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New Blood Case 3 is the final adventure for odd couple Stefan (Mark Strepan) and Rash (Ben Tavassoli) in the first series, and I stuggled to find a coherent storyline amongst what felt more like a series of set pieces.
The third case is hung on a £30m fraud, orchestrated by a mysterious man called Daniel Lorca. We see a lot of his lawyer, John Malick (Haluk Bilginer – looking like Oliver Reed after a heavy night out), while elsewhere, Paul Douglas (Steven Brand) is advised by accountant Michael Freeland (Ben Caplan) to investigate his own wife, Lisa (Indira Varma), who’s running a gala for the Our Child charity project, so you know that she’ll be up to no good, however innocent she tries to appear.
Elsewhere, Stefan and Rash are looking to rent an expensive flat in London, but first, their story begins trapped upside down in car crash, just as it’s about to explode. Will they survive? Well, it’s the start of the case, so what do you think? Oh, but then it goes back to ‘5 days earlier’ where they’re not in any danger, other than, perhaps, losing out on the accommodation they can’t afford, really, anyway.
Also, minor burglaries being looked into by Rash and DS Sands (Mark Addy), which you just know will link in later somehow, since this is not the most complex of dramas. There’s an obscure DVD regarding Bermuda, then when cornered, Stefan will drop into a cod-Polish accent and blabber a sort-of “I know na-thing”-type Manuel-from-Fawlty-Towers excuse. Add in usual tropes such as things that go bump in the night, and a chase scene through a restaurant kitchen leading to food going all over the place in slow motion, while Anna Chancellor turns up to say a few words, but if I was given a quiz on the content of her dialogue, I would lose in a heartbeat.
Again, Kimberly Nixon takes a backseat in the proceedings. It’s a shame to get her on board, yet only give her about five minutes screen time per case! However, Aiysha Hart, as Leila, gets a bit more of a part this time round, rather than just being Stefan’s girlfriend-in-waiting-with-a-far-away-look-in-her-eyes.
However, whatever happens with the car that the pair are trapped inside at the start of the first episode, the series ends not with a bang but more with a fizzle. If there is a series 2 – and the final episode sets one up – we need stronger scripts. The first case started off great, but then episodes 2 and 3 could easily have been condensed into one. Meanwhile, cases 2 and 3 have just coasted along. Anthony Horowitz must’ve written most of this series on his day off. Maybe next time, Stefan and Rash can go in search of new writers? Hey, I’m sure I can cobble together some more plausible nonsense! I once sent in a script to the Writers Room, but it was rejected. Must’ve been too good to broadcast.
That said, it has been a good idea to take a punt on new talent as the leads, as well as the iPlayer premiere aspect, as I mentioned in my review of Case 1.
New Blood Series 1 is available to pre-order on Blu-ray and DVD, ahead of its release on July 25th, and Case 3 airs traditionally from next Thursday, July 14th on BBC1 at 9pm. However, you can watch all of Case 3 on BBC iPlayer. Also, click on the packshot for the full-size version.
Case 3 (Episodes 6-7) Score: 4/10
Director: Bill Eagles
Series Producer: Eve Gutierrez
Writer: Anthony Horowitz
Music: Daniel Fajemisin-Duncan, Marlon Smith and Anthony Horowitz
Cast:
Stefan Kowolski: Mark Strepan
Rash Sayyad: Ben Tavassoli
DS Derek Sands: Mark Addy
Leila Sayyad: Aiysha Hart
Eleanor Davies: Anna Chancellor
Marcus Johnson: Ariyon Bakare
Alison White: Kimberley Nixon
DI Martin Heywood: Dorian Lough
Foday: Antoine Allen
Ralph Finch: Nick Barber
John Malik: Haluk Bilginer
Lisa Douglas: Indira Varma
Paul Douglas: Steven Brand
Michael Freeland: Ben Caplan
Wendy Roberts: Ellise Chappell
Amanda Clarke: Emma Clifford
Dr James Benson: Benjamin Dilloway
Harriet Turner: Kate Duchene
William Gardner: Jim English
David Kumalah: Ray Fearon
Samual Armstrong: Mark Frost
Susan Malik: Alana Hood
Locksmith: Alex Humes
Nasreen: Mandana Jones
Alex Graham: Luke Mullins
Hamish Coltraine: Simon Poland
Armah: Ace Ruele
Yusef: Tolga Safer
Chugger: Theo St Claire
Ayjay Kapour: Chook Sibtain
George Reynolds: Guy Williams
Hotel Manager: Nigel Allen
Presenter: Nicola Bryant
Taxi Driver: Grant Davis
Dr James Benson: Benjamin Dilloway
Jan: Slawomir Doliniec
Harriet Turner: Kate Duchene
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.