The Shadow Line

""The shadow line. That's where we walk.""

- Khokar, Episode 5

The Shadow Line is a seven-part British television drama serial produced by Company Pictures/Eight Rooks Ltd/Baby Cow/CinemaNX production for BBC Two. It stars Chiwetel Ejiofor, Christopher Eccleston, Rafe Spall, Antony Sher and Stephen Rea.

Drug baron Harvey Wratten is dead, and nobody knows who did it. From the cop with a bullet in his brain, whose amnesia leaves him doubtful of his own moral compass; to the drug-lord driven by a profound personal tragedy, risking it all on one last deal; to the brilliantly lethal puppet-master who gradually emerges from the shadows to bring the story to its shocking climax, the show explores the morality of these characters as they negotiate the repercussions of Wratten's death and attempt to navigate the fine line between right and wrong.

It has been compared, inevitably, to The Wire, being another Grey and Gray Morality Four Lines, All Waiting cops 'n' robbers drama -- however, stylistically the two shows couldn't be more different. In contrast to The Wire's verisimilitude, The Shadow Line is stylised and Noir-ish, with heavy symbolism and crafted dialogue.

Broadcasting started on 5 May 2011, ended on June 16th, and the DVD is out in the UK July 14th.


 * Affably Evil: Gatehouse, who commits horrific acts of violence but is always scrupulously polite.
 * Amnesiac Hero: Jonah Gabriel
 * Amnesiac Dissonance: The series hints he may have been corrupt before he was shot, in contrast to the By-The-Book Cop he is afterwards.
 * And Starring: Stephen Rea
 * Anyone Can Die:
 * Badass: Gatehouse, without a shadow of a doubt.
 * Badass Longcoat and Badass Grandpa also apply, as would Badass Trilby, if there were such a thing.
 * Bastard Understudy: The show is full of them.
 * Better to Die Than Be Killed: kills himself rather than wait for Gatehouse to find and kill him.
 * Big Bad Duumvirate: ; the three men in control of Counterpoint.
 * Briefcase Full of Money: Gabriel finds one in his wardrobe, which turns out to be a key plot point.
 * British Brevity: Seven episodes and done.
 * By-The-Book Cop:
 * The green constable accompanying Foley to a murder scene anxiously points out all the procedures he's breezily violating.
 * Gabriel gives the impression of one, but hints emerge that he's more of a Cowboy than he lets on.
 * Robert Beatty, though he's a by the book Customs officer rather than a cop.
 * Camp Gay: Ratallack
 * Chekhov MIA: Glickman. His disappearance gets a lot of focus in the first few episodes, and sure enough he finally appears in person in episode 5.
 * Chekhov's Gun:
 * Chekhov's Skill:
 * The Chessmaster: The BBC website refers to Gatehouse as a "puppet master" and he proves very adept at planning to get what he wants, . Also Glickman, who manages to Out Gambit Gatehouse twice, both times . Even Joseph Bede shows some aptitude for this towards the end of the series, as he manipulates Customs in order to get them off his case long enough to finish his deal.
 * Cold Sniper:
 * Country Matters: It must have taken several takes for Honey to get that reading of "constable" exactly right...
 * Da Chief: Patterson, Gabriel's boss. And Commander Khokar, his boss
 * Depraved Homosexual: Ratallack; cold, ambitious, and delights in using his sexuality to make other men uncomfortable. Contrast with the very Invisible to Gaydar Harris.
 * Despair Event Horizon:
 * Deuteragonist: Joseph Bede, who has his own plot which barely crosses over with Gabriel's investigations. In addition, Gatehouse could be considered a tritagonist, especially towards the end of the series.
 * Didn't See That Coming: Gatehouse gets one in his first encounter with Glickman when he learns Glickman knew he was coming and prepared countermeasures -- namely . In the next episode, this happens to Glickman himself when
 * Dirty Cop: DS Delaney, Gabriel's deceased partner. Also, And Sgt Foley, though he's more aggressively amoral than outright evil.
 * The Dragon: Gatehouse, to the leaders of Counterpoint.
 * Dragon-in-Chief: While he isn't technically the Big Bad, he's undoubtedly the main antagonist.
 * Establishing Character Moment:
 * Jay Wratten delivering a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown to one of Bob Harris's men.
 * Glickman tracking down and murdering an old associate who recognised him in hiding in Dublin, to establish that he really doesn't want to be found.
 * Evil Power Vacuum: In the drug trade, following Harvey Wratten's death.
 * Face Framed in Shadow: Gatehouse is fond of this.
 * Fall Guy: Andy Dixon. He was just hired to drive Harvey Wratten to a specific location, yet ended up getting framed for his murder.
 * Femme Fatale: Petra Nayler, Glickman's girlfriend.
 * Gayngster: Bob Harris, and his boytoy Ratallack.
 * Generic Ethnic Crime Gang: The Turks, right down to a strong focus on "family" that firmly objects to.
 * Giggling Villain: Jay Wratten
 * Government Conspiracy: Counterpoint
 * He Knows Too Much:
 * This is why Gabriel and his partner were shot, in that.
 * is killed while investigating the above, again because.
 * And deliberately invoked in episode 6 by Glickman and Gabriel.
 * The Heavy: Gatehouse's actions ultimately turn out to be driving much of the plot, even in subplots he's apparently uninvolved in.
 * Hidden Agenda Villain: Gatehouse, for most of the series.
 * Hidden Depths: Budding Chessmaster . Gatehouse uses the very phrase.
 * Intrepid Reporter: Ross McGovern
 * Jigsaw Puzzle Plot: Has an extremely complicated plot and what's really going on doesn't become clear until the last two episodes.
 * Karma Houdini:
 * Kick the Dog: Invoked by Jay, who shows a mechanic what he's made of by partially Drowning The Cat. Doesn't really work, mostly because it wasn't his cat. Jay proceeds to point out that next time it'll be the mechanic's son, which works much better.
 * Kicked Upstairs: Ross is promoted to an editorial job in an apparent attempt to stop him digging into his corruption story.
 * Laser-Guided Amnesia: Jonah can't remember anything about the operation that got him shot... Subverted in that a few people have expressed the opinion that it all sounds suspiciously convenient.
 * Lured Into a Trap:
 * Make It Look Like an Accident:
 * is killed in what seems like a random traffic collision.
 * When is killed, it's made to look like he drowned after falling and hitting his head on the edge of his pool.
 * Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: The death of a drug baron leads to the discovery of.
 * Morality Pet: Joseph's wife
 * Never Suicide: Both and  are murdered in such a way that it looks like they killed themselves. In addition, Sir Richard Halton discusses killing  in such a way in episode 6, but it never comes to pass.
 * Nice Hat: Gatehouse's trilby.
 * Oral Fixation Fixation:
 * Sgt. Foley and his chewing gum.
 * Da Chief finds a pencil to suck on if he's somewhere he can't smoke.
 * Bob Harris is giving up smoking, and substitutes with gum, nicotine inhalers and, er, rent boys.
 * Plot-Triggering Death: The killing of Harvey Wratten.
 * One Last Job: Joseph.
 * Only Known by Their Nickname: Gatehouse. Glickman calls him James, but other than that we (and most of the characters) have no idea what his real name is.
 * Passing the Torch:
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Jay
 * Realistic Diction Is Unrealistic: Like everything else on the show, the dialogue is highly stylized. As this review from the Telegraph puts it; "it is unsettling that these characters, however diverse, all talk in exactly the same way. They speak in measured, perfect sentences, full of conscious metaphors about lines that can and cannot be crossed. They interact in a manner which allows each character to finish their perfectly modulated paragraph: no one interrupts; no one is inarticulate".
 * Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Jonah Gabriel, Joseph Bede
 * Revenge: seeks bloody revenge on  in the final episode, because they tried to have him killed.
 * Running Gag: At no point do we ever actually see anyone being arrested or bought in for questioning. Just before and after, but never the event itself.
 * Sherlock Scan: Gatehouse is so good he looks like a Cold Reader "psychic". He can read people who aren't saying anything.
 * In Episode 6,
 * Sickbed Slaying: Almost happens to in episode 6, when an assassin is sent to kill him in his hospital bed after he's . However, he's able to overpower and kill his assassin and escape.
 * Sissy Villain: Ratallack
 * Someone to Remember Him By:
 * Sympathetic Criminal: Joseph Bede. He's just in the drugs business for one last job, the proceeds of which he'll use to pay for his wife's Alzheimer's treatment.
 * Technically a Smile: Gabriel exhibits one of these when
 * 'Tis Only a Bullet in the Brain: Gabriel
 * Title Drop: Finally happens in Episode 5, after an awful lot of characters musing on the themes of shadows and light and lines. And then they keep musing,
 * Trailers Always Spoil: Gatehouse was shown in promo pictures long before he appeared in Episode 2, and is right behind Gabriel and Bede in the BBC website header. The character description refers to him as The iPlayer description for Episode 5 says  Gatehouse will also appear on the DVD cover.
 * Villain Protagonist: Despite being sympathetic, Bede is still a wholesale cocaine dealer.
 * We Can Rule Together: offers Gabriel a chance to join him in the final episode.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: In Episode 6, we are told that
 * The fact that the money goes to.
 * You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
 * in episode 3, after they've carried out their roles in Gatehouse's plan.
 * In episode 6,
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: In Episode 6, we are told that
 * The fact that the money goes to.
 * You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
 * in episode 3, after they've carried out their roles in Gatehouse's plan.
 * In episode 6,