Based on the Dangerous Davies novels by Leslie Thomas, this show centers on Detective Constable Davies (Peter Davison), "Dangerous" to his friends and foes alike because he isn't, is a middle-aged man who doesn't quite fit in his job. He's just doesn't seem to be rugged and tough person who could handle being on the police force, and he's not. Because he's not callous and hardened like the rest of the squad, he's not particularly outstanding at his job and he's not well liked. The fact that he has turned in a fellow officer for a capital crime earns him the enmity of the rest of the squad and especially his Inspector. He's known as The Last Detective, the last one who will get a good assignment or will ever be called to work an important case. That's one of the things that makes this BBC crime drama so endearing. It's always fun to cheer for the underdog. Davies is no super sleuth or great intellect, he's an everyday man who has a lot of problems and never seems to get a break.

Not only is his professional life not going well, his private life is in a shambles too. He's getting divorced from his wife, though he's not really sure it's the right move, and his only friend is Mod (Sean Hughes), a younger man who jumps from job to job.

The season starts off with Dangerous having a real uphill battle on his hands. When a cellular phone magnate is found dead at his college class reunion, it looks like an open and shut case. The magnate's old rival is a recovering heroin addict who was seen leaving the crime scene, his coat was found with the murdered man's blood on it, and the murder weapon was found in the addict's room. Davies isn't so sure however, but when the suspect admits that he was stoned on smack at the time of the murder, it doesn't leave the detective much to help him. With his superior and the other members of his squad convinced that they've nabbed the right guy, how is Davies' investigation even going to start? This was an excellent story with an ending that was quite unexpected.

Towpaths of Glory is another solid episode. An ex-army officer Frank Moore is found shot in the head and left to rot in a garbage dump, and Davies finds more than his share of suspects. His battered wife had a motive, and his daughter, now in the Army herself, certainly had the opportunity. His business partner may have had a reason for seeing Moore dead too, but Davies runs into a brick wall when he tries to talk with Moore's old army unit.

One of the better episodes in this season was Three Steps to Hendon. Teddy O'Connor was the lead singer of a 70's one-hit-wonder pop band, but now he's just a drunk who's deeply in debt. That is he was until someone shoved a bottle of booze down his mouth and killed him. As Dangerous investigates, he discovers that there was some trouble all those years ago, something that no one wants to talk about. Could something that Teddy did 30 years ago come back to kill him?

The season wraps up with Willesden Confidential, and Davies has an uphill battle on his hands once again. When a popular stock car racer is killed in an explosion on the track, everyone thinks it's an accident until a severed fuel line turns up. The detectives quickly arrest and get a confession from a local hoodlum who had a motive and the means, but DC Davies doesn't buy it. With his boss breathing down his neck and telling him to leave well enough alone, Dangerous looks into who else would want to kill the local hero.

This was another good set of episodes. Peter Davison brings the mild mannered detective DC "Dangerous" Davies to life and instills the character with charm and human foibles that makes the show very enjoyable to watch. This season also had a bit more continuity than the previous two. His boss' alcoholism starts to finally catch up with him in this set, and that adds an interesting dynamic to the events. Of course the situation between Davies and his estranged wife continues though they don't get resolved.

This season did raise a few questions that aren't sufficiently answered however. At one point a superior states that Davies has an appalling record with the police department, but this is never really explained. Is it his lack of ambition? He solved many crimes in the past three years, doesn't that count for something? Also his boss has made a point of letting Davies know how much he dislikes him, yet when the boss is offered a promotion to another part of the country he offers to take Davies with him as his "bag man." Why? Certainly he'd choose someone that he respected more. These are small matters however, and on the whole the episodes are tight and without these niggling little flaws.

The strength of the series is in the fact that it's easy to relate to Davies. Everyone has had bad days, but poor Dangerous seems to have more than his share. The reason that he's good at solving mysteries isn't because he's ultra-smart or has keen perception; it's that he won't leave things well enough alone. While most people would stop thinking about a case after someone was arrested or had confessed, Davies doesn't. If something doesn't sound right he keeps on digging until things make sense. The fact that he knows that he'll never be rewarded for his diligence makes his actions even nobler and often bitter sweet.

These four shows, which run a bit over an hour each, come on two DVDs which are housed in a pair of single width keepcases. The cases fit into a nice slipcase.

Audio:

This show has a stereo soundtrack with no optional subtitles. I really wish that Acorn would put subs on their BBC discs, some times the British accents are a little hard to understand and some translations would be nice. Aside from that, the audio portion is fine.

Video:

The widescreen anamorphic image (1.78:1) looks good for a British TV show. The image is just a tad soft and there's a slight red push, but these aren't big defects. The level of detail is fine, and the black levels, while not outstanding, are acceptable. Digital defects are very minimal, a little aliasing in the background is all. A nice solid image.

Extras:

The only extras included are a photo gallery and a series of actor filmographies.

Final Thoughts:

This is a show that the will appeal to mystery fans as well as anyone who enjoys good storytelling. While the plots aren't intense and serious as modern crime drama, the show does have a cozy feel to it. It's like a pair of well worn tennis shoes, comfortable even though it's not flashy. The Last Detective is a solid show with excellent plots that gets a strong recommendation.