Plot: What’s it about?
Inspector George Gently (Martin Shaw) is a veteran of the London streets who now finds himself relocated in England’s North East. This area is a little slower than the urban rush of London, but Gently still has ample work to attend to. The social changes that are prominent in 1960s London have slowly been flowing into this quieter locale as well, which has lead to some interesting developments of all kinds. But Gently does his job as he always has, by the book and with a remarkable eye for detail. His partner is Sergeant John Bacchus (Lee Ingleby), who offers a sharp contrast in most ways. Ingleby tends to run on emotion and lacks Gently’s ingrained patience. While the two have their differences, the partners do manage to put some impressive work and their unique skills often lead to closed cases. In this series, the two investigate the death of an ex-informant that was on a downslide, as well as the murder of a young woman who seemed to be on the brink of a better life.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in 1.78:1 widescreen. These episodes look terrific, with crystal clear visuals that show off some remarkable depth. The level of detail is great and a large improvement over the DVD version, with a lot more visible fine detail on showcase. The colors have a natural slant, but still come off as bright and contrast is balanced and consistent. So all in all, this is a wonderful visual presentation in all aspects.
Audio: How does it sound?
The included PCM stereo soundtrack is good, but the material doesn’t have a dynamic sound design. So the main element is dialogue, which sounds clear and suffers from no unwanted concerns. The other elements are fine, with solid music presence and sound effects, but the audio is reserved so nothing really stands out. But the bases are all covered here, so I see no reason to complain about that. This disc also includes English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes a thirteen minute behind the scenes featurette.