Saturday, January 10 - Critic's View

The Age

Thursday January 8, 2009

farah farouque

The Bill (double episode)

ABC1, 8.30pm

A CURLY question of perverting the course of justice engages the coppers in the first episode of this mostly reliable double Bill. But before we get any further into the tangled web they weave, it has to be remarked that while the orthodontics might still need some tweaking, the standard of bone structure in this long-running series has been upped considerably these days. The girls - and guys - in uniform (and out) increasingly seem to have more limpid eyes, more curvature in all the right places and, the cherry on top, a yen for letting it all hang out of a Saturday night. In short, the young recruits are perfect fodder for a centrespread in esteemed publications such as Police Weekly, Constable Today or at least a passing mention in the footnotes of Hello magazine. And so to tonight's retro plotline evoking the spirit of evil coppers who have previously haunted Sun Hill. Without giving away too much, let's just note that the particularly limpid-eyed and especially flaxen-haired Constable Sally Armstrong (Ali Bastian) goes rather awry at the wheel of her motor vehicle after earlier getting all awry with some fellow nightclubbers. She's in a hoodie, and the handsome PC Ben Gayle (Micah Balfour) seems to be prepared to do anything to save her luminous skin, but will she get away with being so perverse and so pretty? Let's hope not, for the sake of the administration of even-handed justice, long a cornerstone of this small-screen constabulary. Episode two is less focused on internal affairs but also offers a morass of a plot, albeit with a darker undertow as the plainclothes investigators get to strut their stuff. It's an excellent opportunity for newish detective Grace Dasari (Amita Dhiri) to showcase her high cheekbones as well as her grasp of rather less elegant policing methods. A family under witness protection come under scrutiny when a drug dealer is found severely beaten, and to the consternation of fellow officer, the feisty Kezia Walker (Cat Simmons), DC Dasari demonstrates she's no soft touch. The night, however, belongs to costuming - in particular, a hideous pair of investigatory purple rubber gloves that make a special guest appearance, confirming that, cheekbones aside, this will never have all the shiny accoutrements of a CSI.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Channel Ten, noon

TO CONTINUE the theme of perversity, there were six episodes of the movie and we all know that was way, way too much. But the franchisee known as George Lucas is nothing if not a super-salesman. He continues his marketing push with this tween adventure series in which some of the old Jedi crew have acquired new life via animation. It's the good old days and Anakin Skywalker is still inhabiting the not-so-dark side, plus he's got some new playmates, notably a cute teenager warrior friend called Asohka. Jar Jar Binks, the character that most signified the bankruptcy of the Lucas enterprise, rears his ugly head today. Avoid.

Beach Cricket

Channel Ten, 2pm

IF YOU thought 20/20 was as innovative as it got on the television pitch, think again. If you thought Channel Nine had the monopoly of summer circuses, think again too, The folks over at Ten have acquired the rights to the intriguing "sport" known as beach cricket. Loaded with tricks such as "helicopter cams" and with the additional bonus of many of the players being miked up so you can apparently hear their sledging, this is enhanced viewing pleasure for those non-purists who want to go to the beach vicariously. Question is: will Kevin Rudd add his prime ministerial imprimatur to the proceedings? Teams from Australia, England and New Zealand compete near Perth.

© 2009 The Age

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