Matthew Goode plays the central character in this most imaginative police detective program. He is a man widely disliked. He is surrounded by people significantly less intelligent, and responds with evident dismay and sharp sarcasm. Sadly I can understand his frustration; I have spent much of my life as an academic mainly because that life surrounds a person with smart, educated colleagues. These days my pain arises dealing with tradespeople.

Goode's smart and arrogant detective manages to make his colleagues look inadequate without the script giving the viewer any reason to doubt their wits up to the point where he arrives. Shades of Sherlock. As one commentary says "If Benedict Cumberbatch's Sherlock had to face real consequences, he'd be in Netflix's Dept Q". The difference lies in the development... fate gives him similarly-smart crew, and he becomes more understanding and tolerant as the story progresses.

I recently dated a glamorous and fun lady. "People have asked me that before", she replied, when I asked if she had read James Joyce's Ulysses on account of her stream-of-consciousness conversation. Our dates simply ran on and on, the hours disappearing like sand. By the third date I was cooking dinner. Things took a passionate turn. A few days later she decided that she did not want to continue, blaming her complicated life... "it's not you. There is someone less complicated than I out there to cherish you".
This was the first time I had been one-night-stood up.
"It was not a one night stand!"
"That implies there will be another night, no?"
"Keep dating for you deserve to be loved." Can you hear the buzzing of cognitive dissonance?

I mentioned elsewhere that I have unintentionally offended people. My friend Tony -- who has the same problem -- describes the effect as "saying something flippantly that is taken seriously", or in some unintended way. I believe Kay understood that it carried no intent to denigrate or offend, but she was dismayed by my "always being right", or at least disproportionally often. We figured that this was not so rare a situation: My colleague Johann at Waikato had a T-shirt with "To keep things simple, can we assume that I am always right?" emblazoned on its front. It was a present from his wife.

I can't believe I did not say something, pretty much when we were in the sack. I asked, but Anna won't change her story. I asked about some discussions. "I will be in touch when things are sorted. Take care..." but I don't believe it.

One of Goode's fabulous crew is Akram, who survived being a policeman in Syria. "Were you one of the good guys or the bad guys?" asks Goode's character. "If you find out how to tell, please to let me know" he replies. Akram's ability to survive a nasty encounter saves the day more than once.

Despite his arrogant, acerbic manner, the viewer soon comes to appreciate and perhaps admire Goode's police detective. I hope that I have always left people better off, giving good service and reasonable commitment wherever I have been. And this in spite of the frustration showing sometimes.