Crime Television Case Studies

Luther

• Luther is a British psychological crime drama television series starring Idris Elba as the title character Detective Chief Inspector John Luther.

• John Luther is a Detective Chief Inspector working for the Serious Crime Unit in season one, and the new Serious and Serial Crime Unit in season two. A dedicated police officer, Luther is also a genius. He is obsessive, possessed, and sometimes dangerous in the violence of his fixations. But Luther has paid a heavy price for his dedication; he has never been able to prevent himself from being consumed by the darkness of the crimes with which he deals. For Luther, the job always comes first. His dedication is a curse and a blessing, both for him and those close to him.

• Despite his somewhat gruff appearance and attitude Luther is a genius with the ability to analyse situations with incredible effectiveness and efficiency, noticing things that most people miss. Of his more physical abilities Luther has considerable fighting skills and usually defeats his enemies in combat. He also has an unusually high pain tolerance withstanding a large nail being hammered through his hands, and although it caused him some pain he seemed fine within a couple of minutes.

• A selfless individual working tirelessly to keep London safe, Luther's own home is very meagre. He possesses very little, despite working in his capacity for several years. The things which he does have, such as his car, are usually very old but are durable. Luther doesn't seem to mind living it rough and lives very humbly.

• Luther is constantly burdened with the cares of his work and he seldom gets any time for himself. As a result, he deals with his stress with outbursts of anger, although only with inanimate objects. They go to show that Luther is a sensitive and loving person under a strong, hard and tough shell.

• Luther has a do-it-myself attitude, mainly because his colleagues take too long to arrive. It means he is often in confrontation with the criminal. It also means that he has a hard time trying to keep his hands clean, because criminals may try to attack him.

• Alice Morgan is a malignant narcissist. She killed her parents. Luther discovers her crime in the first episode, but is unable to prove it. Alice's core belief, that nothing ultimately matters, comes into direct conflict with Luther's. She frequently inserts herself into Luther's business, going as far as murdering a child killer, Henry Madsen, when he threatens Luther's career. Alice comes to view Luther as a friend after he shows her that he still, despite the problems of his marriage, has not given up on love.

• The plots depend as much on the complex relationships of the key characters as on the crime that is being investigated. The policemen are shown to be damaged by their dedication to the job. Luther’s wife eventually leaves him for another policeman, but his life is consumed by the job too and he accidentally kills her.

• One of the key villains is Baba, an older woman gang leader; another is Caroline Jones, whose husband Luther put in jail 15 years previously; her life was ruined and her relationship with her daughter was destroyed – and now she wants Luther destroyed in revenge. Ironically, daughter Jenny, now a little girl lost, desperately wanting to be saved but unable to ask for help, sees Luther as her beacon of light, her hope. In the face of such pure, unadulterated trust, Luther begins to see a better version of himself but as Jenny grows more precious to him, she exposes his vulnerability, proving herself his Achilles heel.

• Sidekick – Benny ‘Deadhead’ Silver – laid back computer geek and a bit of an oddball and recluse. But he is an exemplary hacker and what he doesn't know about computers and technology just isn't worth knowing. Rarely a case goes by when Luther doesn't need Benny's infinite knowledge of trivia and his high tech nerdy expertise.

• DS Justin Ripley - His high regard for Luther is unwavering; confident that Luther's intent is to be on the side of the angels. However, his regard is polluted by the knowledge that work for the angels can bring you too close to the devil. Can he keep on turning a blind eye to Luther's methods or will he be forced to challenge Luther's decisions?

• Some conflict with his boss, DCI Martin Schenk, but he values Luther’s dedication, skill and intelligence.

• DCI Erin Gray – highly intelligent, young, black policewoman - Excited by her new role, she is also apprehensive about the prospect of working with a man of Luther's reputation. Determined to succeed she makes it clear that she will not get her hands dirty or be tarnished by the same brush that tarnished Ripley. But abiding by the rules proves a much harder choice than she ever anticipated.