Hello everyone
In the December 2021 edition of Simon Says, I wrote about Showtrial a series that had the look of a plodding police procedural, but which turned out to be something quite special and well worth watching.
Three years later, there’s a second series and it’s equally well worth watching. For viewers in the UK, Showtrial is available for free on iPlayer.
While it’s the second season, you don’t have to have watched the first season—there’s a whole new story and a whole new cast of characters.
As is usual, there are no spoilers here beyond those that can be gleaned from the trailer.
The Same…But Different
Showtrial is an anthology series where each season of the series is a self-contained story, set in a different location, with a new cast/character ensemble. If you’ve seen True Detective, then you’ll know the idea.
While the characters and the story are different, there are some elements that carry through from the first season:
- The story hinges around a high profile trial with much court action. There is an associated police investigation, which is more thorough in this second season since the suspect is a serving police officer.
- There are many complex and compelling characters with the main protagonists being fully-fleshed out with their own lives.
- There are many points of view bringing nuance to the story, but also uncertainty. We see the different characters’ points of view, but it is not clear what the truth is.
There is one element which remains the same as the first series: Ben Richards, the writer. And as with the first season, the writing is superb.
The Set Up
The story begins with the death of Marcus Calderwood, an ecological activist who leads Stop Climate Genocide, a direct action, civil resistance movement (loosely modelled on Just Stop Oil or Extinction Rebellion) which undertakes traffic obstruction, vandalism, and attacks on SUV drivers.
When Calderwood is killed, his dying words accuse a serving police officer of murder. But as the officer says:
you don’t know the whole story
You can watch the trailer on YouTube.
Characters
The story is packed (maybe over-packed) with characters, but there are two who stand out.
PC Justin Mitchell
PC Justin Mitchell is the officer named as his murderer by Marcus Calderwood as he lay dying.
Mitchell is played by Michael Socha. It is a compelling performance of a complex character. Mitchell is both a monster and a child—he’s a bully and a victim. He’s suffering from PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder), but will not seek help for the condition, nor allow his condition to be considered as mitigation for any of his actions.
He’s very close friends with a small crew of cops, most of whom are corrupt (to a greater or lesser extent), while also showing extreme bravery in their duty.
Sam Malik
Adeel Akhtar plays Sam Malik, the lawyer who believes everyone—no matter what their crime—deserves the most vigorous legal representation that is available. He chooses to represent Mitchell fully understanding the accusations that have been laid against him.
Malik’s life is falling apart. His wife died by suicide and he is trying to look after his young adult son who is clearly suffering too. He continues to represent Mitchell while knowing that he is being undermined by his client who is not being honest with him and is using his knowledge of police procedure to play the system.
Akhtar has been on British TV screens for years, often playing the “generic man of South Asian origin”. This is perhaps his first major part where he takes the lead, and he truly excels in the role.
Issues
While the core of the story is a did he/didn’t he kill the eco-protestor conundrum, the tale illuminates many mental health issues through the filter of serving police officers. In particular, it looks at:
- PTSD after extreme trauma
- compulsive gambling, and
- extreme risk taking
Bringing these issues to the fore within the context of the wider story gives depth to the character of Mitchell. With these issues, the story moves from did he/didn’t he to: if he did it, then is there a justification…and might blame be attributed elsewhere?
So Did He Do It?
We do find out whether Mitchell is guilty.
did he do it…and if he did, will he be found guilty?
However, you’ll be left guessing until the end. I suspect that if—before you hear the jury’s verdict—you have a view about whether Mitchell is guilty, then that probably speaks more to your preconceptions.
Yeah, But…
Showtrial is great—and you should watch it—but there are a few weaknesses.
First, there are too many characters and too many “similar” characters—too many police officers and too many lawyers. And with too many characters, there are too many threads and too many tenuous relationships. There’s enough complexity in the story without needing to wade through the irrelevant subplots.
There’s also a strong lump of conspiracy theory which strains credulity at times.
But these weaknesses are few and far between and they can be easily ignored.
Until 2025
That’s me done for 2024. Thank you for reading me for another year.
If you’re celebrating over the next few weeks, I hope you and yours have an enjoyable time, and that you can fit Showtrial into your viewing schedule.
I’ll be back in January 2025.
Until then, all the best
Simon