TV Pick of the Week: Borderline - review by Yvette Huddleston
Borderline ITVX, review by Yvette Huddleston
The border in question in Cold Feet writer John Forte’s crime drama is between Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic and it brings together two police officers from either side of the divide to work on cases that for whatever reason fall between their two jurisdictions.
In the opening episode of the six-part series detective inspector Philip Boyd (Eoin Macken) of the Northern Ireland police service is brought in to work with detective inspector Aoife Regan (Amy De Bhrún) of the Republic of Ireland’s Garda Síochána when the body of a young woman is found. It transpires that she was part of a group of friends who were enjoying a weekend hen party, staying in a remote cottage by a lake and enjoying the nightlife in the nearby town, known to be a favourite for stag and hen celebrations.
Apart from the historical tensions between the two forces, which is touched upon in the script, there is an extra layer of challenge to overcome in the enforced partnership because of the huge difference in the characters and approach of the two police officers concerned. Boyd is a married father of two, quiet, polite, teetotal, conservative, does everything by the book while Regan is a maverick, hard-drinking, sweary, and brusque.
As they begin their investigations, interviewing the other young women in the hen party, it gradually becomes apparent that the victim’s friends are not being entirely honest about what happened on the night that she was murdered. Various suspects come to their attention including the owner of the property the women have rented and a suspicious taxi driver, both of whom have given misleading statements. Gradually a web of lies, deceit and betrayal is uncovered as Regan and Boyd attempt to get to the truth.
It's a very watchable thriller which has echoes of the acclaimed Scandi-noir series The Bridge, both in terms of the cross-border collaboration – in that case between a Swedish and a Danish detective – and the personalities involved. While the trope of mismatched police partners is a familiar one in crime drama, there is always plenty more material to mine and here it works well – it helps that Macken and De Bhrún have a nice sparky chemistry. The script neatly sidesteps any possibility of a romantic involvement which keeps the relationship work-focussed and banter-led, while the action set pieces, including a chase on a ferry, are pacey and sparingly used.