Top Boy (Channel 4) [** Spoilers **]

Mr E

This starts tonight and runs for the next 4 nights.

Featuring an ensemble cast of brilliant new talent, Top Boy is Ronan Bennett's new four-part drama about young people living on the edge and, for the most part, out of sight in east London today. Thrilling, raw, frightening, sad, hopeful and surprisingly funny by turn, this original drama is an honest and gripping rendition of inner-city life set in a world we think we know, but that most people rarely see or understand. On London's Summerhouse Estate, lives are lived along lines, and challenges come in all forms, even - especially - for kids. Dealers Dushane and Sully have their stash of drugs stolen by a rival, leaving them owing a debt of £2,000 to their boss. Meanwhile, depressed Lisa ventures out to do her shopping, but is sectioned when she is unable to cope. Fearing her 13-year-old son Ra'Nell will be taken into care, she neglects to mention him when she arrives at the hospital.

(Extended description from entertainment.ie)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1nsgU0meaw

Wertz

Really looking forward to this...has that gritty urban decay look that Ch4 do so well (think one of their ident montage things is filmed on summerhouse); actors look like fresh faces and the plot sounds like it's got legs. Probably be a good soundtrack too...don't know if I like the idea of it being run over one week though.

Wertz

Enjoyed that first ep, really captured the underbelly, but so well filmed and cast (recognised a few of the cast from other things)...story perhaps somewhat predictable (more to do with the subject matter than a fault of the writers) and I get the feeling it can only play out in the usual inner city drug dealing ways (kill/be killed/jail).
No matter though, it looks good doing it and has enough substance and style to keep me hooked. Be interesting to see where they go with the side characters like Heather (first time I've seen hydroponics discussed in detail on any TV show).

Wertz

No-one else watching this at all?
Second ep managed to go places I didn't think it would...whilst still predictable (maybe), it's not annoyingly so. Some decent acting in it, especially the younger cast members.
Looking forward to it again tonight...beats the sh*t out the american muck that masquerades as crime drama...

Mr E

I'm sky+ing it. Hope to start it at the weekend. Glad to hear its worth looking at.

Mylow

Wertz wrote: »

No-one else watching this at all?
Second ep managed to go places I didn't think it would...whilst still predictable (maybe), it's not annoyingly so. Some decent acting in it, especially the younger cast members.
Looking forward to it again tonight...beats the sh*t out the american muck that masquerades as crime drama...

The young cast are excellent....great series.

Wertz

Took a good plot turn last night...wasn't expecting that.

The bit about Gem's dog was harrowing... you get the feeling that could be Gem as well if Sully has his way. His teacher getting decked by his pursuer was fairly graphic too. I get the feeling that Dushane's rise to the top may be stymied by a surprise move by Ra'nell, who revealed that he stabbed his father at a younger age, showing a possible protective/vengeful streak, and would fit with the title "Top Boy"...could be reading into things a bit too much though.

Can't believe this is on to the last ep already tonight...it's slow but engaging. I have a feeling it's not going to end as predicatbly as I thought it would.
Another interesting point about this... 3+ hrs in and not so much as a smell of police, not even a panda car, just the sign and crime scene tape... which in itself makes a statement about the whole gang situation this series portrays.
Only noticed too last night that Brian Eno is involved in the incidental music...

lookinbusy

Brilliant show! Hope there's a follow up.

Mardy Bum

It is a re-hash of The Wire. Cutty's character is transposed straight into it reformed offender, runs a gym, helps the community. The kid with the depressed mother is pretty much Michael from season 4 and 5. The two head soldiers have the same vibe as Stringer and Avon except being younger. There is a scene in the first episode that is directly from the wire - Marlo trying to give Michael money but he refuses it. Marlo then takes a shine to Michael which happens in this as well.

Acting is very good though so it is watchable and probably appears excellent if you have not seen how heavily it borrows from the wire.

Bonesy.

Would love a follow up!

ednwireland

thought it was terrible, didnt find it very involving

Wertz

I was looking out for this to be aping The Wire (being an avid fan, and given the similar setting) but I didn't think that it did tbh. The Cutty thing is a fair point, until the guy got killed over a sportsbag of weed (which was effectkively an extra 5K for Heather who didn't seem too bothered by it all)...

It ended up playing out like how I thought it would except I thought Ra'nell would stab Dushane (got close)...
It ended up a bit weak when viewed across the 4 hrs, but I still liked it and it was still a good watch. The old Northern Irish drug connection was an interesting twist...brought to mind the Long Good Friday (well worth a watch if you've not seen it).

Bonesy.

ednwireland wrote: »

thought it was terrible, didnt find it very involving

Elaborate, please

KeanSeenan

Is this a one-off thing?I really enjoyed it, except for the title sequence, each time I thought it was some tense event about to happen. Which I suppose is more of a comment on the area really.

brian_t

Top Boy season 2 starts on Channel 4 on Tuesday 20th August @ 9pm

I thought the ending was class. Cannot wait until the next season.

jimmurt

In the 1st or 2nd episode of S1, Dushane is walking with Sully and bumps into an old friend with his young son.

They talk for a bit and then part ways. At the time I thought this scene was setting up something for later but nothing came of it.

Did I miss something? What was the point in this meeting?