BBC's The Jetty divides opinion as critics call Jenna Coleman drama a 'soggy summer washout that misses the mark' - but others make comparisons to Happy Valley
- The first episode of the BBC's new crime drama The Jetty aired on Monday
- READ MORE: Jenna Coleman is a tough cop and 'human lie detector' with mysterious past in action-packed first trailer for new crime drama The Jetty
The BBC's new crime drama The Jetty has divided opinion after the release of its first episode on Monday night.
It tells the story of Detective Ember Manning (Jenna Coleman) as she investigates a missing person's case which threatens to unravel her own mysterious past, with House Of The Dragon's Tom Glynn-Carney seemingly playing the show's villain.
Interconnecting stories sees the detective forced to try and piece together the truth after a fire destroys a property in the Lake District during the four-part thriller.
Detective Manning is forced to try and work out what connects a podcast journalist investigating a cold case to an illicit relationship between a man in his twenties and two underage girls.
The series, written and created by Cat Jones, also stars Happy Valley's Amelia Bullmore, The Terror's Matthew McNulty and The Witch star Ralph Ineson.
The BBC's new crime drama The Jetty has divided opinion after the release of its first episode on Monday night. Pictured, Hitch, played by Archie Renaux and Ember, played by Jenna Coleman
'As much a coming-of-age story as a detective thriller, The Jetty asks big questions about sexual morality, identity and memory, in the places that Me Too has left behind,' according to the official synopsis.
However, following its first episode last night, the gritty series suffered dozens of complaints from fans over audio issues.
One person wrote on X: 'The lighting, the sound, the dialogue and the acting. All terrible. #TheJetty.'
Another said: 'Am I the only one finding #TheJetty hard to pick up ? Is it the sound? The accents? Are they mumbling? #BBCOne.'
A third added: '#thejetty is potentially an engaging drama although understanding was marred by the rapid mumbling speaking style. What happened to clear enunciation?'
A fourth wrote: 'Tried to watch #TheJetty on @BBC - gave up after 25 minutes, can’t make out a word. Mumble, mumble, mumble... anyone agree, perhaps my hearing.'
It tells the story of Detective Ember Manning (Jenna Coleman) as she investigates a missing person's case which threatens to unravel her own mysterious past. Pictured, Hannah, played by Ruby Stokes, and Ember, played by Jenna Coleman
Interconnecting stories sees the detective forced to try and piece together the truth after a fire destroys a property in the Lake District
Fans shared their disappointment on X, claiming they couldn't understand the narrative due to constant 'mumbling'
Meanwhile, other viewers had nothing but praise for the new series
Other viewers had nothing but praise for the new series and commented: 'Just watched BBC's The Jetty, 10/10 incredible. New instant favourite.'
'Just binge watched The Jetty, I thought it was very good, no problems at all understanding the dialogue. Would very much recommend it,' wrote another.
But what did the critics think? Here, FEMAIL dives into the reviews...
THE GUARDIAN
The Guardian's Lucy Mangan suggested the opening of the first episode of the thriller left a lot to be desired, labelling it 'deeply uninspired'
The Guardian's Lucy Mangan suggested the opening of the first episode of the thriller left a lot to be desired, labelling it 'deeply uninspired'.
It involves a podcaster explaining the premise in a voiceover and detective constable Ember Manning being woken up in the night by an 'intruder' who turns out to be her daughter Hannah having a sneaky cigarette outside.
However, after the beginning, the critic insisted the drama is well worth a watch as it explores 'what it means to move as a woman through a world that is suffused with male violence in all its myriad forms'.
'The Jetty becomes a study in power relations, exploitation, innocence, ignorance and the impossibility of ever breaking out of a social structure that has never been designed with your wellbeing in mind,' said Lucy.
The critic concluded: 'The Jetty isn’t Happy Valley, but it is much, much closer to it than you might have expected.'
THE TELEGRAPH
'You can tell The Jetty is bad by the fact that the BBC is shoving it out on a Monday in July, but episode one provides confirmation,' claimed The Telegraph's Anita Singh
'You can tell The Jetty is bad by the fact that the BBC is shoving it out on a Monday in July, but episode one provides confirmation,' claimed The Telegraph's Anita Singh.
The Arts and Entertainment Editor labelled Jenna's latest offering with the BBC 'clichéd and confusing', adding that the 'crime drama is a soggy summer washout'.
She said the story about 'grooming, blurred lines and the vulnerability of girls' is lost in an unorganised plot, 'badly lit' scenes and 'dialogue that is sometimes hard to decipher'.
The critic even admitted: 'The plot in the opening hour is such a mish-mash that I twice checked to see if I had started watching a later episode by mistake.'
THE TIMES
Ben Dowell told The Times: 'Too many dramas seem to voyeuristically revel in the terrifying threats that women and girls face. This shows what can be done about it.'
Ben Dowell told The Times: 'Cat Jones, the writer of The Jetty, has ladled many traditional ingredients into what on the face of it is yet another drama about a missing teenage girl.
'But her brew is pleasingly laced with something more socially urgent: the slippery problem of consent and the sexualisation of teenage girls.'
He suggested the 'clever twist' at the end of episode one also makes the drama standout from the crowd.
The critic added: 'Too many dramas seem to voyeuristically revel in the terrifying threats that women and girls face. This shows what can be done about it.'
THE INDEPENDENT
Writing for the Independent , Nick Hilton said the BBC's latest thriller is 'clichéd but compelling'
Writing for the Independent, Nick Hilton said the BBC's latest thriller is 'clichéd but compelling'.
He noted that The Jetty 'doesn't reinvent the crime drama... in fact, it borrows widely from the BBC’s vast back catalogue,' - however, for this critic, Jenna's likeable main character saves the drama from its clunky dialogue and clichés.
But Nick did warn of how the thriller's balance between the feminist 'message and the method is fraught with complications'.
He pointed to Ember being 'on a crusade to unveil the systemic misogyny of the community', yet 'the flashbacks depict these teenage girls in an overtly sexualised way'.
THE IRISH TIMES
Writing for the Irish Times , Ed Power insisted: 'There’s a decent thriller somewhere at the end of The Jetty, but I’m not sure if getting there is worth the slog.'
Writing for the Irish Times, Ed Power insisted: 'There’s a decent thriller somewhere at the end of The Jetty, but I’m not sure if getting there is worth the slog.'
The critic explained how the drama explores 'difficult and important topics', such as the 'grooming of young women and power imbalances in relationships'.
However, the programme 'loses its footing in an illogical and confusing plot that will have viewers shrugging in bewilderment rather than engaging with the script’s deeper points,' according to Ed.
He also suggested that despite Jenna's good performance, the slow plot and bad dialogue mean the show misses it mark.
THE I
The I's TV Editor Emily Baker admitted that whilst the first episode is filled with clichés, the four-part drama apparently eventually picks up and leads to a 'grim picture of misogyny, sexual exploitation and murder'
The I's TV Editor Emily Baker admitted that whilst the first episode is filled with clichés, the four-part drama apparently eventually picks up and leads to a 'grim picture of misogyny, sexual exploitation and murder'.
For Emily, 'the ever-reliable Jenna Coleman is the glue that holds the series together' as well as the 'flashes into the past where the drama really comes to life'.
Emily said: 'TV has been crying out for a series like The Jetty – one the entire nation can really get stuck into and chat about at work the next day.
'I can’t remember the last time a BBC crime series gripped me this much,' concluded the reviewer.
