Bodies

A Sci-Fi Murder Mystery Through Time

Bodies is the epitome of the sci-fi murder mystery genre. The premise is that a murder takes place on Longharvest Lane in 2023. A body (roll credits) is found naked with a strange mark on his wrist and a bullet wound through the eye with little to no explanation for how this happened or how the body got there. During the investigation, no bullet found and no information about the person is available.

Sounds like a normal murder mystery right? Wrong! This body also appeared in 1890, 1941 and 2053 in the same location under the same circumstance. What ensues is a thrilling adventure where four detectives uncover a conspiracy to commit a terrorist act and take over the United Kingdom.

The crew investigate (each in their own ways) the murder and come to the same conclusion, someone is pulling the strings.

Stop reading here if you don’t want spoilers…

Elias Mannix (also known as Sir Julian Harker) has come from the future to ensure he sets off a bomb in 2023 that allows him to take over the UK. His life leads him to misery and a desire to “Know You Are Loved” and eventually he decides to kill 500,000 people to create his dream city of K.Y.A.L. where everyone is loved. His dystopian world is brought about by his plot in 1890 to create a cult and start a family confirming that he would again, set off the bomb.

All four detectives have to wrestle with their own issues until a convoluted time travel plot allows Maplewood to unravel Mannix’s plan in 1890 and allow the detectives to win and save the country.

The best thing about this show is that each detective is fun and exciting in their own way. Hillinghead is your classic Sherlock Holmes style detective and gives a fun period piece section to the show. Whiteman is a fun foil to the other three as a rogue cop who gets in over his head. Hasan drives the story in such a strong compelling way that keeps the plot engaging. Maplewood is equal parts badass and frustrating as she slowly decides what type of world she wants.

While I don’t think this show needs a second season I certainly hope it gets one as it was delightful and fun to watch. A really compelling story and characters made me really enjoy the standard sci-fi murder mystery plot lines and the twists and turns were really interesting and a breath of fresh air.