The Telegraph started with this line in its review:
Here’s a useful tip for you. The next time you have trouble getting the police to come round and investigate a crime, simply ring the station and explain that you’re a top scientist and that you want to see “a clever police officer” at once.
That pretty much says it all,although I wouldn't call Tamzin Outwaite's Character very clever. The Telegraph also pointed out that, despite having called the police with an urgent request for assistance, the Scientist ends up being more of an annoyance than a help. He did offer some suggestions, but mostly went about doing his own business. And he did this in a very broody manner.
In fact, the whole thing seemed rather contrived. For something that promised so much action, there really wasn't a whole heck of a lot happening. It was fast paced inaction. Not to ruin the suspense if you are masochistic enough to watch this, but it was a predictable and truly terminal act of stupidity that the crew was trying to avoid. It is so predictable, that if you do chance to see this, your guess as to what is going to happen is correct that you needn't bother watching after you figure out the plotline.
Tamzin Outhwaite was probably the reason most people watched the show. The Guardian's header on this: I'm a Celebrity gets double the audience of BBC drama Paradox. Tamzin seems to do bitchy cop very well and this is a reprise of her Jo McDonagh from Red Cap. In fact, they should have called her that, but that might have confused the storyline.
Tamzin is like watching the real girl in "Lars and the Real Girl" except that Tamzin is capable of movement. I have to go with the celeb factor for her pulling the 4.13m (16.3%) audience.
The Leicester Mercury had a pretty funny review:
The plot was like something you’d get if you tried to complete a jigsaw using discarded pieces of Minority Report, 24, Spooks and FlashForward.
And the script was awful. “Where are these photos coming from?” DI Flint asked. “Aliens? God?”
Um ... Derek Acorah?
If you saw this in a cinema, after coughing up cash to get in, you’d pelt the screen with popcorn.
But TV is a little more forgiving. So let’s be kind. Paradox has done the hard work: establishing that a Manchester rozzer probes tomorrow. Maybe it will get better now.
After all, who’d have thought there was hope for a series about a bloke spinning through space in a police box?
If you don't mind spoilers, the Leicester Mercury review is worth a squiz. I mean anyone who can come up with this comment:
Well, they’re (Manchester Police) used to unusual demands on their rota now.
In Life on Mars, they had a detective from the present, on secondment to the past.
Has got to be worth reading.
But, Paradox is not a Life on Mars. Don't waste your time with it. I didn't need a critic to tell me it was crap, but it was worth it to read the Leicester Mercury review.
