Ripper Street ((possible spoilers))

[Claddagh]

Is anyone else watching the show? It's been airing on BBC America on Saturdays.

Brother Claddagh and I will watch it. At first we joked that the first episode had all the nudity and what not to get attention before it got down to the "who did it?" story lines.

While it is graphic at times I also like that they don't pretty the time period up. Life back then was hard and it could be dangerous, especially if you were lower class.

Parts of it do keep you guessing such as who Jack the Ripper is and if he's even back? It's still something that lingers in the background from time to time in the episodes.

I've heard some fan theories on the characters which are interesting. I'm keeping those behind spoiler tags in case anyone hasn't seen the first few episodes.

The main three characters are popular and people wonder about Emily Reid. Though she acts repressed there's hints of diologue showing that she wasn't at one time and is mourning for her daughter. It's hinted at the daughter is dead but we don't know for sure. Emily is told not to go out at night making people wonder how she and Edmund Reid met. Supposedly Emily uses more of her spine in later episodes so that'll be nice to see.

There's tons of fan theories asking if Edmund Reid or the American Homer Jackson are the Ripper. One fan theorized that Long Susan was the Ripper. There are theories that the Ripper was a woman so it could play out for an interesting story arc if the writers decide to persue that theory.

I'll have to find the screen cap during the opening credits. People have reported seeing "I'm your man" during the scene where Matthew MacFadyen's name appears. People also point out that he's withdrawn and sometimes prone to spurts of anger.

I'm hoping in further episodes we get to learn more about the background of the characters. Davis has hard demons persuing him. It's hinted at when he talks to a boy about his tattoos and signs the boy up for the Army to get him out of England.

Jackson's an interesting character. You have to wonder about his relationship with Long Susan as they often fight but they stay together.

[duplessis3]

I want to watch this more - I went to a friend's house last week to watch it because Joseph Gilgun was the guest star (the creepy Fagin character.) He's one of my favorite actors and I was intrigued by the back stories...

[Claddagh]

Joseph Gilgun really did a good job as the creepy bad guy.

Brother Claddagh that night: "Yeaaaaah, if that character were to come towards us I'd be running away. Oh, and I'm tripping you first."

[duplessis3]

When he said "I pity you, never knowing the love of a child..."

[Claddagh]

Brother Claddagh just asked me to make Joseph Gilgun's costume for Hallowe'en this year. He also wants me to go as a female version of Edmund Reid. Soooooooo tempting! Still no idea where we'll get the odds end ends yet or fake tattoos for him. :think: We still have plenty of time though.

[duplessis3]

That is an AWESOME idea. I was surprised at how many tattoos they felt they had to add, as Joe is pretty tatted up.

[Claddagh]

He was indeed. I felt kind of sorry for Joseph Gilgun as I wondered how long he had to sit perfectly still to get all his fake tattoos on.

I'll PM you with the costume ideas.

[Discobiscuit]

I've been watching this also and it's growing on me. Edmund Reid is very easy to look at, and every time the sargeant seems to learn more about Victorian's seedy underworld (Porn! Crossdressing bankers!), I just feel sorry for him.

[Claddagh]

I like Drake's character and sometimes you have to wonder about him. He's clearly tortured by his past and while you seem to know the characters at the same time you really don't.

I also wonder how things are going to go between Emily and Edmund Reid. It's clear they still love one another but there's always something unspoken between them.

[Buzzard]

I've seen 3 episodes and enjoyed them. I like things set in the past, and setting them in england is a bonus! I had mostly discounted the "ripper" aspect of it and was watching it as a period crime drama since the episodes dont seem to focus on a single killer, but various types of killers.

Maybe I need to rethink my paradigm!

[Claddagh]

Yesterday's episode was interesting. It gave me a few laughs here and there and one creeped out moment.

I hope the accident Jackson challenged Reid on gets solved. The subject of Reid's daughter is still a very touchy subject.

Jackson getting mad and doing that mocking motion after Drake snapped at him made me laugh.

I was somewhat surprised that Jackson downed the meds Lucy had been given. He didn't know what it was and it could've very easilly killed him.

I can see the attraction the lady who runs the orphanage has for Reid. I'm still shipping Reid/Emily though.

The whole idea of the eyeball lobotomy creeped me out.

[formergothardite]

Claddagh, I want you to know that your avatar is the only reason I started watching Ripper Street. I was like "Damn, he is hot, I don't care what the plot it, I'm watching." I actually like the plot too, but I've only made it through the first couple of episodes.

[Claddagh]

Claddagh, I want you to know that your avatar is the only reason I started watching Ripper Street. I was like "Damn, he is hot, I don't care what the plot it, I'm watching." I actually like the plot too, but I've only made it through the first couple of episodes.

I watched the first episode because I'm interested in the Jack the Ripper case. After being defrauded by Matthew MacFadyen and getting interested in the plot I was hooked.

[duplessis3]

Ive subscribed to it now. I am behind a couple of episodes because i had to watch the filthy Joe Gilgun one a couple more times. How i hope his twin is w andering the streets of whitechapel.

[doubtingkimmy]

I'm glad to see that other folks are enjoying this show as much as I am. The writing, sets, costuming, and especially the acting are all top notch in my opinion.

I became a huge Jerome Flynn fan due to his outstanding portrayal of Bronn in HBO's Game of Thrones, so naturally I had to check out Ripper Street, in hopes of seeing him in a bigger role. I certainly haven't been disappointed thus far. I expected Drake to be my favorite character, but I find myself enjoying Mathew MacFayden's Inspector Reid and Adam Rothenberg's Homer Jackson nearly as much. Hugely entertaining character interactions between these three.

This week's episode promises to be Drake-centric, so I can hardly wait! Extra bonus points for Iain Glen's guest staring role as well.

[Claddagh]

Poor Drake! I really felt for him with last night's episode.

You could see his heart breaking when Rose turned him down. The scene of him releasing the love birds was touching.

[doubtingkimmy]

Poor Drake indeed! Damn, my dear, sweet Sgt. "call me Bennet" Drake sure did have a couple of baaaaddd days! I don't know what was more heartbreaking, Rose's rejection (with the classic "lets be friends" kiss off to add extra ouch-factor), his former mentor's going completely off the rails and offing himself right before his eyes, or his current role model Reid's rather dickish treatment of him (and mostly everyone else) throughout the episode. You know Drake's having a rough time when the person who behaved the most decently towards him was Jackson, and even he was stupid/drunk/high/assholish enough to try to find bonding ground by providing his first hand opinions of Rose's bedroom proclivities. Not exactly helpful, reminding Drake that he's been, multiple times, to that place that Drake's never had the privilege to explore, if you know what I mean.

It will be interesting to see how these events shape Drake's future character development. It's clear that he's not content to continue on as Reid's door breaking, skull bashing, dirty-work dealing pit bull/gorilla/thug, but will he actually do anything about it, or will he continue to suffer in silence until he snaps?

Overall, I thought it was a typically strong episode, with plus points for providing additional character depth, at least for Drake. We also got to see that Jackson isn't quite the non-caring arse he usually appears to be. Beneath his pithy remarks, he's also got some feelings buried deep down inside. But what in the seven hells was wrong with Reid this week? Was he simply feeling out of his depth, and perhaps a bit guilty for never having served in the military, or was it something else?

[formergothardite]

I am way behind, still on episode four, but I really can't stand Emily Reid. I don't really know why, but she grates on my nerves.

[duplessis3]

I subscribe via amazon. That is only up to episode 4.

[Claddagh]

It will be interesting to see how these events shape Drake's future character development. It's clear that he's not content to continue on as Reid's door breaking, skull bashing, dirty-work dealing pit bull/gorilla/thug, but will he actually do anything about it, or will he continue to suffer in silence until he snaps?

Overall, I thought it was a typically strong episode, with plus points for providing additional character depth, at least for Drake. We also got to see that Jackson isn't quite the non-caring arse he usually appears to be. Beneath his pithy remarks, he's also got some feelings buried deep down inside. But what in the seven hells was wrong with Reid this week? Was he simply feeling out of his depth, and perhaps a bit guilty for never having served in the military, or was it something else?

Reid was definately being a bit of a jerk in that episode.

With the military Reid is on the outside looking in. To some extent he doesn't understand how Drake is torn between his loyalty to Reid and his loyalty to his former army buddies. Drake has some large and traumatic skeletons in his closet.

It's possible that Drake may have some form of PTSD and him snapping would be terrifying.

I don't think anyone could blame Drake if he shuts himself down emotionally so he can't be hurt again. I still want to run up and give Drake a hug!

It was nice to see Jackson say some kind words.

[CrankyCatLady]

Hmm, I may have to check this out. A friend watched the first episode and hated it, but we don't always agree on TV shows (He refuses to watch Buffy. Or Firefly. I have my suspicions about his TV cred).

[doubtingkimmy]

Hmm, I may have to check this out. A friend watched the first episode and hated it, but we don't always agree on TV shows (He refuses to watch Buffy. Or Firefly. I have my suspicions about his TV cred).

He refuses to watch Buffy??? :o Oh the sacrilege! What, does he think Joss Whedon simply sprang into being with The Avengers? Yep, I too would doubt his TV cred. ;)

[formergothardite]

Reid was definately being a bit of a jerk in that episode.

With the military Reid is on the outside looking in. To some extent he doesn't understand how Drake is torn between his loyalty to Reid and his loyalty to his former army buddies. Drake has some large and traumatic skeletons in his closet.

It's possible that Drake may have some form of PTSD and him snapping would be terrifying.

I don't think anyone could blame Drake if he shuts himself down emotionally so he can't be hurt again. I still want to run up and give Drake a hug!

It was nice to see Jackson say some kind words.

Just finished watching episode 5.

I noticed that Reid was especially angry in that episode. He is never butterflies and rainbows, but he seemed to be in a really bad mood towards everyone.

I felt so sorry for Drake. He does need a hug and a woman who will love him.

[doubtingkimmy]

Here's an open question to anyone who either lives in the UK or has seen the UK versions of the show as opposed to those televised on BBC America. My question is do the versions of the episodes shown via BBC One differ slightly from the versions shown on BBC America?

The reason that I ask is that I was on Tumblr the other day, and there were some screen caps that I thought were attributed to episode 5 (The Weight of One Man's Heart) that I did not see when I viewed the episode. One featured an additional exchange between Reid and Drake while they were at the firing range. In it Reid tries to get Drake's attention, but Drake initially doesn't hear him as he appears to be suffering a flashback due to the noise of the guns firing on the range. Reid then tries to broach the subject of Drake's raise request, but Drake attributes his request to the "onset of a head cold" and shuts down the conversation.

The second set of screen caps shows a despondent Drake sitting outside alone in the rain sans his jacket and top coat. It looks like it may have occurred after his altercation with Jackson at the bar.

Can anyone verify if they saw these two scenes in their version of the episode? It would suck to learn that we're losing scenes here in the US in order to jam in some more commercials, as there are already quite a lot of commercials for the time frame allotted to this show (it already runs an extra 15 minutes, and fo' sure that extra 15 minutes is not content-related).

[samurai_sarah]

Here's an open question to anyone who either lives in the UK or has seen the UK versions of the show as opposed to those televised on BBC America. My question is do the versions of the episodes shown via BBC One differ slightly from the versions shown on BBC America?

The reason that I ask is that I was on Tumblr the other day, and there were some screen caps that I thought were attributed to episode 5 (The Weight of One Man's Heart) that I did not see when I viewed the episode. One featured an additional exchange between Reid and Drake while they were at the firing range. In it Reid tries to get Drake's attention, but Drake initially doesn't hear him as he appears to be suffering a flashback due to the noise of the guns firing on the range. Reid then tries to broach the subject of Drake's raise request, but Drake attributes his request to the "onset of a head cold" and shuts down the conversation.

The second set of screen caps shows a despondent Drake sitting outside alone in the rain sans his jacket and top coat. It looks like it may have occurred after his altercation with Jackson at the bar.

Can anyone verify if they saw these two scenes in their version of the episode? It would suck to learn that we're losing scenes here in the US in order to jam in some more commercials, as there are already quite a lot of commercials for the time frame allotted to this show (it already runs an extra 15 minutes, and fo' sure that extra 15 minutes is not content-related).

You're getting cheated :( . Just to be sure, I went back and had a quick look, and the shooting range scene starts at roughly 22 min and goes on till 24 min. The second flashback scene happens at 30 min, also lasting 2 min, and yes, it does happen after the pub- scene. Hope this helps.