kitellis-98121 This was a thoroughly gripping and unusual series, with good writing; an intriguing multi-strand storyline; well-drawn characters played by a talented cast of well-known British actors; and a few minor (and mostly unexpected) twists.Some of the individual story threads stretch credibility a little thin, if you analyse too much while watching. Additionally, the presence of so many "dodgy" people with secrets all being on the same section of road at the same time, and then to all be involved in the same collision is certainly a stretch. But if you can accept or ignore the unlikeliness of the situation, the drama that unfolds from it makes for some pretty good television.There is also a bizarre romance shoe-horned into the series, in the form of two people loosely connected with the collision: one with a dislocated shoulder, the other a helpful bystander. Their storyline runs parallel to the main "investigation" and though initiated by the original incident, is not in any other way a part of the main arc. It is rather sweet and pleasant to watch the two strangers fall in love, and they are beautifully played by both actors. But their story fits somewhat uncomfortably into the rest of the series, as it is essentially not relevant to the plot.Each individual storyline is explored as part of the main investigative arc, and there are some surprises along the way, but everything is designed to lead in the direction of an ultimate conclusion: what caused the crash. And that is where both the writing and the directing become somewhat clumsy and unsubtle.If you want to be surprised by the "big reveal" of the culprit that caused the collision, you'll have to switch your brain off right from the start, and keep it switched off throughout. Because for reasons of, I assume, an artistic nature, the writer and director choose to foreshadow the ultimate reveal throughout the entire season, repeatedly and unsubtly, making it almost impossible not to know what happened long before the investigation is concluded. And that's a real shame, because it could have been a fabulous twist if it had arrived without all the signposting.But despite that, it was gripping and enjoyable enough for me to watch it twice, and I will doubtless be watching it again.

gordymck Interesting spin on the usual police investigation story, that starts with the incident and then unravels the story over the 5 episodes as the main characters piece together what happened. Douglas Henshall is excellent as usual, in his trademark moody Scottish leadership role (see 'Shetland' for more Henshall) and the background story move along reasonably well. This had so much potential, with the calibre of the acting and the plot, it could have easily have been renewed for more than one outing, if only the producers had the foresight to take the format forward. The basic premise of the show, that of a road traffic accident and the subsequent investigation of all the many variables that led up to the crash, offers the possibility of many different season arcs as the characters investigate different scenarios over a number of episodes. If this had been an American show, I'm sure it would have been renewed.Nice twist at the end, which adds a whole new dimension to the whole story :)

blanche-2 Collision, from across the pond, was apparently a five-hour miniseries, cut to just over three for DVD. It stars Douglas Henshall, Lucy Griffiths, Kate Ashfield, Philip Davis, Sylvia Syms, Paul McGann, and Matt Ryan.It's a sort of Bridge of San Luis Rey with vehicles. John Tolin (Henshall) is a police detective who has had some sadness in his life, though we're not sure what when the story begins. He has a wheelchair-bound daughter (Jo Woodcock) about to go to college and no wife. He agrees to investigate a multi-car collision on the A12 highway which killed three people. He and another investigator (Kate Ashfield) work together in spite of having been involved in a relationship that ended badly.The investigation leads to more questions than it answers. Tolin delves into the lives of the people involved and finds corporate espionage, an unexplained death, smuggling, and someone living under an alias; one person, driving an antiques van, has disappeared. After the accident, there is a murder and another death, and a married man seemingly falls for a younger woman he met as a direct result of the accident.Low-key, compelling drama that will keep you guessing.

albertk1 Although I enjoyed the show, I did not understand where Tolin got the digital version of the incriminating information on the chemical company. Did anyone else catch that? Also, in retrospect, I gather from the final "what might have been" sequence, that Jane had taken an unsuccessful swat at the wasp at the beginning of the series. But that was not memorable and it would have helped if that had been included among the many flashbacks. Some other issues were unresolved: (1) Did Brian get arrested for murdering his mother-in-law? The police still wanted to see him and there were some suspicious findings regarding how he handled the car. (2) Was the head of the chemical company arrested for involvement in his employees murder or genocide in East Africa? Again there was some evidence.It seemed not only heartless, but bad policing for Tolin to have ignored the plea of the phony James Taylor. Acting on his plea could have led the police to the murderers of Karen Donnelly.