Collateral episode one review: A detective show like no other

Warning: Contains spoilers for Collateral.

Collateral is a bold and ambitious detective drama which hopes to defy the genre at every turn, with this promising first episode feeling like a small beginning for what’s to come.

Written by renowned playwright Sir David Hare, who also penned the screenplay for Oscar nominated flicks like The Hours and The Reader, Collateral is a sharp, stylishly shot drama which aims its eyes beyond solving crimes and toward the cross-sections of humanity at society’s root.

It all kicks off in familiar territory; a man is shot dead on a London doorstep after delivering a pizza to Karen Mars (Billie Piper) in her chaotic apartment. This spurs an investigation led by DI Kip Glaspie (Carey Mulligan), who starts to unfurl branching connections from the murder which touch jump across figures tying together politics, religion and immigration.

It’s hard to gauge the scope of its ambitions from the first episode, but those expecting a straight-forward murder-mystery may be left wondering what exactly it’s trying to map out. Collateral isn’t a mystery interested in driving theories around the killer’s identity (which is later revealed in this episode), it’s far more concerned in the fallout from institutions following an illegal immigrant’s death in modern society.

It won’t be for those accustomed to a steady diet of Midsomer Murders, but for everyone else this is an exciting far-reaching feast.

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Directed by S.J. Clarkson who’s recent works include Marvel’s Jessica Jones, the whole show feels keen to avoid the stereotypical beats of police procedural dramas. An early tracking shot of the crime scene is particularly striking, swooping between forensics, witnesses and police officers as Kip digests all the information being thrown her way in the shooting’s aftermath.

Carey Mulligan, who played the part during her pregnancy in real life, expertly toes the line between cutting coldness and likability too – quietly commanding the screen with an understated, nuanced performance.

The supporting cast are also a treat – featuring John Simm as politician David Mars and Billie Piper as his erratic ex-wife; whose absence from terrestrial TV is particularly felt in this scene-stealing, sharp-tongued turn.

As eyes are cast onto the army to provide revelations for next week’s episode, it’s hard not to admire Collateral’s smarts and willingness to approach tough topics. While it feels like a show yet to reveal the extent of its moves, we’re anticipating this is a series which will only get better the further it scurries, and rips apart, this crime rabbit hole.

Collateral continues next Monday BBC Two at 9pm.

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