still in prison for those murders but evidences mount that Tennison had made a mistake.
Tennison is thrown off the case and later even suspended.
Through it all, she never stops investigating.The return to the original case is good.
Tim Woodward is the new actor playing George Marlow and he does a great job.
In this one, Mirren is given juicier work.
It allows her to stretch and fight the old boys' club once again.
In many ways, this is going back to the beginning and it is good.
I would let Tennison do the actual rescue in the final climax but that's a minor change that I would make..
Let down by story and lead.
Nicely filmed and well acted, it has a lot of tension and suspense and is gripping.
But Tennison is such a dragon that it's hard to sympathise with her, as she insults everyone around her and never apologises for her mistakes.
Despite her detestable nature, Tennison never seems to get her comeuppance nor does she get put in her place.Another let down is the story which, though gripping, is rather predictable in some respects and very difficult to believe in others.
One never feels that one is getting anywhere by watching the story and feels that instead one is at the whim of the author, who himself probably hadn't thought up the ending till writing it.
The attempt at introducing suspense by introducing some time pressure fails rather.There is some comical garbled shouting exchanged by some officers, which is quite amusing.
It's also worth noting that there's a large amount of smoking, especially by today's standards.Overall not bad, but not good either.
The main character is too hard to like and the story (especially the conclusion) too ridiculous..
Prime Suspect misfires..
In this final episode of Prime Suspect 4, the series misses the mark set by it predecessors.
The story does have some interesting ideas and twists, but the whole is less than the sum of its parts.Spoilers:Tennison is faced with a series of killings which bear a strong resemblance to the Malowe killings of the first series.
On top of it, there has been a book published, which casts a shadow of doubt on her original investigation.
Tennison knows she got it right and is forced to prove it again.
Also, she finds herself caught in a political struggle with her superiors, who have always resented her position.
Meanwhile, she has developed a relationship with Dr Patric Scofield, who was introduced in the first episode of series 4.
Once again, Tennison puts a strain on her personal life as she becomes more obsessed with her work.Tennison ends up removed from the case due to her personal obsession.
Meanwhile, the new investigation head is leading the police down the wrong trail.
At the same time, a mother has disappeared and appears to be the next victim.
The police and Tennison, on her own, are on a race to find her before she turns up dead.
Tennison is forced to confront Marowe again to gain some insight into the killer and assure herself that she was correct, originally.Tennison's actions result in the safe rescue of the mother and the apprehension of the killer; but, she faces disciplinary action for involving herself in the case, after she was removed.
Although her actions were correct, she has far too many powerful enemies, including Thorndike, who tries to dig into her personal life.
Although she gains a measure of satisfaction, Tennison finds her career ruined.There are good ideas here:  the possibility that Tennison got her first case wrong due to her obsessive nature, her attempts at building a relationship with someone who might be able to understand her, and her fight against political enemies.
Unfortunately, those parts don't really come together.
Also, the idea of Marlowe manipulating events from his cell comes across as too much like Hannibal Lecter.
The realism that has been a hallmark of this series is lost.
The final scene where Tennison confronts her antagonist, Thorndike, is classic; but her relationship with Scofield is left up in the air.Helen Mirren is good, as always, and Stuart Wilson is a fine addition.
His character is a psychologist and is fascinated with Tennison, both as a woman, and as a case study.
He is able to defuse some of Tennison's destructive tendencies, but grows frustrated with her paranoia.Ultimately, this episode feels like a pale reflection of the original series.
The only positive aspect is the possibility of a lasting relationship for Tennison; but, it is not to be..
The Good Old Boys' Club Faces Their Worst Nightmare.
Jane, once again, must go toe to toe with a bunch of short sighted males.
For her, the job's the thing and all the other guys merely players.
They are hard working but have a bit less passion.
In this one, she deals with a serial killer she put away years ago.
Now this guy is orchestrating the deaths of other women through a psychotic prison guard.
Because she has crossed the guy who normally would have handled the lead in the case, she falls into disfavor.
Her higher ups begin to try to discredit her, hoping to have her drummed out of the force.
Of course, sexism is a major player, but it has more to do with her open disdain for them.
Anyway, she begins to go rogue after being suspended from the case.
Her allies are her psychologist boyfriend and her friend on the force.
A focus here is a hack author who wrote a book making her look incompetent and making a plea for the release of the serial killer, Marlowe.
This is a classic of our wanting to see the smug superiors get theirs.
This may be my favorite episode of this series.
The intractability of these guys and their mocking laughter is anathema to her.
As I've said in previous reviews, Jane is flawed, and this makes her so much more believable than those characters who seem to have the world by the butt.
If you have not seen any of this series, this would be a good one..
The continuing epic of Jane Tennison....
This episode touches upon the subject and, also, upon the nemesis of the pilot of Prime Suspect, George Marlow.
Unfortunately for us, the creators did not use the same actor in both episodes and this episode suffers for it.
The character lost most of his chillingly charming "Ted Bundy-like" impact due to the ill-advised casting.
The entire Prime Suspect series revolves around the complexities, quirks and demons that comprise Jane Tennison throughout her career: one clearly sees that one CANNOT "have it all," an American colloquialism that is depressing in its banality and lack of truth.
Certainly, most current crime and psychological dramas that carry any real impact, both British and American, have benefited immensely from the impeccable model set by the Prime Suspect body of work and the attendant BBC production values.
Prior to this show, most crime shows were not very realistic and the characters were not very complex or compelling.
Early serial killers lacked "layers," making them one-dimensional and unbelievable.
Early crime and psychological dramas lacked the rhythm and personality that distinguishes every person, every snowflake and every breath of air.
One show could easily be substituted as any other one simply by changing a title, crime or character.
(The notable exceptions are the shows in which Jack Webb participated and/or created; at least, considering the 1950s and 1960s "status quo ante," Jack Webb utilized the few tools available to him at the time.) This PS episode poorly distinguished itself, from a series which always garners 9 point and above ratings from this viewer, chiefly in the final 2-3 minutes of film.
The Jane Tennison so valued by this viewer would never have reacted as she was depicted.
The real Jane, a la LaPlante, would have made a cutting remark to the entire "nob" table when she turned back to face them.
Without missing a beat, LaPlante's Jane would have said that she, too, had heard from various sources that David was having trouble having "hard feelings" for ANYONE AT ALL and perhaps, he should consult his urologist!
Head held high, with the male laughter virtually castrated, Jane would have glided away, smiling, as the credits rolled.
The actual ending, coupled with the poor casting of George Marlow, left me vaguely dissatisfied with this episode and the future direction of the Tennison character..
Prime Suspect 4 changed the format from the previous series as it has three shorter separate stories rather than one long story.
The middle episode, Inner Circles, was surprisingly poor so it was a relief that the third story was a return to form.A series of murders and a high profile book start to cast doubt on a high profile conviction from earlier in her career.
DCI Tennison becomes paranoid that the powers that be in the police are out to get her.
To prove she is right she has to find a new killer and confront someone she put behind bars before.As usual Helen Mirren is excellent and you won't see a better depiction of the hard grind involved in police forces solving major cases..
A key lead withheld from the viewer.
However, completely mystified as to how a sudden telephone call to the main police station at the end (according to the useful IMDb synopsis, from Tennison herself) leads detective "Mitchell" to exclaim "we've got him" - and then suddenly the viewer is made aware that the killer of victims 7 and 8 is actually the prison guard of Marlowe.How, may one ask, did Tennison (if, she) "suddenly" become aware that it was after all the prison guard of Marlowe?
In credible crime thrillers you just can't spring this sort of thing on a viewer.