Hard Sun’s shock twists and turns excite and confuse viewers
The new BBC drama from the creator of Luther divides audiences
Last night saw the debut episode of new BBC drama Hard Sun, a story from Luther creator Neil Cross that follows a pair of detectives (Jim Sturgess and Agyness Deyn) as they discover the human race will go extinct in just five years.
And it’s fair to say that opinion online was slightly mixed, with many viewers initially caught off guard by the shocking scenes of violence that opened the episode (where Deyn’s DI Elaine Renko was stabbed and nearly burned to death in her kitchen).
https://twitter.com/hardsuntv/status/949757784131850240
https://twitter.com/_InkFreak_/status/949757953384513541
https://twitter.com/haribolectah/status/949758030798868482
https://twitter.com/D1Smurphy/status/949758367953833984
https://twitter.com/ScarlettArcher/status/949758527593172992
Still, once the story proper began to unfold, things calmed down a bit – and then some viewers began to get VERY confused about what was going on as Renko and her new boss DCI Charlie Hicks (Sturgess) began investigating a murder and visiting secret lovers, while simultaneously trying to find out each others’ secret intentions.
https://twitter.com/MRipley13/status/949759494761992192
https://twitter.com/tellyaddict100/status/949762385396498432
https://twitter.com/rozlaws/status/949759750413144064
Still, one of the episode’s biggest twists – that Elaine’s attacker at the beginning the episode was actually her SON – was much more popular with those who had managed to follow the story.
https://twitter.com/ComedianNotso/status/949765437239320577
https://twitter.com/aodin_g/status/949764682025439232
https://twitter.com/dilly_dot/status/949764425808072709
https://twitter.com/TonyVoller/status/949764053727051776
So by the episode’s end, when Hicks and Renko had eluded shadowy government types and discovered the apocalypse was imminent, what was the verdict? To some viewers, the story was just too clichéd, while others didn’t enjoy it for other reasons.
https://twitter.com/Nick_Selby1/status/949765981164974081
https://twitter.com/Mungle/status/949763113091522563
https://twitter.com/bevvyboo22/status/949765427336540160
https://twitter.com/DanielHJenkins/status/949769748023336960
https://twitter.com/garzinio/status/949769793317560320
https://twitter.com/scoom90/status/949770012809719808
https://twitter.com/Derooftrouser/status/949924778730717184
However, many others absolutely loved it, and couldn’t wait for the next episode.
https://twitter.com/iamjoshboffin/status/949769238054686721
https://twitter.com/AbiFowler/status/949769110346452992
https://twitter.com/KeeganNufc09/status/949769702657744896
https://twitter.com/sianrodgers/status/949763672980754433
https://twitter.com/unicorns88_jazz/status/949936754412474369
https://twitter.com/CSRizzoli23/status/949769411967246336
(Side note: Chris Pratt seems to be the go-to gif reaction man these days, eh?)
For now, it’s fair to say that Hard Sun is an acquired taste – but for those who love it there’s good news, as the whole series is now available to watch on the BBC iPlayer website. A fact that SOME fans have been quick to pick up on…
https://twitter.com/awinternumber/status/949919764020854784
https://twitter.com/Stephen63277973/status/949935569576046594
https://twitter.com/telstob/status/949852429381709824
https://twitter.com/seanosullivanuk/status/949803959530684416
https://twitter.com/robertcarrick27/status/949793953901154304
https://twitter.com/fashiontrain/status/949784755431772161
https://twitter.com/ScarlettArcher/status/949803863258943488
Sounds like it might be worth giving a few more episodes a watch before we all make our final decision.
Hard Sun continues on BBC1 next Saturday, and all episodes are available to watch on BBC iPlayer now