The Quality of Mercy (29 Mar. 2009)

This episode of Lewis isn't as obnoxious as the last one. It is, still, inconsequential. The pace is slow, choices of killers seem illogical, and Lewis "made it personal" to boot. It was totally unrelated to the story, but you know, best sellers have to include the "personal motive" cliché in order to "catch everybody quickly" :(. I assume if you're a Shakespeare's "Merchant in Venice" fan, you'll enjoy this episode as you see a quote repeated like 3 times over the film. Yes, the one about "mercy" (thus, the title). Rehearsals, the meanness of the director, journalist/ critic and actors are all there. As a "social critique" of Oxbridge's class system, how money makes a rich Iranian "be in" and a poor Northerner who also happens to be a genius (but Marxist, clichés anybody?) to drop out and take many minimum wage jobs. At least we didn't have to endure "psychoanalytical cravings" from the writer (like on the awful last episode, "Allegory of love"), so it's a start. Shakespeare is better than Freud Vulgate.

Enjoy... if you can!

PS: Ronan Vibert as "Simon Monkford" is the only good character. With a profile similar to a psychopath, he doesn't feel anything, and even tries to bargain a deal with Lewis (right after "apologizing"), what makes the CI really angry. So, they're speaking two different languages: Lewis the one of emotions, Simon the emotionally tone-deaf psychopath. Good to watch. PS2: Emma Golding is really unbearable!