SummaryCormoran Strike is a war veteran-turned-private detective in this series based on the novels written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. It was released in the UK on BBC One under the name Strike.
SummaryCormoran Strike is a war veteran-turned-private detective in this series based on the novels written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith. It was released in the UK on BBC One under the name Strike.
The two protagonists carry the day, though. C.B. and Robin are well worth rooting for as they sift their way through both the crimes at hand and their own personal dilemmas. So keep writing these characters, J.K. Rowling. They’re every bit as down to earth as Harry Potter was fantastical.
Throughout, the disparity between Strike's melancholy disposition and robin's sunnier outlook makes for enjoyable teamwork. C.B. Strike may not break new ground in procedural storytelling, but it stays refreshingly true to character. [28 May - 10 Jun 2018, p.16]
C.B. Strike isn’t out to rewrite anything, and maybe that’s a mistake. It makes for some steady, dependable viewing, but it always feels like there’s more for these two to explore.
They’re both [Tom Burke & Holliday Grainger] good, particularly Ms. Grainger, who balances sardonic efficiency with intimations of smoky passion, and their interplay is the main reason to watch the show. It doesn’t quite make up, however, for the deficiencies of the mysteries, which are convoluted in conception and prosaic in presentation.
Clues to Landry’s murder are supermodel thin, but Strike finds them as if he has hidden wizarding powers (he does not). The suspects and leads are blindingly colorful in contrast to the rumpled, low-key detective. ... The disheveled detective is of course irresistible to [temp Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger)] too, so you can probably guess the answer. Viewers, however, my find him--and his cases--less interesting.
The phrase that recurred in my mind as I watched C.B. Strike was "not enough": not enough plot, not enough characterization, not enough suspense, not enough of its own DNA. But the pang of "not enough" was most keen when it came to the scenes between Burke and his co-star Holliday Grainger, who faultlessly embodies the earnest, thrill-seeking Robin.