Man, makes me wish that US television shows didn't rely so much on exposition.
Jekyll starts off right with the viewer being thrown into the middle of the story. The Jekyll/Hyde situation has been going on with the main character for some time, and we are not immediately told how it happened. Explanation is given on very few things, and the story is instead told through the dialogue (which is realistic and not overly expository) and the actions of characters. Why can't we have intelligently written television like this in the US? Everything in American television is so spelled out for the viewer so that even the most distinguished mentally-challenged FoCs and Nintenhos can follow along. I find that having to figure things out as they come adds a nice level of depth to television.
I mean, there are intelligent shows on television in the US, notably on HBO (Like Sopranos. Many of the HBO shows, despite being very good TV, are exposition heavy. Showtime's got some good shows, but again, they don't avoid exposition), but nearly *all* genre television made in the US aims for the lowest common denominator. Patel pointed out that Battlestar is the exception, and maybe it is, but well, that show is kinda lame. Genre TV by and large has to aim for the teen (and sometimes younger) segment. This means that no complicated storytelling or writing is usually allowed.
Jekyll combines genre television with some pretty great storytelling, and Moffat brings his considerable writing chops to the game. One episode in, and I am very happy with this show, and it makes me wish that more genre television tried to be intelligent. The show is not perfect, and again, we are on part 1 of 6--plenty of time left to go south. My main complaints at the moment would be that the acting, while competent around the board, doesn't pop quite as much as I'd like. There's a possible stylistic reason for this, though (Hyde, when he comes out, pops. I think a lot of the other performances may be purposefully understated to amplify this effect).
Production values are great so far. BBC television generally shits on all other television in this regard. . .at least when they are shooting shows that take place on their home turf. Lots of nice exterior shots and some rather evocative trick camera work when Hyde comes out.
Check it out!
