New Tricks (TV Series) Deep Swimming (2014) User Reviews

Much better.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 11 January 2023]

The daughter of a suspected terrorist receives a note telling her that her father's death was murder.

This was a far cry from the last two episodes, much, much better, a much improved story, the team feeling a little more cohesive, and the characters so much more interesting. The plot was a lot more interesting than recent ones, it felt like one from an earlier series.

I liked so many of the snippets here, Danny's devastation about Holly moving out, even the scene inside the Florists, that was amusing.

They were maybe a little guilty of making Gerry the stereotypical grumpy old man, he's overdoing it somewhat, he used to have such a lighter side.

Very good acting here, some fine first performances, Kika Markham and Claire Higgins, once again though I thought it was Tamsin Outhwaite that stole the show, she was terrific.

Very good this one, 8/10.

Undercover

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 2 September 2014]

Ever since she was seven Bryony Willis believed that her father, a political activist, had been killed when a bomb he was intending to plant exploded; then one day she gets a letter stating that he was in fact murdered. The UCOS team are soon on the case, questioning various activists from the eighties to see who could have had a motive. Eventually one emerges; he was an undercover police officer! He had told his partner shortly before the explosion but if anybody else knew it would have been quite a motive.

This episode was clearly inspired by recent revelations about undercover police getting sexually involved with women in the protest groups they had infiltrated but the story should work even if you those events. There are some surprising twists along the way; firstly when we learn he was a policeman rather than a terrorist then the final reveal which I won't disclose here. Away from the case Danny is contemplating downsizing now his daughter has left home and DCI Miller goes out for a drink with her ex… perhaps these threads will develop into something interesting later in the series but at this point they just seem like a distraction from the main plot. Overall not a bad episode but hardly the most memorable either.

Peace Protest not so peaceful

[scsaxe · 6/10 · 25 April 2022]

An activist/protestor was killed in an explosion, now being reinvestigated. The case is o.k., and has a different ending that you'd think, and some old protestors as characters, but just doesn't do it for me. The rest of the show is hard to remember while writing this review, so the non investigation stuff didn't catch me all that well.

Not quite deep enough

[TheLittleSongbird · 7/10 · 17 March 2018]

Have always been a big fan of detective/mystery shows from a fairly young age, well since starting secondary school.

'Inspector Morse', 'A Touch of Frost', 'Midsomer Murders' (in its prime), 'Law and Order', 'Inspector George Gently', 'Criminal Minds', 'Murder She Wrote', you name them to name a few. 'New Tricks' has also been a favourite from the start (despite not being the same without the original cast in recent years). Although it can be corny at times (in an endearing sort of way) it has always been perfect for helping me relax in the evenings. Something that was needed during all the hard times endured in school.

'New Tricks' was past its best by now, with integral characters no longer with us, but was certainly not an unwatchable period. "Deep Swimming" continues the decent but not great standard set by the previous two Season 11 episodes.

While it is charming and likeable enough, the chemistry between the leads was stronger in 'New Tricks' prime era (Seasons 1-9 when characters that made the show (especially Brian, which the show wasn't the same without when he left) were still there. Prime-era 'New Tricks' also had more spark and freshness.

The case is interesting and holds attention, but is not the most surprising or twist-filled, apart from the clever reveal, and is slightly bland. Tonally most other 'New Tricks' episodes had a better balance of comedy and drama, there isn't enough of the former meaning it does feel a little over-serious and Sasha's personal life subplot is a little soapy and doesn't add much other than giving Sasha some development.

Sasha is more settled in and more confident as a leader, and Tamzin Outhwaite does a very good job again. She works very well too with the other three leads.

Visually, "Deep Swimming" is slick and stylish as ever. The music is a good fit and the theme song (sung with gusto by none other by Dennis Waterman himself) is one of the catchiest for any detective/mystery show and of any show in the past fifteen years or so.

Writing is intelligent, thought-provoking and classy, with a nice mix of the comedic (Nicholas Lyndhurst has his funniest moment up to this point of the show) and the serious.

Cannot fault any of the performances, which are never less than solid. The leads are great, and while the chemistry as said is far from perfect it works well enough and they connect decently. Support is solid if not outstanding.

Overall, decent but not great.

Laura Patch steals this episode

[safenoe · 9/10 · 10 November 2017]

Laura Patch as the florist chewed the screen in this fine episode. She appears for only a few minute, but she really stole this episode!

It's good to see Strickland back and he's a welcome constant amidst the cast changes in seasons 9 and 10. The ending was a major twist and was based on real life situations where undercover police got involved a bit too much on the people they were spying on.

But whose ashes were scattered????

[cynth_marple · 5/10 · 6 November 2023]

So - the bomb blows up without a body so whose ashes did the daughter scatter??? I think that messes up the plot line. I imagine a body will leave mess when a bomb gets it and if there is no body with the bomb, there will be less mess. That is my on my comment about this episode but I have to fill it with more characters. I miss the original 4 main actor's chemistry with each other. The 3 new main actors are not as engaging. I get the two new older men confused since they really like alike. Good thing their accents are so different!! Anyway, overall it's a fun crime drama series and its interesting to have the British slang & situations.

Not the same New Tricks actors

[ctyankee1 · 10 February 2015]

The cast members all changed. The last episode only 2 of the originals cast were in Season 10 episode 8 "The One That Got Away." Sandra/Amanda Redman and Gerry/Dennis Waterman.

Brian/Alun Armstrong added a lot of humor to the episodes. He was very smart but odd. His last episode was Season 10 episode 4 "The Little Brother".

Gerry/Dennis Waterman is one of two actors that continues to act in New Tricks.

This one is about a man that is killed who is an activist in the 60's. His daughter gets a note that he was murdered so the case is re-opened because the police thought he got blown up in a explosion that he caused himself.

This episode is very boring to me. It is not like the others with the humor, excitement and love for each other. The new actors don't seem to connect with each other. The story is also bland even though it has a final ending.

I enjoyed all the other series of New Tricks. This is so different.