"Hanmore" Is a Superb Introduction to 'Inspector Ellis'

Acorn TV’s new three-part series Inspector Ellis (Ellis in the UK) challenges our preconceptions of a female detective. DCI Ellis (Sharon D Clarke) is a Black woman, no longer young, whose long black coat and brightly colored scarf are a statement of strength and power. She is neither pleasingly eccentric nor eager to reveal a softer side, although we know she has an estranged daughter. She is not to be messed with. Her toughness and tenacity make her the ideal candidate for a new position; a senior officer sent to handle cases that have stumped the local team.

Ellis: "Parachuted in like the wicked witch of the west, starting from scratch, no team, no support ..."

The case is the murder of 17-year-old Rowan Edwards (Daire Scully), found dead in a car semi-submerged in a lake near Hanmore in England’s Peak District. The rippling waters of the lake segue into a scene at a school swimming pool, changing to water boiling in a glass kettle. Ellis is having a final brew and chat with her boss, ACC Alison Leighton (Allison Harding), before leaving. Ellis knows her arrival will be met with resentment since her presence represents the local police department’s failure, and the dead boy’s mother, Louise Edwards (Catherine Walker), is a former MP who wields a great deal of influence.