As far as period crime thrillers go, Greatrex is quite enjoyable. The con artist, criminalistic side of his character is developed strategically, showcasing his various skills and talents organically which helps sell his success, or at least his longevity, without being on-the-nose. The fact that he's able to get away with what he does for as long as he does is well supported through talent and temperament. The language is well orchestrated, both for the distinctive voices and personalities of the characters and for the period itself. The writer delivers impressive social commentary and criticism, as well as observations on the folly of man that pair well with the visuals and the presentation of the "dog eat dog" nature of the era. It may not be the wild west but it's clear that folks are pushed to do whatever it takes to survive in that place and time, and the capacity for crossing the line between right and wrong might be all that keeps someone from a great fortune or from being placed in shackles. McCall is a noble, positive force and a strong counterweight to Greatrex's "anti-hero." That's essential for stories like these and makes his methodical yet clever process of chasing down his target all the more impressive.

Though there's an intentional approach to how information about Greatrex's past, as well as his ambitions, are revealed, it does feel as though there's room for a touch more development regarding his background, if only to further drive home the contrast between him and Alexander McCall who opines "I too had little but the clothes on my back. We make our own choices." The answer may be that no amount of money or reward to his ego would be considered "enough" but the potential of putting a clearer target in mind for Greatrex could help audiences tack his progress to his ultimate goal, naturally raising the tension as authorities get closer. Agnes, for her part, is one of the more compelling figures caught in the mess started by Greatrex. One wonders if there might be another beat or two for her character beyond where the audience last sees her currently. It may also be helpful to underscore a bit more of the thinking behind moving some of the fraudulent notes in less crowded environs. It's understandable that there's the "testing the waters" phase but given the stakes and the higher likelihood of exposure for doing that in a smaller environment than London, for example, it might bear belaboring the point.

Whether it's Catch Me if You Can or The Talented Mr. Ripley, there are examples of period crime thrillers and/or capers that Greatrex brings to mind in a positive way. The period elements do naturally bring additional expenses but given the premise that should go without saying, allowing potential partners, investors or creative collaborators to focus on the plot and characters. In that regard, the draft as presented is in good shape even with room for improvement in certain areas. The pace is appropriate, the cat and mouse game that develops is exciting and even those that would prefer to see Greatrex pay for his crimes will enjoy the hunt and the wink at the very end. All told, those core factors do feel like they should appeal to fans of the aforementioned films. The language is also appropriate for the time yet not inaccessible to modern viewers which should give talent, and marketers, plenty to work with. Tonally, there's also great fun to be had and room for directorial choices that could bring this anywhere from The Talented Mr. Ripley to the "Guy Ritchie's Sherlock" universe (though naturally there's considerably less action here). The writer should be pleased with what they've done and move forward with confidence.

In the first two episodes, the premise of the project is gripping and well established. The questions asked of “how far one would go in desperation” and “what is the cost for scientific progress” are interesting and make for good conflict. The multiple plot threads weave together fluidly and organically create this world of a city making a name for itself in the fields of science and education, but at a moral cost.

The most successful aspects of these first two episodes is the characters introduced and engaging worldbuilding with little exposition. We dive immediately into everyone’s story and overall the characters and their interactions with each other really shines. Everyone fits into the greater story and the individual interactions make for good entertainment. Even more specifically, the dialogue is particularly well written. Not only does it capture the place in time and the accents, but it often feels authentic and gets to the point of the scene with plenty of great subtextual meaning and character progression.

While there are some moments that seem to move too quickly or story beats that do not quite hit their emotional mark, episodes one and two both end on great cliff-hangers that drive the story forward. The involvement of a child is a great moment to show the overstepping of Burke and Hare’s choices.

Additionally, if the reveal of Mary’s body is meant to be the midpoint of the project, it works well. For it is at this moment that now the scientific community, who may have overlooked the malicious endeavours of Knox’s body suppliers, has seen beyond the vale via Dr. Lonsdale.

One of the qualities this project has that makes it stand out from other projects are the really interesting, distinctive, and compelling characters, and their complicated relationships. The characters’ needs are clearly revealed, which is necessary in order for us to understand why Knox does what he does, and why Burke and Hare do what they do.

The writer is not afraid for the characters to cross over into the dark side. One set of characters lives with prestige and money. The other set of characters live with degradation and poverty, which creates a wonderful contrast that drives not only the characters, but the story, as well. We are drawn into the two different worlds of privilege and the other of the lower class and want to witness what happens as these two worlds begin to merge.

The distinction between these two worlds is wonderfully rendered, and we experience the war between the classes on an emotional and visceral level. Establishing the differences between Burke and Hare’s world and Robert Knox and his colleague’s world shows the disparities and the possibilities and impossibilities the characters face and are challenged. As the story unfolds, we care about the characters more and more, and we wonder what is going to happen to Margaret Hare and Helen McDougal as they join their husbands on the very dangerous and murderous, yet profitable, endeavor.

The dialogue is one of the strongest qualities of the writing. Each character has their unique voice, and we hear the different lilts in the dialects. There are too many examples of the terrific dialogue for the time and space allotted, but Hare’s dialogue “…Piss and shit runs through the streets. … You talk of gallows. I say we’re already dead.” Hare’s point of view and what he suffers on a daily basis couldn’t be clearer or better said than in this dialogue. We can relate to his desperation and existential crises and this allows us to engage on an emotional and visceral level, even more.

The premise for this screenplay is absolutely brilliant. This feels, indeed, like Catch Me If You Can mixed with Sherlock Holmes, and there are plenty of things to like about this project. The atmosphere is delightful – the writer succeeds in recreating 1850s England, the story is full of action and suspense, and it’s fantastic to find out that this was inspired by real-life events.

Even though the script has a gigantic cast, the writer has managed to make every player unique. They all have well-defined voices and personalities, and even if they are not particularly likable, they are interesting to follow – such is the case of Greatrex.

Actually, his character intrigued us quite a lot. In the opening pages, he was somewhat likable. He is smart, and a bit coy, and we were rooting for him to escape prison and get Jessie – that scene when they first meet is lovely. The way they flirt and talk makes us think that Greatrex is genuinely interested in her and that they could have a nice love relationship… but once he starts fooling around with other women and getting into tricky businesses, he clearly turns into a villain and this is something rather fascinating to see.

Greatrex is confident, and smart, and fails to his word every time he can and a great job with McCall as we get to see him beyond the lawful figure.

Finally, we have Jessie and Jane. It’s not ideal to have two characters whose names are kind of similar, but both of them are so well-written that it was impossible to mix them up. To be honest, we were very fond of Jessie right from the first time she appeared. And as for Jane, she is quite a tricky character. She is “the other woman”, but it’s impossible not to like her due to her devotion towards Greatrex and free attitude.

The dialogue works quite nicely. Again, despite the large cast, every character has a well-defined voice (especially Jessie, whose Scottish persona gave her quite a unique style).

To find out that this is a script from the same writer as Going Underground is amazing.

The atmosphere is engaging, the action is incredibly well-written, and the dialogue is fitting for the time and place.