Clean Break - RTE.

Did not watch much of it yet bar the first 10 minutes. Will watch the rest later on this evening. I have a feeling this will be a slow burner and the earlier 2 episodes will have not much going on.

I predict it will not be as good as Love/Hate but it will be good but a slower pace. We will soon find out and I hope we do not have too many filler inner scenes from the boxing club.

Skullface McGubbin wrote: »

Yeah, I noticed the phones too. Product placement I suspect.

As long as they're pre-pay disposable phones. if any part of the storyline involves them being tracked due to their phones, it'll be a joke.

Just finished watching it. I found it quite entertaining overall. A lot of it felt like it copied the first episode from season 4 of Love/Hate with the tiger kidnapping a the guy treating the little girl kindly a la Tommy. Still, though, Love/Hate is much better but this seems like it will be a decent series.

I hope they have a bigger role for Sean McGinley. He is always worth watching and was excellent as Tony in Love/Hate and as Charlo in Family.

hatrickpatrick wrote: »

People seem to forget that Love/Hate also took a bit of time to get going Robbie getting shot started S1E1 off with a bit of action, but pretty much the entire rest of that episode was just extended scenes of grief with Darren and Mary. It wasn't really until episode 3, when they went after Jimmy Byrne and Darren started to piece together Hughie's lies that it IMO switched from being an "ordinary" show into an edge-of-your-seat thriller.

This show is also four episodes, so even if yesterday wasn't exciting enough for you (in my view it was, although I felt that the actual kidnapping was just a little rushed and could have happened earlier in the episode with more time to play out), there's plenty of time for a lot to happen. And we still don't know what all that stuff at the beginning with the (possible) body being dumped in the lake was about, that's sure to turn into a sub plot of some kind.

I thought episode 1 of Clean Break was very good. There is enough there to set up at least 3 plots here. I assume that the 'good' kidnapper who was kind to the girl survives and the shot missed him? The other kidnappers hired to do the job are nasty pieces of work and are capable of a lot of violent acts.

Love/Hate series 1 got off to a great start with Robbie being shot but yes the first 2 episodes were mostly building up for all the action that happens in the last 2 episodes. Subsequent series also had building up to the climax episodes too and these are needed. Clean Break had the feel of Love/Hate and reminded me most of season 4 episode 1 as said. I feel like Love/Hate season 1, the first 2 episodes will be about building up to a climax and episodes 3 and especially 4 will be awesome.

delahuntv wrote: »

4 Episodes in season one. Love/Hate was similar but with 6 episodes, only after review was a second season of love/hate commissioned. Its the same with this (and most drama & other series on TV in most TV markets)

Love/Hate had 4 episodes in season 1 too. It got 6 for seasons 2, 3, 4 and 5. Yes when all these series start it is just written as a once off with perhaps room for continuity at the end but with a major plot arc wrapped up.

Looking at Love/Hate, the Hughie issue is resolved with him blowing his brains out. Darren is then shot and we are left wondering does he die or not? The second series ended with Nidge taking over the gang and John Boy dead. They could have ended it on this.

By season 3, I think they ended knowing 90% that a series 4 was on the cards. The end was similar to season 1 but we somehow knew Darren was dead. Nidge and Fran came out on top and survived their IRA ordeals and Dano was still around and all was set up for a season 4. Season 4 was filmed and for the first time a new season of Love/Hate was commissioned before it was made. Season 4 thus deliberately ended by setting things in motion for a series 5. Sure, the Dano arc was resolved but the Nidge v Patrick and Fran arc was put in place. Series 5 ended with Fran seriously compromised, Siobhan and Nidge possibly dead, Pauley definitely dead, Patrick up for murder or at least attempted murder, Elmo in prison, Terence more than likely lying low, and perhaps only Ado in any sort of position to continue. True, there may be a series 6 and anyone not shot in the head could potentially survive. I feel though many of the actors may want to move on?

I would like to see another series of both Love/Hate and Clean Break. The other possibility is that if Clean Break is a success, it could be turned into a spinoff series with perhaps Patrick Ward and maybe even Fran relocating to Wexford. It will be interesting to see too how Frank from Clean Break develops. The professional run of the mill family man gone bad has been explored differently twice already in Breaking Bad and Love/Hate. Walt White went from mundane science teacher to brutal drug dealer and became feared and respected. Poor old Andrew the dentist on the other hand thought he could change career to being a financial wiz for Nidge but instead met his demise at the hands of a paranoid Fran. It will be interesting what Frank's fate will be. I think he will survive the series but there will be numerous attempts on his life as it goes along.