Staying on your chosen path can be tough for anyone but for crisis-stricken policeman Chris Carson (Martin Freeman) and his partner Rachel (Adelayo Adedayo), it’s tougher than ever as Emmy award-winning drama ‘The Responder’ returns.
Six months on from the events of season one, we’re back on the streets of Liverpool. Carson is determined to rebuild his life, especially his relationship with his daughter, but the relentless nature of work as an urgent response officer is still trying to drag him down. Rachel Hargreaves is trying to take control of a career that isn’t going the way she expected.
“In series one Rachel doesn’t believe Chris should be a copper out on the streets because, in her mind, he’s not up to it. However, she soon starts thinking that she’s got to be a bit more like him and in series two it is clear that there is a much deeper understanding between the two of them,” says series creator and writer Tony Schumacher, a former policeman.
The new season, he says is “about people under pressure from organisations that are under pressure. We often hear about the ‘bad apples’ in the police, but I've tried to look at the fact that, in my opinion, the barrel is sometimes rotten and what's making those apples bad is the organisation. I wanted to show that good people can do bad things to survive, and bad people sometimes do good things.”
Martin Freeman as Chris Carson in season 2 of 'The Responder' Credit: Rekha Garton / Dancing Ledge Productions
Freeman sees this as a key part of his character. “The reason I wanted to play Chris is that he is a great mixture of vulnerability and strength. I think there is something about a man of few words that is attractive. There's a reason why people like characters that don't have to over-explain themselves and I think Chris is one of them. What I like about this show is that we weren't judging him. You don't always like a person but that doesn't mean you write them off as a human being completely. Chris doesn't always have to be doing the right thing and that appealed to me. He’s not super cop but he is essentially a decent person. He is complicated and conflicted.”
“Chris and Rachel’s relationship is thawing out a little now they're getting a little bit closer. The battle lines between them are coming down a little bit and they're a bit less spikey with each other. There's a bit more air in their relationship now they can look at each other and go, 'you're all right, you're a good person.' That doesn't sound very dramatic, but it’s real. I like their relationship a lot for that and the fact they look out for each other, in their own ways.
“When we first met them, Rachel doesn't want to be mentored by Chris because he's a mess. She's just come out of college and she's on probation and is still thinking she can do it by the book and Chris is in no doubt that you can’t do it like that. In series one they are at opposite ends of the spectrum, but in this series that has all changed. Chris is wanting to be better, a better dad, a better copper, but Rachel is deeply struggling and isn’t playing it by the book anymore – so they are at the other ends of the spectrum.”
Martin Freeman and Adelayo Adedayo in season 2. Credit: Kerry Spicer / Dancing Ledge
Adedayo says her character is in “a sort of freefall” after her actions in season one. “She has no idea what to do next”.
“In series one, she was very much by the book. It is admirable but because we, as humans, are flawed it's hard to watch and connect when someone is constantly appearing to do the right thing. This series she's absolutely not doing that. It's sad because she's lost her belief in that kind of ideal. I hope people are going to connect to that and understand her a little bit more.”
The new season brings new additions to the cast, including the late Bernard Hill as Chris Carson’s father and Adam Nagaitis as charming but deadly drug dealer Franny.
Adam Nagaitis as Franny. Credit: Rekha Garton / Dancing Ledge
“Ever since I saw him [Nagaitis] in The Terror, I thought that he was unbelievably good. He just had something that was scary and very, very beguiling about him and because he has that balance of danger and charm, I thought he would be right for Franny and he is. I love him, and I love working with him,” says Freeman.
Nagaitis is equally happy to have worked with Freeman. “Martin's performance was close to perfect. Nuanced, beautiful, moving and incredibly frustrating and depressing. He also might be the most available, aware in the present moment actors I've ever been opposite.”
As the second season unfolds, Carson is trying to go straight, but when DCI Barnes (Amaka Okafor) asks for a favour, life is quickly pushing him back towards his old ways. Rachel is soon dragged into the mess as well.
“Chris and Rachel are classic examples of people who make bad choices, but for the right reasons; trying to do the right thing and falling through gaps. I think the camaraderie on screen between Martin and Adelayo is electric and that stems from the friendship off-screen between Martin and Adelayo and that ease of camaraderie and a sense of partnership is tangible in this series,” says season 2 producer Barrington Robinson.
Along with outstanding performances, the humour that leavened season one is back too.
humour ... for me it's always the thing that is there even in the darkest moments. It's like the mortar between the bricks. It's constant.writer Tony Schumacher
“I always wanted to use humour, because for me it's always the thing that is there even in the darkest moments. It's like the mortar between the bricks. It's constant. In the police, if there was one thing you were always guaranteed to do when you were a cop, it was to laugh. Every single shift. You might cry, you might have a foot chase, you might sit all night and just stare into the night, but the fact of the matter is you would, at some point in that night, laugh, so to capture the reality of doing the job of a responder, that humour had to be there in the dialogue,” says Schmacher.
We also get a chance to see more of the lives of the characters: the critical role Carson’s father played in making him who he is, Marco (Josh Finan) and Casey (Emily Fairn) trying to help each other out, and what Amaka Okafor describes as “a good, juicy story” for her character, DI Deb Barnes.
“Coming back for series two has just been like the gift I didn't expect,” she says. “I absolutely loved it. In the first series, I was only supposed to be in one episode, so to end up in two series has been amazing…. it has been a lot of fun to come back. The scripts felt juicier and more challenging for all of the characters. Tony is really good at lifting up the rock and allowing us to see all the insects underneath.”
Schumacher uses a wonderful analogy for his writing process, capturing how much inspiration is buzzing around in his head as he works. “Writing the script is like packing for a holiday with ten kids. You know, you're just literally jumping up, down on the suitcase for 2 hours at the end of every draft, trying to get the lid shut.”
It’s a method that clearly works – as The Guardian says, the new season is .
This article includes an edited version of material from series production company Dancing Ledge.
The Responder season 2 premiered on SBS and SBS On Demand on Thursday 30 May. The six-part series launched with a double episode, with single episodes following weekly. Episodes will be available at SBS On Demand the same day as they air on SBS. Season 1 is also streaming now at SBS On Demand:
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The Responder
series • Crime drama
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series • Crime drama
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