ManiacUK

I was sceptical at first because the season starts off really slowly; there's definitely a case of drawing a line under several of the characters of the previous season and introducing new ones. Similarly, the storyline has shifted, as was to be expected, with characters becoming more proactive in the fight for freedom. With this comes a greater deal of action, but these scenes are not overused - they are tense and keep with the atmosphere of the show. The sci-fi elements, largely introduced in season 2, also take a far more prominent role this time round. They develop nicely over the course of the season, being slowly revealed and explained to viewers. I'd say that if you're not a fan of sci-fi in general, then this probably won't be to your taste as the show is definitely now moving in that direction. Finally, the writers have now introduced the issues of homosexuality and what may be described as “alternative” sexual desires to the show. While this could have been embedded sensibly, the prevalence with which it appears in the show makes it seem incredibly forced. Characters who were previously portrayed as straight are now homosexual and many others seem to have a skeleton in their closet regarding sexual preferences. It just seems over the top and, despite the number of characters affected, it is developed upon very little and adds basically nothing to the show. If the writers wanted to explore this social issue they should have stuck to one or two characters and expanded on their story. Overall, however, the season was enjoyable and pretty much in line in terms of quality with the previous two. By the time you get to the end you do feel like maybe they could have covered more ground, possibly extending by a few episodes, especially considering the long wait since the last instalment, but generally it is satisfying enough. As per usual the season ends on a cliff-hanger, with several major events taking place, and that will surely keep you hooked until next time – let’s just hope we don’t have to wait almost 2 years like last time!

This show delivers on all levels: it's brilliantly shot and directed, along with a fantastic use of graphics. The storyline is very engaging, keeping you hooked right till the end. There's plenty of quirky humour, as could be expected from the first series, but it also touches on a lot of issues facing kids in the modern digital age. There's lots of twists and turns throughout the season to keep you guessing, but they're all linked together in clever yet sensible ways. And finally, in my opinion, the conclusion of the season is far more satisfying than the first - all the facts are laid bare and there is no room for interpretation or doubt. Overall a thoroughly enjoyable watch and I'd highly recommend it to everyone.

I'm really getting tired of the pretentious, elitist attitude that comes with certain groups of fans of BBC TV series, most recently that of Luther. The mere fact that this "season" (and I struggle to call it a season as it comprises of just two hour-long episodes) can be compared with a similarly rated program broadcast on US TV is nothing short of a joke. Anyway, enough babbling, let's move on to the actual contents of Luther: Season 4. This series predominantly revolves around Luther, portrayed expertly by Idris Elba once more, on the hunt for a new serial killer terrorising London with a sequence of cannibalistic attacks. Luther is his usual self - smart, unshaved, hiding his emotions and of course looking great in his coat. The cast around him has, however, unfortunately changed and the lack of screen time presented to any of the other actors means that the character depth is practically non-existent. The cinematography of this season is largely reflective of the prior 3 seasons, showing London again in a grim, grey light. Everything is dark and sinister and the hunt for the serial killer no doubt takes Luther through some of the more unsightly parts of the city. However what lets this season down the most is the plot which is riddled with holes and flaws from the start. The serial killer's motives are explained in maybe two lines of speech and then brushed away as irrelevant. Moreover the killer's actions are inconsistent and largely unexplained. Luther's pursuit is initially based around the simplest Police investigation I've seen, taking a whole period of about 3 minutes to figure out the identity of the killer, and then around pure luck and conveniences. I won't delve any deeper into the plot as I do not wish to ruin it for anyone, but the problems with the plot are far too evident, as you can discover even from the start of the first episode. Overall this season left me unsatisfied and, truth be told, rather disappointed. It is not a finale worthy of what was an otherwise promising series. While Idris Elba has kept the whole series going with his fantastic acting, the writers have let him down. Furthermore it just has to be said that the amount of content on a whole and the rate of production is just disgraceful. Luther has been, over the years, one of the most critically acclaimed series to be produced by the BBC yet it appears that priorities lie in funding the same game shows and new TV series that inevitably die after one season. The total of 15 episodes in a series that spans over five and a half years is simply not good enough. There are US TV series that manage to provide similar quality in the same amount of episodes in just one year, and then continue the series on with a number of successful following seasons. The fact that we have had to wait two and a half years for these two final episodes is nothing more than a complete failure to set priorities correctly and the fact that they have been rather underwhelming is just like rubbing salt in the wound.