I was really enjoying this series, detailed non obvious crime drama with a great visual flare and above all an interesting and believable script, till the 5th episode and then it seemed to change unexplainedly. Suddenly the actors were saying and doing things which seemed contrived and out of character. Suddenly we get these groaner moments that defy belief in the situation and importantly the characters. and if you check the director in the IMDb its that the director changes for episode 5 onward.in the second series it made the jump to completely implausible and in a tense crime drama you can't have that. Ray, a mentally unstable patient awaiting trial on murder and rape charges is allowed to wander around in a large room un monitored and to interact with one of his victims??? who came up with that piece of fantasy? kinda disappointing after such a strong start, interesting characters and intriguing script.

Based upon the 2007 comments about suspense between episodes, when the series replayed in 2008 I recorded all six episodes so the missus and I could watch it all in one Sunday afternoon sitting. This felt very much like an afternoon soap opera with a murder twist that stole some bad plot lines from '24'.First of all there were just too much bad history with Mike in this town for him to have moved back there - any sane human would have found a job where there was less history. Then there was so much bad blood between Ray and Mike. In a small town where you have a history, wouldn't you check out the neighbors before you buy a new house - even if it is a bargain? Then comes the '24' factor. HERE BE SPOILERS! We stopped watching 24 because there were just too many scenes where a danger/effect could have been averted if the character just did as they were told. ("Wait for me here and don't move", "Stay in the car", "Call me right away if he/she ..." and so on.) Same thing here - Mike tells his wife to avoid Ray because he's a crime suspect. What does Audrey do? She invites Ray into the house and let's him wander, she accepts a gift of lingerie from Ray, she asks Ray to do a home chore that Mike said he would do even though he's too busy to get to it right away. And Mike is not without fault - if had admitted up front to knowing Nathalie and why he could have avoided suspicion and subsequent problems later. SPOILERS OFF The too many loose ends that created the tension in the first couple of episodes became tedious in the remaining episodes. If this had been more than six episodes we likely would have given up and skipped to the ending which was far too quick and left too many issues unresolved.After that rant, why did I rate it a 7? Most of the technical aspects were excellent. The filming, the pacing, the music and the acting was great - especially by Laurence Laboeuf playing Sadie. We really believed the actress was closer to the 16 years old or so of the character. The sound was generally good but there were a couple of scenes where I was glad the program was recorded as the character's speech was so muffled I had to back it up and turn on closed captioning to catch what was being said.Overall, it was an OK viewing and if one has four or so hours to watch it ad-free I would say go for it but if it was a full season of 13 to 16 episodes the story needs more life and less "soap opera suspense".

The plot of Durham County is one of those that will leave you scratching your head in confusion and frustration at times. It has a very quirky, off beat sense to it and it's hard to compare against a benchmark. At times it feels as though the writers of Twin Peaks got together on a lazy Sunday afternoon, put their heads together and came up with the plot for Durham County.One thing about the series is that it's weird and puzzling and you can see that right from the first minute. Thankfully there are only 6 episodes because by the end of the last episode I was ready to punch my sofa cushion in frustration.There are ups and downs to the series and it leans slightly more towards the downside a little. The upside is that it is short and for the most part does not succumb to anything typical. That makes it unique. There are no good guys here- just bad, badder and worse. The writers blur the lines neatly between the heroes and the villains, leaving it up to the viewer to decide if the character is good or bad. Acting is quite good by all the principal characters, helping to bring out a variety of emotions from the viewer's point. The downside is that the ending is not satisfying enough and leaves you wondering if it was worth watching in the first place. The plot does stumble around a bit and could have used some tightening.All in all it starts out well but starts to lag in the third episode onwards leading to a disappointing finish.

This was one of the best pieces of television that I have watched in many years. The script is tight and the first few episodes have you at the edge of your seat wanting to know what will happen next. The characters are most believable and I hope that more of this type of programming will be aired in the future. This is definitely a quality production aimed at sophisticated audiences. Although the subject matter is difficult, it is not displayed with senseless violence. There is a combination of experience and youth on the acting roster and this provides further strength to the production. The locations have been well selected and the frequent return to the oppressive and impressive hydro towers adds a foreboding quality that assists the plot and the movement of the characters. The music is also extremely well done.