Somehow, I missed this show when it first aired back in 2013 to 2016. The Fall is a drama starring Gillian Anderson as a British policewoman who becomes obsessed with catching a Northern Irish serial killer, played by Jamie Dornan. Played out over three seasons of six episodes each, The Fall is a gripping, often thrilling but extremely disturbing series that gives you all you want from a drama like this, with the added benefit of Anderson and Dornan’s considerable talents.
Dornan plays a serial killer who seems normal, but deep down is as evil as they come, a guy with serious mommy issues who takes out his psychosis on young, pretty women, leaving a trail
of murders in Belfast. In comes Anderson’s steely, no-nonsense British investigator, flown in from London to crack the case. But you’re not going to have Anderson and Dornan without giving their characters some deep backstories and lots to play out, so we get to know both characters intimately, and it’s left to the audience to figure out why they feel so drawn to each other.
Most of the series plays like an awesome police procedural, a cat-and-mouse game, the cops chasing after the bad guy. It’s all great. Then there is a turn, I won’t spoil anything, but the writers find ways to keep us engaged and new ways for the story to go deeper. It’s all quite effective (but, again, also disturbing) and if this is your cup of tea, you’ll be gripped all the way to the end. The third season loses its way a little bit and isn’t as strong as the first two seasons, but there’s enough to satisfy and wrap up the story to be worthwhile.
There is a big theme of violence against women in this show, and Anderson’s character is clearly drawn and played to make clear points about the patriarchal society we live in and the dangers women face on a daily basis, but it’s not overly ham-fisted, although Anderson does bang the nail on the head with a few too many taps at times.
I never watched The X Files–I really only knew Anderson before this from her incredibly stellar portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in the fourth season of The Crown–so I don’t know if she’s usually this hypnotic as a performer. She certainly inhabits her character in The Fall with an intensity that borders on satire, but it works. She pulls you in (her whisper-acting helps) and you can’t help but give in to her characterization. It may not work for everyone, but it worked for me.
Dornan is also great, making you hate his character, which proves what a great actor he is, because he’s generally so darn adorable. The whole cast is great, although the always-excellent Archie Panjabi is wasted.
Again, if you have trouble watching violence, especially against women, you’ll want to avoid The Fall. But if your stomach can handle it, and you love police shows that dig deep and are so much more than cliché, you’ve got to seek out The Fall. I’m so happy I did.