Scott & Bailey: Binge-worthy Brit Show that Really "Gets" Women

Whether police procedurals are strictly your “thing”, you need to check out Scott & Bailey (on Amazon), if seeing women depicted as smart, flawed, and entirely human, is.

The British show centers around two detectives working on a Manchester police division’s murder squad: middle-aged Detective Constable Janet Scott (Lesley Sharp, in a splendid performance) and her younger partner, Detective Constable Rachel Bailey (the absolutely-spot-on Suranne Jones)—who, when the show begins, have been partners for about a year. Over the course of five seasons (33 episodes, in all), Janet and Rachel (along with the rest of the squad) solve a lot of cases… but just as importantly, we get to watch the ups and downs in their friendship, other relationships, family lives, and their careers.

To say that Rachel is the “crazy” one (into casual sex, messed-up family, aptitude for flying off the handle) and Janet the “proper” one (married for a quarter-century, cautious, in the habit of thinking before she speaks/ acts), would be WAY oversimplifying things. Yes, Rachel is definitely more of a loose cannon, and sometimes a self-destructive mess, but so what? That isn’t all there is to her (as we see, again and again), any more than it is to me, or to any other woman I know who can be some/all of those things. The same goes for Janet; as a married, working mother, she has to reign in her feelings and reactions… but there are plenty of times when she just can’t, and when she can’t quite make much of anything work. Life is messy, and Scott & Bailey gets that.

And then, there’s their boss, Detective Chief Inspector Gill Murray (perfectly-played by Amelia Bullmore). With the weight of the world—at least, the welfare of her little division—resting squarely on her narrow shoulders, DCI Murray has the unenviable job of trying to get those cases solved, stay within budget, and handle all the real-life crap everyone under her watch manages to bring to work… while coping with her own life, which turns out to be plenty messy, too. 

The brilliance (in casting, acting, and directing) is that these three women are so believable. They’re all attractive, sure... but in a “real people” sort of way. They wear the same outfits, again and again. If they get drunk or don’t get enough sleep, it shows. They have bad hair days. They say stupid, ugly things without thinking. Just. Like. Us. 

I don’t have kids (so can only say that those situations feel legitimate), but the messy breakups, problems with exes, dealing with adult parents and other family crap, re-entering the dating arena, moving on, trying to climb the career ladder, feeling restless, and being confused (heartbroken, unsure, angry, whatever)? That stuff is all part of everyday life for me, and for most of the women I know… and the fact that it's so much a part of the show is amazing.

Oh, what about the fellas? Well, one of the DCs is a caricature (the wisecracking, generally-inappropriate one)—but I know that guy; he’s real. I also know the guy who’s always trying to impress everyone around him (even though he invariably knows nothing). The guy who keeps his head down, works hard, and stays under everyone’s radar. The guy who’s calm on the surface, but you always know there’s a whole iceberg lying underneath. The guy who always screws up. The guy who never screws up. Men who appreciate the woman in their lives. Men who take the woman in their life for granted. (Get the idea? They’re ALL here, just like in my everyday life, and in yours.)

Finally, how about the cases (which, in a police procedural, should prolly at least be mentioned, eh?). They’re smart, interesting, and feel über-current… never boringly, ridiculously obvious, but never solved without detective work and reasonable deductions that actually make sense, either.

Scott & Bailey makes the cut for my binge-worthy recommendation of the week. 

~GlamKitty

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