Jago & Litefoot: Series 6

The series returns to its proper home of the Victorian era in this sixth season of adventures. The episodes are more linked than usual, with the last two in particular forming a single story with a cliffhanger at the mid-way point.

The Skeleton Quay – Jago and Litefoot travel to Suffolk to investigate reports of ghost sightings around the ruins of a village that collapsed into the sea thirty years before. There is a decent sense of mystery around this, although the actual ghost story is less important than the roles of the two locals that our heroes encounter at the site. Both are clearly hiding something, but what it is remains quite opaque until a fair way through the story. The final explanation for what's happening is, if not entirely waterproof (mainly in that it's not obvious why nobody has worked it out before now) at least good enough to pass muster. It's slightly disappointing that, after six episodes away, we aren't straight back into the bustle of Victorian London, but the foggy and deserted coastline is at least a good setting for a ghost story. 4 stars.

Return of the Repressed – This, on the other hand, is just damn peculiar. It's a surreal tale, parts of which are dreams, and parts of which seem to be dreams, even when they aren't. It's sufficiently odd, in fact, that it's hard to figure out what's going on, and the dream-like elements confuse rather than intrigue. Sigmund Freud is called into analyse Jago's recurring nightmares, and Freudian themes are appropriately strong – our heroes' relationships with their mothers turn out to be highly relevant, for example. And, yes, there is an explanation at the end, and one that ties into the wider plot arc for the season, rather than the whole story being weird just for the sake of it. For these reasons, and the insights into the main characters' backgrounds, I can't write the story off, but I also can't say that it worked for me. 3 stars.

Military Intelligence/The Trial of George Litefoot - the closing two-parter brings the plot arc to a conclusion as the villain's motives are revealed. It's a dramatic tale, making good use of the Victorian setting and with strong steampunk elements rather than anything more supernatural. Events flow quite naturally from the set-up, more the result of the villain's hand being forced prematurely than of any direct investigation by the main characters. Much fun is had at Jago's expense, while Litefoot is put through the wringer, especially in the second half, giving a good mix of humour and drama. Ellie and Sergeant Quick, absent in the first two episodes, have a much larger role to play here as well, making this feel a particularly well-crafted piece. 5 stars.

As always, the season ends on a cliffhanger, although, for once, it's a direct consequence of what has gone before, rather than an extra scene tacked on at the end. Counting the four episodes individually, the average comes out at 4.25 stars.