I don't want to be too unkind about 'Traces' ... and don't really want to pick apart this rather plodding Val McDermid-inspired British crime drama series. The production seems full of good people and intentions, but for Series 1 at least, the pace is slow, characters mostly underwhelming and events are plausible but drawn out in a rather convoluted way ... and there's some very odd cinematography with an over-reliance on (at times, ugly!) headshots of people! Was it made under Covid restrictions? 'Traces' tests one's patience, and I'm afraid it left me without a trace!
Ironic, too, that feminist writer McDermid's 3 central characters at the fictitious 'Scottish Institute of Forensic Science and Anatomy' (SIFA) in Dundee Scotland are so wishy-washy and non-descript. Surely the idea of creating dramas like this is to showcase strong women characters and acting talent? Molly Windsor just about holds her own as the Lab Technician Emma, angst-ridden, traumatized, driven to find the truth about her Mum, but she's paired alongside a much older Martin Compston ('Line Of Duty' etc.) who plays Daniel from a construction company embroiled in a fire scandal under investigation in what is supposed to be a whirlwind romance. Believability stretched to the max.
Good intentions are not enough to create a gripping crime series. By episode 3 of Series 1 I'm fed up and don't really care about any of the characters. Emma, I'm thinking, don't worry about Daniel, a lot more fish in the sea! My feelings about 'Traces' entirely. Vanilla! I won't be watching Series 2.
Ironic, too, that feminist writer McDermid's 3 central characters at the fictitious 'Scottish Institute of Forensic Science and Anatomy' (SIFA) in Dundee Scotland are so wishy-washy and non-descript. Surely the idea of creating dramas like this is to showcase strong women characters and acting talent? Molly Windsor just about holds her own as the Lab Technician Emma, angst-ridden, traumatized, driven to find the truth about her Mum, but she's paired alongside a much older Martin Compston ('Line Of Duty' etc.) who plays Daniel from a construction company embroiled in a fire scandal under investigation in what is supposed to be a whirlwind romance. Believability stretched to the max.
Good intentions are not enough to create a gripping crime series. By episode 3 of Series 1 I'm fed up and don't really care about any of the characters. Emma, I'm thinking, don't worry about Daniel, a lot more fish in the sea! My feelings about 'Traces' entirely. Vanilla! I won't be watching Series 2.
