Part 1

She's gritty and the woman who can handle it
In, "PRIME SUSPECT" Helen Mirren makes the show as Tennison. Obsessed, work-driven, feminist attitude, course, in-your-face drive, believable. Most is man-like rather than the occasional romantic portion which does exist. She's a drinker, and almost never smiles. The cases may not always end to your satisfaction--just like real life crimes and punishment. But you will be on the edge of your seat while you watch. "Prime Suspect" is compelling viewing, ruthless in the detail, definitely not for children and the squeamish, blatantly course visually and in dialogue, but oh, so realistic.
Police drama was changed forever by Helen Mirren's as Jane Tennison.

1-Brutal murders, & DCI Tennison gets promoted to head of the murder investigation team after the present leader dies. She takes on a botched investigation, a slippery suspect, a home-front relationship, and proves to have more than what it takes, even being a woman, to male surprise. Loads of blood, mutilated bodies,...

The mother of invention
Having recently discovered the excellence of such American TV series as The Wire, or Sopranos, I was keen to have a look at one of the first such series, the English one called Prime Suspect, with the fabulous Helen Mirren. Finally I managed to watch series 1 of 1991, not without misgivings: can it have aged well, would it not be dated and antique?
No, it is still as fresh as if it had been done recently. Some things have changed of course. The star looks like 40, not like the queen. And her female cop Jane Tennison struggles against male ignorance among her colleagues on an unimaginable level. No current show would dare to depict men as such stupid idiots.
The 200 minutes of the first series are not broken up in hourly or 45 minutes dosages, but come in just two installments. The plot focuses on just one case. It is a whodunnit, but it is also a procedural and a character study and a social study. Tennison is ambitious, selfish, vain, smart, and we see how she has to be...

The First and the Best
Helen Mirren is in my mind the best actress of our time.. I cannot think of a film where she did not shine! She is able to take on the personna of the character she is playing, she is believable, honest, intelligent, and quite lovely.

I recently reviewed the first couple of episodes, and in the first series, the difficult time that DCI Jane Tennison had breakng into the old boy's network, comes full force. The smirks, the lies, the deceit from the men who were so afraid of a woman taking over. When she had her first win, and the men in her department greeted her with cheers and champagne, I ffelt tears in my eyes. I was a woman in the 60's and felt the discrimination and had the bottom pitching. I knew exactly what she went through. Tom Ball who plays DC Otley, the most despicable liar of the entire team has his comeuppance and none too soon. The other big distinction between the time Helen Mirren plays Tennison and now, is the amount of smoking that took place. A clig in...

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