ginamariehayes
So disappointed with the series finale, ugh!!! I have been watching this series since the beginning and I have loved every minute of it. The story line, acting, actors, all top notch - so you can imagine my disappointment when I read the series was coming to an end. Who wrote that last episode?!? It was too ridiculous for words!I don't understand the thought process as to why Matthew had to die. Wasn't it enough that he was sent back to America as part of the deal? The only thing that made that a little easier was that he was taking Conor and finally that poor child was going to be loved and looked after by a parent - not for long however!How about Matilda! The last words she had for her father - what was that about?!? I thought that was rather harsh considering the poor man had been tormented most of the show because he felt responsible for her death (although he never stopped looking for her). And poor Mr. Reid....I adored his character and in the end they made him out to be this unhinged lunatic moving in and out of reality, with everyone he loved moved away or dead, and with no life or friends outside of work. What a sad, pathetic ending for such a brilliant, and yes at time, tormented character. Sooo disappointed. He certainly deserved a happier ending.
tinyone2
Even though season 4 was a disappointment I persevered with season 5 with the hope that some of the glory of earlier seasons would resurface. But it was all gloom and doom with no more spark left.They should've left season 3 be the last because what they've created thereafter is an abomination.Seasons 1 - 3: Every episode was about solving a crime, but being aware of the characters' flaws. There was a main thread throughout due to Reid's daughter that kept us wondering. They kept the stories surprising and interesting. The acting was superb, especially Inspector Reid.Season 4: They introduce a long winded hairy story about a wolf that runs episode to episode. There is no more crime busting, only egoistic characters that make it a chore to watch each episode.Season 5: The same monotonous wolf story persists, except the writers have decided to create more flashbacks, darker sets and more unhinged story lines. It was like each episode became darker, drearier and more delirious. But at the same time the episodes were dragging on, as it became apparent that the writers were stumbling through the series with writer's block and a deadline and inflicting their hatred of the show on us. So I skipped an episode as I figured that I wouldn't miss much, and I didn't. During the last episode I couldn't believe that anyone could make such flummery. The last episode was like a blotch of ketchup on a wedding dress. It was the worst piece of film making and script writing that I have experienced since watching Alexander. This ruined Ripper Street.
Chappy Watched
I watched this show after finishing Whitechapel and well because it's BBC.I liked the style and the dark, grit of this show but Matthew Macfadyen's 'Det. Insp. Edmund Reid' REALLY annoyed the sh*t out of me.Just too much of a bumbling idiot and making so many stupid, rookie mistakes.Other than that it has a good cast, aside from Macfadyen, and good stories.Whitechapel is way better! I probably won't watch a second season, unless they get rid of Det. Insp. Edmund Reid or he gets a personality change! :)
Andrew W MacFadyen
Originally a BBC series now a joint Amazon BBC production Ripper Street stands head and shoulders above other detective dramas set in the late 19th century. The Ripper Street follows Detective Inspector Edmund Reid and his the team of detectives based at Leeman Street in the East End Of London. Reid had hunted Jack the Ripper. The Police's failure to catch the infamous serial killer forms a backdrop to the story. However Ripper street is not a reworking of The Ripper story it is firmly set post-Ripper and follows Inspector Reid as he struggles to protect the largely poor immigrant population of the East End from murder, organized crime, anarchist plots and assorted mayhem.Played by to remarkable effect Mathew MacFadyen Inspector Reid is very loosely based on a real life Inspector Edmund Reid who was a remarkably forward thinking man with a love of science described by newspapers of the era as "the best all detectives". However the script writers have created for Reid a new back story that explains why this very moral policeman is prepared to bend the rules in the interest of the greater good. Reid is accompanied by a posse of strong well drawn characters some pretty dubious all their own back stories and played by an amazing good cast, who make well written dialogue come alive. The result is western set in Victorian London, more Hell on Wheels than Sherlock Holmes.The production values are remarkable, sets and costumes are flawless and the script, direction, editing, cinematography and sound are near perfect