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March 4 Guilty Pleasure

PROMPT March 4th ▼

Use the following words as inspiration for your entry: inquiry, curiosity, investigation, suspicion, and clandestine. (You need not use the words in your entry, but if you do, please highlight them in bold or a different color.)

I have a guilty pleasure. I am binge-watching Red Rock on Prime. This is a cop show that takes place in Ireland and was originally shown on the BBC. Honestly, it would benefit me if it had subtitles because at first I probably understood about 60% of the dialogue, the rest I guessed at. Now that I am in the 3rd season I am more in tune with the rhythm of the language and its colloquialisms. But there is one character who regularly appears as a street thug who has been brought in during numerous investigations and I don't think I have understood one word he has said. But I love the ensemble of characters and the complex plot that weaves through the episodes.

Initially, it piqued my curiosity because I didn't know where Red Rock was, I didn't understand the word "Garda" that appeared on the officers backs and squad cars and I didn't recognize the brogue or accented English. I first guessed it was filmed in Scotland and googled Scotland's police. Wrong. Then I googled "Garda" and my inquiry led to Garda being short for Garda Síochána, the Irish police department.

I was also fascinated by patrol cops without guns. When I told my deputy sheriff son, he said it would never work here in the US. There are too many guns on the streets. But in a country where guns are illegal and scarce, it could be doable. Apparently, their detectives do carry guns and guns are issued to the equivalent of our Swat Unit but otherwise, they just have their retractable wand.

Once I had the location down and settled into the rhythm of the language, I embarked on following a riveting, ongoing storyline. The episodes have everyday criminal activities and civil disturbances but each season there is a complicated storyline weaving in and out of the episodes that embroil the characters and twist and turn through lies and clandestine activity. I often don't know what's going to happen next. This 3rd and last season has my favorite Garda, Sharon falling in love with a young, good looking detective. But because of some questionable activity, she begins to have suspicions that he is a dirty cop. This latest development is so sad. She deserves better.

There are 80 episodes per season. I get so involved in the plot that I have to watch the next episode, then the next and the next. I stayed up until 3 in the morning one night totally emersed in this show.

3 AM
still watching TV show
from Ireland
         ~~jvg