Bodies (2006-ish medical thriller)

[Des Wigwam]

Now on Netflix. My TV must have broken around 2005 because I don't know anything about this but would have watched at the time. It's Ewan MacGregor Max Beesley as an obgyn surgical resident in an NHS hospital under Neil from The Office. Turns out Neil from The Office is not a great surgeon but brings in a lot of funding because of his research. Someone blows the whistle and is removed and then Max wrestles with his conscience while banging ward sister Neve McIntosh really quite graphically in between. All based on a book written by Line of Duty's Jed Mercurio.

Only watched 3 episodes and enjoying it. It's quite gritty and grainy. You get the feeling it's written by an industry insider to some degree - the Nigerian locum trained in Moscow stands out in particular. Am surprised it ran for 3 series but then that's 3x6 not 3x24.

The sex scenes also stand out quite a lot. I'm not sure you get such graphic scenes these days (you don't see it going in or nothing but there's full frontals and tits - not the man of course; it's not porn). Was there a trend during the Noughties for that sort of thing?

It's also got Keith Allan in it being arrogant and unpleasant as the senior consultant. HIS CHARACTER'S NOT VERY NICE EITHER LOL.

[A Hat Like That]

Two series and a finale.

I found it good, but a really tough watch in places.

[Des Wigwam]

Yes - just had a scroll through what's left on Netflix and see series 3 is a 1h30 special. Surprisingly excited to get to it.

Am really enjoying it. You're right it's tough to watch in parts  It's incredibly gory and raw and emotional in parts (but grounded) but also really frustrating seeing how various characters treated and how thwarted things are by commoditising a health service - I can overlook how heavy handed some of it is.

It's also pretty funny and Keith Allen is very enjoyable.

[Gambrinus]

It's really good. The management bloke plays a right old cunt really well.

What with This Is Going To Hurt as well I've come to the conclusion that an O&G registrar must be one of the most traumatic careers possible.

[Des Wigwam]

The management bloke plays a right old cunt really well.

They've made the other management team really grey and cold too - real evil apparitions. It's really well done rather than making them quite prominent baddies.

[Norton Canes]

Watched the first three episodes. Really good. First time I've ever watched anything by Jed Mercurio, I like the way he gets stuck straight in and doesn't let the pace drop. There are none of those cliched breaks for emotional drama. I can see why Line Of Duty would be so addictive. I'd quite happily see him show-run Doctor Who, scripting whole seasons.

[Zero Gravitas]

I never found Whitman particularly unpleasant in it, particularly later as he's framed against Hurley as a hierarchy climbing incompetent - granted he's an unreconstructed letch made even more uncomfortable by the time passed since 2006 - but just another example of a person boxed in by the administrative and social system within the show.

Hurley's incompetence where never that strongly drawn for me until quite a bit into the show, which was nice as it was it's more of a feel of a genuine struggle amongst professionals rather than one person clearly being a cartoon sawbones maniac and no one willing to speak out.

The sex weirdly ages it, as you say not wonton but having it be such an admitted part of the relationships that also serves as a dramatic release of tension is hard to imagine occurring in a modern series.

Everyone comes off as shits with a rationale in the end, poor Polly.

I'm not sure if the (Special Ep) final scene between Polly and Whitman wasn't a tongue in cheek nod to the actor's marriage, it seems really weird otherwise.