Comedy
Kaos
This modern retelling of Greek mythology falls into a pit of questionable themes and content concerns deeper than Tartarus.
How did British Det. Miranda Blake start investigating for the Spanish police on Mallorca? Well, let’s investigate that for a moment.
It began when she hoped to crack a case involving a gang member slain in Mallorca. British authorities had hoped to bring him back home for trial, but he was killed for attempting to rat on the rest of his crew. Which naturally sparked a question for Miranda: What, exactly, were those secrets that the gang member hoped to spill? Spain gave her license to investigate as long as she worked alongside German-born Mallorca Det. Max Winter.
Together, they made somewhat of a good team: Miranda as the duo’s hard-headed workaholic investigator quick to get intel on potential targets, and Max as the light-hearted rogue who can charm those witnesses and suspects into opening up to him.
Their investigation revealed a surprising twist, and though they ultimately didn’t catch their target, both the British and Spanish police felt Miranda would work better on that beautiful Iberian island.
Since then, the two drive wherever duty calls them to crack cases and save the day for their little slice of Mediterranean paradise.
We’ve reviewed many a crime procedural. How could we not? They’re everywhere on television: our reviews for CSI, Criminal Minds and NCIS come to mind, for instance. And The Mallorca Files comes from across the pond, claiming there’s room for one more on our website.
The British crime procedural follows suit with a lot of the content you’d expect to find in these types of shows: People are murdered, but the deaths aren’t very gruesome. Romantic undertones spice up the show’s vibe without getting too salacious. Swearing typically stays in the “d–n” or “h—” category. And the occasional LGBT element pops up, too.
If there’s something to say about The Mallorca Files to help it stand out from the aforementioned crime shows (other than it being set internationally), it comes across as a bit more light-hearted than most—a throwback, perhaps, to the “blue sky” dramas that the USA network was famous for, such as Monk and Psych. Dangers still arise, and tense moments ebb and flow, but our two main characters still end up acting a little goofier than their American counterparts.
But other than that island-time difference, The Mallorca Files slots right into your typical crime procedural drama.
(Editor’s Note: Plugged In is rarely able to watch every episode of a given series for review. As such, there’s always a chance that you might see a problem that we didn’t. If you notice content that you feel should be included in our review, send us an email at [email protected], or contact us via Facebook or Instagram, and be sure to let us know the episode number, title and season so that we can check it out.)
Miranda teams up with Max to investigate a growing string of gang murders.
A couple people are shot and killed. One man is thrown off a cliffside. Police discover a man’s body, beaten to death with a golf club (and a little blood is evident on the nearby sand). Another body turns up in a pool with a large knife in his chest. Two men engage in a fistfight.
A man and woman are interrupted after spending a romantic night together in bed. A man and woman passionately kiss. A woman’s dress reveals a lot of cleavage. We hear references to an affair. Someone briefly brings up pole-dancing classes.
People drink beer, and one man acts buzzed.
A woman practices yoga.
The German word for the s-word is used once. “D–n” and “h—” are occasionally heard. British crudities like “bloody,” “b–locks” and “sod” are used. God’s name is used in vain three times.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
This modern retelling of Greek mythology falls into a pit of questionable themes and content concerns deeper than Tartarus.
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