Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency: Review

Douglas Adams is a writer who's my kind of crazy.

Ridiculously inventive while also being ridiculous full stop. His works are often divisive even amongst sci-fi fans. Some praise his creativity and writing skills and others think he just poured a load of scrabble tiles on a piece of paper and tried to make a story out ot it.

I think that's how Dirk Gently would write a novel.

I came across this series while looking up the actor Samuel Barnett. I'd been listening to a series of Torchwood audio dramas (yes I know I'm a nerd) where he plays a slimy rogue agent from the 1950's called Norton Folgate. Norton has become one of my favourite characters in the series and I wanted to put a face to the voice.

The name Dirk Gently rung a bell with me but I wasn't sure where from. After a little research I found that there was a 2010 BBC series with Stephen Mangan as the lead. I might take some time to watch it since the original book is set in the 1980's so it might be a more faithful adaptation than this modern take.

Anyway, cut to a week later and I've already binged both seasons on Netflix. Needless to say, I freaking LOVED it!

Season 1

The show is about a man named Todd, played by Elijah Wood. Low on cash, in hot water with his landlord and with a sick sister to support, life is not going well. One day while working as a bell boy in a grand hotel, he's told to check a room where the occupant hasn't been seen for days. What he finds is an incredibly violent murder scene, a lottery ticket covered in blood and for a split second, himself in a fur coat with a black eye.

After he's fired on suspicion of involvement Todd gets back to his flat to find another man climbing in through the window. His name is Dirk Gently and he's got a case to solve! Gifted with a strange, symbiotic relationship with the universe, Dirk is a detective who solves cases just by being around them. He doesn't know how it works, it just does, and he knows Todd is somehow important.

The way he works is linked to the interconnectedness of the universe. He's not just a detective, he's a holistic one. The universe puts him where he needs to be and all he needs to do is find the connections.

But how does a black kitten, shark bite marks, a missing girl and a dead rock star connect? And who are these other strange characters hunting Dirk?

Anyone who's read or watched Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will be aware of Adam's writing style and his way of using comedy. This series has absolutely grasped that mad spirit. It's crazy and funny but more importantly it's also got an incredibly enjoyable and adult emotional backbone.

This is a show about broken people who find each other in a universe that doesn't make sense and attempt to make sense of it together.

Dirk might be a fast talking, hyperactive and charismatic man but there is trauma in his past and childhood which is handled in a more grounded way than a lot of shows with less absurd plots. This is mostly down to Samuel Barnett's s acting. They way he conveys hurt and betrayal, anger and frustration throughout the two seasons really made me invest in him as a character. He could very easily have been a cartoon with his strange nondescript powers but Barnett makes him likable and relatable. In the second season especially we get to see how much of a mask his bubbly care-free attitude is.

What I also loved about this show is how enjoyable all the side characters are. Especially the roles given to female characters and the way they're written. None of the women in the show are driven by romantic interests and they get to be just as messy as the male characters while also being fundamentally important. They have their fair share of comedy, badassery and fun. Farah played by Jade Eshete, started out as a fairly minor character but the more she was on-screen the more I fell in love with her. She also acted as a much needed foil to both Dirks wacky antics and Todd's pessimism.

Todd's sister Amanda is also interesting. Her battle with frequent and painful hallucinations has given her a different outlook on life than the other characters. She's much more willing to go along with the madness of the situation and has some great banter with Dirk.

In a lot of shows like this the side stories can feel like a burden. It was a feeling I sometimes had watching Good Omens where I just wanted to get back to the two leads, however in Dirk Gently all of the side plots and characters interested me. Burt the Holistic Assassin especially was fantastic. I could watch a full episode of just the side characters and I'd be just as invested. That's good writing not just relying on the likability of your main duo.

Season 2

A lot of people disliked the second season of the show. I can see why. If you thought season one was weird then season two is going to blow your mind. I can't help but respect it for going that extra mile. I wasn't as into it early on but as the series progressed I started enjoying the premise more. I loved how it all linked in with Blackwing. I liked the new holistic characters and the development of the ones from last season.

As I previously mentioned, season two is when the barriers start to come down for Dirk, and Barnett's performance is again what helps to sell the bizarre plot. I am quite sad that it didn't follow the plot of the actual second book which sounds amazing but it was still executed very well in my opinion.

Anything that takes place in Blackwing is great. The other stuff can be a little shaky but still enjoyable. The conclusion to the series was very satisfactory.

The Story Continues?

So, there is no season 3 of Dirk Gently and there isn't going to be. After season 2 it was cancelled for multiple reasons. Part of it was the show struggled to find a home. Networks didn't really know where to put it and Netflix was yet to throw their hat in the ring for it. A lack of marketing also led to little exposure so the ratings were not great.

The other reason was due to the allegations against showrunner Mark Landis. I was devastated and angry to discover this when I looked up why the series wasn't renewed. Another example of a powerful Hollywood figure using his power over people to do unforgivable things.

The relation of art to the artist is a complex one which can be extremely tricky to navigate and I'm not going to try that here. What I will say is that there are a few reasons why I will still sing praise and recommend this show. Firstly this is an adaptation of a story written by Douglas Adams. This is not the creation of Mark Landis. These are not his characters and it's not his message. While I don't believe it's possible or right to detach a creator from their creation I do believe that a creation can out-grow and become more important than their creator. Especially a story like Dirk Gently with multiple iterations and fans who it means a lot to. The show was always made for them and it belongs to them too.

It's also worth noting that Landis did not direct the series. I don't believe it's his voice which is portrayed in the show but multiple voices of eight directors and 7 writers excluding Landis who came together to tell Douglas Adams' story.

The second series does end nicely. There are overarching plot threads left unexplained but overall I did think the ending was satisfactory enough for me to not hate the fact there's not a third season. I'm more annoyed that there isn't more of it than I am begging to know what happens next. It's a similar feeling to the end of the first season which is nice because it means you can choose how much you want to watch.

When considering the circumstances it's right that it ended. Not for the show but so there wasn't enough time for a toxic fandom to develop who would defend the actions of Landis.

There is a third season written in comic book form which I'm hoping to read and hopefully that will tie things up completely.

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency has quickly become one of my all-time favourite TV shows. I'd recommend the first season as a definite watch then season 2 if you really enjoy the characters. It's nuts but still a lot of fun with a subsequent amount of drama and darkness.

So if the universe so inclines you, give it a go!

9/10