Silent Witness

[petitspois]

Having Happy Valley on so close to Silent Witness really makes it clear how crap SW has become. They should just stick to good procedural crime stories and stop having Jack and Nikki run around solving crimes like Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo.

 

[Clickbait]

I feel like watching Silent Witness is some kind of endurance sport now. The writing is really clunky, Nikki and Jack seem to have to spell out the bloody obvious and finish each other’s sentences. The festival scenes were cringe AF. Suddenly every man and his dog knows BSL?! Total nonsense.

 

[Very traditional]

It’s like they’re making it in to a soap rather than a drama - I don’t care about Jacks niece or Velveys background or Nikki and jacks relationship, I want the crime stories!

 

[laughing]

This programme has so lost its way. Shame I used to love it

 

[Tallyho]

I used to love silent witness in the Leo and Harry days. But the last few series’s have just been absolute tripe. I never liked Jack, he was never a replacement for Harry, same goes for Thomas and Leo! Couldn’t stand Clarissa although she is slightly more bearable than the extremely annoying velvey who speaks as though he is extremely slow, and where did he come from? It’s just weird! There used to be some really gritty episodes with quite dark story lines. Now it’s just woke crap like everything else (apart from happy valley)!

 

[BeautifulTrauma]

The whole thing is an absolute shambles.

I remember when Jack and Clarissa came in and it was evident that Jack had a bit of a crush on Nikki, but it seems to have gone full circle. I said this on DS Forums but SW needs to decide what it is, it's either a soap opera or a forensic procedural drama - I am not interested in the slightest in outside relationships, to the point I'm forwarding scenes with Jack and Nikki in. But it's the same with Simone, it was so contrived her partner would be the detective. All too neat and tidy for my liking. I can't stand the whole Jack's family storyline, there isn't any interest. The best episodes were from series 12-18(ish), and then it goes downhill again. Jack running round believing he's Action Man and can solve everything in the world, going off on a tangent, doing his own thing.

I just don't think Silent Witness knows what sort of show it is at the moment, and the murders are taking second place to general lives. It should be the other way around!

 

[Thechubbymoaner]

they filmed part of this in my work last year and Jack isnt as tall as he seems at all! But I totally would love for him to fall penis first into me

 

[a.pain]

Agree. Too much focus on Jack and his storyline. This weeks murder deserved more explanation.
I miss Clarissa!!!

Bring back Clarissa!!

 

[Clickbait]

I hate the expression but it feels that it’s ‘gone woke’: each episode seems to pick an of-the-moment topic to focus on - Only Fans/Social Media exploitation, mental load of motherhood, climate change - but covers it in a really cringey, clunky way.

The new characters just seem to have been brought in to tick a diversity box (Nikki just invites Gabriel as someone she’s had barely any contact with professionally and personally to apply for a job as the new boss of the outfit?!) as has adding in Cara as a permanent character, who as someone has said is allowed to hang out in what should be a highly restricted area getting involved in solving cases.

One of the areas that the writing falls down is making the way characters speak believable, particularly young people. It’s like the writers are totally out of touch with that.

I miss the drama caused by plot twists as more evidence is found out. Recent episodes have been more predictable than Scooby Doo.

 

[super grateful]

I enjoyed Nicky sending a photograph of a teenage girl to a surgeon mate and the surgeon mate circulating the photograph around their surgeon mates and one going “oh yes I remember this patient from many years ago. She had x, y, z and her exact name is”…

 

[BeautifulTrauma]

I watched the second episode of the series last night....and it's still really struggling in terms of plot line. So many holes! Again, the void left by Clarissa and a strong male lead is huge. Do we really care if Velvy is homeless and Gabriel wants to fight? The addition of Cara isn't great, she doesn't add anything to any plot.

Jack and his mouth injury was driving me mad, whoever wrote that needs to be fired! And Nikki spends half her time trying to fight him off while he's groping her. Why can't we get back to the days of ten series' ago?!!

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

Lots of loose ends.

Why shoot him?

Why the other policeman in the canal?

Who is going to get killed then? Nikki or Jack?

I interpreted it as him killing him because he realised he'd created a monster who was far more dangerous than he realised.

The other policeman was bumped off to keep him quiet.

 

[BeautifulTrauma]

It’s like they’re making it in to a soap rather than a drama - I don’t care about Jacks niece or Velveys background or Nikki and jacks relationship, I want the crime stories!

That's been my thoughts pretty much since Thomas died. When he died the Lyell lost a focal point then when Clarissa left it was game over - having Clarissa with Max was actually a good move as they worked in the same industry and he could help so the story was never lost by Max being in an episode.

Now though, it's like five separate characters entangled who just meet at the Lyell. Jack stomping all over the place in a mood and out solving crimes. Whilst his niece has showed up and is now pretty much working in a pathology lab without any sort of clearance, doing work on social media that the police will have been doing. Velvy and his family. Nikki and Jack's relationship that nobody cares about and pretty much forgets for most of the episode until he becomes ultimate Action Man protective over her and Gabriel who isn't anywhere near as good as Thomas.

I have to say I don't mind Velvy, it's the niece and Gabriel and Nikki & Jack's relationship that ruined it. I thought when Simone was on those final few episodes last season that it was going to stay that way and get much better, I can't believe how much it's declined since.

 

[super grateful]

So sad. I’ve loved SW for years and years, however the last ~4 years, it’s just becoming ridiculous. I don’t mind having to stretch my imagination a little to enjoy a show, or forgetting that everything happening probably wouldn’t happen in real life… but it’s getting too much now. I also don’t even think I fancy Jack any more, which means it can’t be saved at all. Such a shame.

 

[ChampagneBox]

Jack had longer hair and a darker, faker looking dye job. Still would though.
They're definitely pushing the Nikki Jack relationship this time around aren't they...I'm here for it. Jack is a weird looking fella but I'm so in
Silent Witness plots always seem to be so convoluted you kind of have to suspend all disbelief and then it's great!

Omg Jack is FIT and you can’t change my mind I’m a bit upset about the weight gain but he’s still sexy AF

 

[CELESTE CROCKETT]

Watched it since the start
However it's now unwatchable pretty much
Where did Velvy come from i may have slept thro that bit & what exactly is his job??

I'm usually knitting or crocheting whilst watching so the silent bits during the BSL are bloody annoying as i have to look at the screen for that conversation.

 

[TwooTwooTwitTwitTwoo]

I'm assuming they felt like John Thompson's normal accent was too jovial for a hardened cockney copper (or something) but I can't take it seriously. Partly because he can't keep it up for more than half a scene.

 

[a.pain]

Felt like this weeks episode wasn’t wrapped up as well as it could have been…it’s like the main murder became completely secondary!!

Spoiler

I liked the plot twist of identity theft but Laura’s murder felt like it was forgotten about and not fully explained or was even that relevant to what became the main story
[\SPOILER]

 

[Homebird44]

Err I just can't with this series, it's dreadful. It reminds me of the guff I used to work on for my Btec Media studies 30 years ago. Couldn't give two shits about Nicky and Jack, both boring

 

[kittyeyelashes]

Jack had longer hair and a darker, faker looking dye job. Still would though.
They're definitely pushing the Nikki Jack relationship this time around aren't they...I'm here for it. Jack is a weird looking fella but I'm so in
Silent Witness plots always seem to be so convoluted you kind of have to suspend all disbelief and then it's great!