It's been four years since we last saw "Luther," the longest gap in the series yet. I was surprised that the show had returned, since the leads have been busy with other projects, and the last season wasn't nearly as well-received as the previous ones. However, everyone is back, including the show's creator and main writer Neil Cross. And the latest adventures of our favorite black British detective are some of his most satisfying so far, and well worth the audience's time.
DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) is still working in London, chasing crooks under the supervision of DSU Martin Schenk (Dermot Crowley), with a new officer working under them, Catherine Halliday (Wunmi Mosaku). Their newest case involves a grisly series of murders that appear to be connected to a psychiatrist, Vivian Lake (Hermione Norris), and her her surgeon husband, Jeremy Lake (Enzo Cilenti). Luther is also being menaced by local crime boss, George Cornelius (Patrick Malahide), who suspects that Luther had someting to do with the kidnapping of George's son. So, our hero is already busy when Alice Morgan (Ruth Wilson), his serial killer ex-lover/ex-enemy, crashes back into his life.
Unlike previous series of "Luther," there's no being coy about Alice's involvement. She's an integral part of the show this year, and her complicated relationship with Luther sees major consequences that have been long overdue. Ruth Wilson's performance has always been one of my favorite parts of "Luther," and here she gets lots of screen time and the opportunity to really get to dig into the character in a way that she hasn't since the first series, way back in 2010. Elba is certainly still compelling as Luther, trying to keep ahead of all the different crises that eventually start feeding into each other, while battling his own demons. It's also helpful that there's only one police investigation going on this year, and it's one that plays out over all four episodes of the series. This year feels less like a typical police procedural and more like a character-based thriller.
There's also a nice sense of continuity and progression to the writing. Alice isn't the only familiar face from Luther's past to show up, and there are references to other prior events and departed characters. Much of the new storyline is built around Luther dealing with the ongoing issues created by all of his prior adventures, many of which have been compounding for years. Idris Elba is graying noticeably, and his scenes with Wunmi Mosaku see Luther getting comfortable with an older mentor role. And at the end of the final episode, it's suggested that there are many more places the series could go, and much more that you could do with the character of John Luther. I'm very excited about hints that the next series (and there will be a next series) might move away from investigations altogether. The over-the-top serial killers have always been the least believable part of this show - or at least, the frequency of them.
The supporting cast is especially strong this time out, helped out by the serialized nature of the series giving everyone more screen time. Mosaku is very appealing in the greenhorn role (and it's about time we saw another major black character on this show), Cilenti and Norris are memorably awful as the Lakes, and Patrick Malahide makes an excellent mobster. However, I was happiest to see Dermot Crowley getting so much more of the spotlight as Schenk. He's the only cast member, aside from Elba and Wilson, to have been with "Luther" since the beginning, and has always felt underutilized. This is the first time he's gotten in on the action in any meaningful way, and I hope it's not the last.
There's been talk for a while now about a standalone "Luther" feature film, and I can see the appeal of the idea. However, I'd much rather see more "Luther" series like this one, because it would allow for a more complex narrative and the ability to take more advantage of the universe that Neil Cross and company have built up over nearly a decade now. Sure, a "Luther" film would probably be great, but it just wouldn't be the same.
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