Must Watch reviews: DI Ray
Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.
This week, Hayley Campbell and Scott Bryan review DI Ray on ITV.
From Line of Duty’s Maya Sondhi, Parminder Nagra stars as DI Rachita Ray who is promoted to join a homicide investigation. However, she's told the murder is a 'Culturally Specific Homicide', which makes her suspect she's been chosen for her ethnicity rather than her ability.
Hayley says: “The only person who remembers how to solve a crime is our lead character”
“It’s not a Must Watch for me. I liked what they were trying to do in telling us about racism not only coming from the police and directed at the public but within the police force themselves.
"It's no doubt true that this happens, because it happens everywhere, so it’s interesting to see how that plays out especially when the focus of the show is a murder within a community that these police are making a lot of assumptions about.
“The problem with it is it seems like the only person who remembers how to solve a crime is our lead character, (who, incidentally, isn't interesting enough as a character to carry the show). Which means that everyone around her is an irritating idiot.
"I think that if you’re trying to show the subtleties of everyday racism within this system and outside of it you could do better than painting everyone but the lead as broadly dim.”
Scott says: “Incredibly grounded, complex and thought provoking”
“I disagree with Hayley, I really liked this. Maya was able to write something that was incredibly grounded, complex and thought provoking. The characters are very layered.
“The only thing I found a bit jarring is that sometimes it feels like it has to be like Line of Duty like there would have to be some ridiculous action sequence and it doesn’t need these.
"Not all crime shows have to rely on a massive chase or result in loads of people with guns yelling. Sometimes a scene of just tense dialogue can help fulfil that. Apart from that, I really like this show.”
DI Ray is available now on the ITV Hub.
Must Watch is released as a podcast every Monday evening from BBC Sounds and all other good podcast providers.
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