Additionally, the mystery itself in The Silkworm, while being complicated and surprising, isnt anywhere near as convoluted as the one in The Cuckoos Calling was. While it may seem odd that The Cuckoos Calling, a slightly shorter novel than The Silkworm, is an hour longer than the adaptation of The Silkworm, thats because a chunk of time in The Cuckoos Calling had to be devoted to setting up everything and, subsequently, much of that time isnt required with The Silkworm. Its refreshing that Tom Edge didnt feel slavishly attached to the source material in the way that many writers who adapt novels do. Some of my favorites involve Charlotte Campbell (Natasha OKeeffe), Strikes former fiance, and their tumultuous relationship. The new scenes that are added are really good ones, as well. So, new scenes are added and as a result, other scenes have to be cut or changed in the interest of streamlining the story and finding the best way to tell it visually. So much information in the novel is given to the reader via the narration and all of that information has to somehow be conveyed to the audience in a fashion that isnt just a voiceover. As always, lots of things that work in a novel dont work in a visual medium, and thats very much the case with The Silkworm. That being said, I feel like the cuts and substitutions and additions are all for the betterment of the story being told. ![]() Much is cut, added, or substituted in the course of the two-hour adaptation of the 500+ page book. Its good stuff and it goes a long way towards making Robin feel like a fully fleshed out person instead of merely a plot device.Īs an adaptation, The Silkworm is surprisingly vicious to its source material. Additionally, more of Robins home life with her fiance, Matthew (Kerr Logan), is explored as they both deal with Robins commitment to her job and the startling death of Matthews mother. Without Robin, Strike would have gotten nowhere in that scene and the delicacy with which Robin talks to Orlando and the genuine care and concern in her mannerisms really gives Holliday Grainger some great material to stretch her muscles with. This becomes particularly obvious in the way Robin interacts with Orlando Quine, the daughter of Owen and Leonora, as a way to get her to open up and talk to her and Strike. Both of those are rectified in The Silkworm as Robins role is elevated to really feel closer to a partner for Strike and not just an assistant. I felt she wasnt given enough to do and that her personal life wasnt explored near as much as it needed to be. While Holliday Grainger played Robin exceedingly well in The Cuckoos Calling, I found the character herself to be fairly flat. Kudos to director Kieron Hawkes.Īnother massive improvement over the previous installment comes in Robins characterization. Unlike The Cuckoos Calling, which visually felt like just another crime show, The Silkworm really looks visually unique, and the show is vastly better for it. This adaptation truly feels cinematic, which is really good considering that, for all intents and purposes, these adaptation of the Strike books are basically movies themselves. Everything from the framing of the shots, to the editing, to the way reenactments of the murder are sliced into various scenes themselves is interesting and visually engaging. The Silkworm, Im glad to report, does not suffer from that problem. If youll recall, one of my biggest complaints about the adaptation of The Cuckoos Calling was that it was visually uninteresting. For starters, its visually far more interesting. ![]() ![]() ![]() This is the case for the book and its the case for BBCs TV adaptation, as well. The Silkworm is stronger than The Cuckoos Calling in nearly every way.
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