10.26.2016

Television: Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, "Horizons"

I working to bring more lightness into my viewing diet, and this one fits right in with that goal. Engaging, funny—it's not fluff, but it's not serious either. Fans of Douglas Adams can embrace DGHDA without reservation.

Elijah Wood plays the hapless Todd whose life is falling apart. His landlord is a car-bashing maniac, he becomes a suspect when a bizarre murder occurs in the hotel where he works, and then he loses his job altogether. Todd has the additional burden of trying to help his sister Amanda through a rare disease that runs in their family but he's managed to overcome. (Or says he has.)

Enter the titular Dirk Gently who decides all signs point to Todd becoming his assistant, a complication in life Todd feels he doesn't need.

I won't go step by step through this pilot, but let's say there is plenty of fun havoc to be had. A myriad of intriguing side plots. Not a dull moment as they say. Sure, Elijah Wood always seems to play this character—the guy (or hobbit) thrown into extreme circumstances and just trying to cope and go on with his life, but he's good at that and makes for a fine straight man to Samuel Barnett's antic Gently.

Bonus: kittens and Corgis.

DGHDA is the kind of fun Doctor Who used to be. I now have something to look forward to on Saturday nights again.

1 comment:

Christine Rains said...

Glad to read you enjoyed it too. It's so marvelously quirky!