So much to unpack already in just 60 minutes!
Sophie is our What’s On Reporter, covering all things happening in and around the city. She is the first to go to for all your entertainment, food and drink, music and events news in Belfast.
Blue Lights Three has hit our screens this evening and I can’t even pretend it’s not going to consume my life until I binge the whole thing.
Despite my reservations when I was invited to the screening of a new Belfast-based police drama a few years ago, I’m sure I’m probably one of the show’s biggest fans and have been patiently waiting for its return all year.
The world Adam Patterson and Declan Lawn have created while staying very true to Belfast as we know it is incredibly special – and to make something from here without having us cringing at accents or cheap local gags is a serious talent not to be underestimated.
READ MORE: Blue Lights stars tease what to expect from their characters ahead of series 3READ MORE: Blue Lights creators say series 3 is ‘darkest’ and ‘most ambitious’ so far
So going off that, you can imagine I went into a screening of Blue Lights 3 episode one last week with more than high expectations.
Adam and Declan said that series three would be darker and is their most ambitious episode to date – that is abundantly clear from the get-go of episode one.
This is your warning that this article will contain spoilers for Blue Lights series 3, episode 1 so if you haven’t watched or are playing catch-up on previous episodes, now is your time to stop reading.
Just as we left series 2, we jump right back into the car with Stevie and Grace in series 3, who are very much official and looking at buying a house together – I’m not sure my heart could take much more of this will-they-won’t-they caper so I was delighted to see them loved up sharing a cupcake in the cop car.
We are now in year three of Grace, Annie and Tommy’s careers as response officers and it is clear that they are settled in and their characters are so well established by this stage, we can almost come to expect how they will behave in the situations they face.
Drugs are once again causing issues on the streets of Belfast but the ante has been upped – a sophisticated new app is having young people deliver drugs like it’s Deliveroo and it’s clear that this is bigger than before.
The addition of the mysterious Colly from the intelligence department suggests this goes so much deeper than the guys on the streets. Yet to decide if he’s a goodie or a baddie and that’s down to Michael Smiley’s excellent aloof nature giving absolutely nothing away too soon.
Episode one again has that magic combination of nail-biting action, endearing humour to break up tension and real heart that Blue Lights does so well that it’s hard not to be hooked to it when you start watching.
A host of new faces satisfyingly dip our toes into a number of potential intertwining plots – from Sandy and Lindsay caught up in dealing at such a young age to glamorous members-only club owner Dana doing dealings with the Dublin drug gang, tension is brewing thick and fast.
It’ll be interesting to see how seedy solicitor Aodhan McAllister, who always seems to be representing the wrong ’uns, ties into the central plot of the series. It’s clear he is definitely more involved in the organised crime gang than just providing legal aid so I can’t wait to see what’s in store for his character as he takes on a more central role.
Back at Blackthorn, relationships are definitely set to be tried and tested in Blue Lights 3 as we’ve already seen Grace and Stevie bumping heads a few times over their policing styles in the episode. Tommy and Aisling seem to be love’s young dream as of now, but I fear devastation could be heading their way and see their worlds come crashing down.
Arguably, it is these personal relationships and the characters’ stories and lives that drew me in much more than the police action, so having really strong characters already established by series three means we can get deeper into the real impact the badge has on serving officers’ lives.
A look into Grace’s life before the police has been teased and I’m keen to see how this (and Stevie’s potenital promotion) is going to play into their dynamic this series.
It is clear that South Belfast has some secrets behind the fancy suits and the parties behind metal gates and Adam and Declan have perfectly got us prepared for the darkness they have promised for the series in the first 60 minutes.
Did episode one live up to my extremely high expectations? Absolutely.
Am I going to be an anxious wreck watching some teased plotlines unfold? Likely.
Do I have BBC iPlayer sitting ready to go with episode two for the minute I log off? No comment officer.
Blue Lights series three is available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer and will air on BBC One at 9pm on Monday, September 29
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