Something I Didn't Mean To Get Invested In But Then I Did - A TV Review By Rhona

Rhona Reviews! Yeah, alliteration, nice. Anyway, today I'm going to talk to you about a TV show I kind of like a lot. It wasn't supposed to turn out this way I swear! Picture this - it's been a long day. I've had three hours of lectures in the morning then a five hour bar shift at the union. I've not eaten and probably not slept because that seems to be something I've decided to give up for some unknown reason. So it's late, I'm tired and starving; I want to watch something pretty easy going to wash over me whilst I stuff my face with pizza. But it quickly escalates from something I watch on my laptop with an episode here or there when I wanted to unwind to something I actively prioritise above my university work because I want to watch it. So what is this TV show?

Rookie Blue. (2010)

I know, I know.

Yeah, okay, I know, I know how it looks. You guys are making assumptions in your mind right now about what this show is like but just like, hear me out okay? Yeah? Awesome.

I first got into it because it's pretty easy going. Cases are brought into the station and resolved within an episode, there's more focus on the characters rather than the plot which is quite nice sometimes when pitted against Game of Thrones. Don't get me wrong, I ABSOLUTELY ADORE GAME OF THRONES, but it's pretty emotionally exhausting and it has a lot of characters with complicated names and I'm not good with names, so sometimes it's nice to sit down with a t.v show that has a regular cast with normal names that I can identify easily. Like I say, there is more focus on the characters, so most of the drama comes from relationship things which I'm not too invested in, but I do enjoy the development of the characters' friendships. The relationship-based storylines are fairly predictable to begin with but do at least try to spice things up - to varying degrees of success. 

They also drink a lot, therefore I want to drink a lot.

Next up, the cast is really diverse. It's not just middle aged, classically handsome white guys (although there are a fair few of those too, don't get me wrong). Instead of the token woman thrown in to act as a love device and the token black guy, there's actually a fair range of diversity. It's refreshing to see and it's appreciated.

Frank, you're the best! His last name is Best. Comedy!

I also think this show is written a bit more cleverly than some people might assume. Again, it's not the greatest piece of writing in a television series I've ever seen, it's not crazy clever or side-splittingly hilarious, but I think it deserves a wee bit more credit than it might have been receiving. It takes a few episodes to find itself (as with most TV series), but once it's hit its stride, I think it's pretty solid. It does a pretty good job of making me invested in the characters, so when things do get heated, I actually feel something for them - and this show isn't afraid to hurt its characters either, something that totally caught me off guard. I thought it was going to be one of those shows that puts its characters in danger (maybe someone gets shot or stabbed or trapped in a burning building etc.) but in the end, after being rushed to the hospital just in time, they pull through. Nope! Shit goes down. For real. 

I also like the fact that they wear uniforms when they're on the job day to day. I don't know why, I think it's because there are all these cop shows where they all wear super fashionable clothing and they can show off how ripped and toned and tanned they all are and do I sound bitter? Because I'm not. Just because I've not been to the gym in months and have been living off ice-cream for two weeks doesn't mean I'm bitter that actors have better bodies than me. Shut up. Anyway, yeah, I like that they all wear the same uniform, it adds an element of realism I guess. 

Nice example of a platonic friendship, something TV often forgets.

The seasons are also only thirteen episodes long, which means I could power through it pretty quickly. Like I said at the beginning, I didn't intend for it to turn out this way but...I accidentally became really invested in this show. I really like it. There, I said it! I like this show and I shouldn't be ashamed to admit it! I think the characters are fun - they remain pretty consistent throughout the series which is something I've seen lacking in other TV shows; they change a characters personality completely and try and pass it off as development but instead it's jarring and clunky. The storylines are pretty easy-going (crime is committed, investigate, catch bad guy), but it does throw in a few twists here and there which were handled nicely. There's not a lot else to say here. So if it's been a long day, you're pretty tired and need something to watch whilst you unwind before bed, stick on an episode of Rookie Blue and see where it takes you.