Silent Witness - Series 15

This series was the first time I've properly watched a whole series, with having seen odd episodes in the past and I found myself being drawn into the stories.

One important element that makes the stories interesting is the basis of the show, where it being centred around the role of the pathologists in the justice system. This makes it different from many other shows and the displays the remarkable technology that is used to gather evidence, identify victims and convict criminals. This is shown throughout the series, especially in the second story, Domestic, where a machine is used to create a replica of the murder weapon just from the bruises it left and then in the last story, And Then I Fell In Love, where a victim's face is digitally reconstructed in order to obtain an identification. Obviously because of this focus on forensics the show doesn't hid away from gore in terms of the crime scene, the autopsy and the victim's, sometimes, mutilated body. But it's done in a way to not overpower the viewer with scenes and the lighting used makes it look very stylised and clinical.

This series saw the tackling of many subjects such as sexually abuse, the issue of DNA identification, the need for resolution in the aftermath of death, the extremes of the believe towards exorcism and and the murder of inmates in prison. With these in mind it displays that the show isn't afraid to be dark especially in the third story, Paradise Lost, where a convicted murder has a strong control over a terrified mother trying to find her missing daughter. Also alongside these stories, which are told in a very smart way often with a psychological edge to them, is the development of the central characters of Leo, Harry and Nikki. Often these characters had a connection with case such as Harry knowing the family involved in Domestic and Leo helping a friend out in the fourth story, Fear, where exorcism and the fear of evil spirits takes centre stage.

Overall I thought the series was great success and was really good at exploration these hard and interesting issues through a sensitive and a clear way.