Luther; The Dynamic Between a Murderous Husband and Dominating Wife

The dark, dangerous and gloomy streets of London returned to our screens this week in a new and gritty fifth series of Luther. Spread over four consecutive nights on BBC One, viewers watched from behind covered eyes as a horrifying new serial killer stalked the streets, were absorbed by the ongoing feud with gangster George Cornelius and rejoiced at the surprising resurrection of the much loved psychopath, Alice. Fueled with bloody murder scenes, an ongoing conflict, lives to save and with a rogue psychopath to clear up after, it was no wonder that vigilante detective Luther couldn't catch a break.

However, the general consensus on Twitter, with which I agree, is that the focus on the killer storyline was overshadowed by the subplot of George Cornelius and the never ending feud with Luther and Alice. Although the subplot encouraged the return of Alice (a character equivalent to Villainelle in Killing Eve and Eurus in Sherlock; her wit and deadly playfulness brought humour to our screens and made Luther feel more lighthearted), the plot overshadowed the development of serial killer Jeremy Lake (Enzo Cilenti) and wife Doctor Vivian Lake (Hermione Norris) - a couple who should have been at the centre of the series.

With a tumour in the frontal lobe of his brain - a deficit which can cause behavioural and emotional challenges, impaired judgement, motivation and inhibition; heart surgeon Jeremy Lake developed the impulse and desire to commit murder. Such a behavioural change caused his wife, Psychiatrist Vivian, to become his 'keeper' and voice of reason, up until the point that Jeremy could no longer be controlled or contained.

We learn throughout the series that Jeremy had been indulging in his desires for some time; we find out that he 'kicked a Somalian rent boy half to death in Milan' during episode 3, that he had intentionally murdered some patients during heart surgery, and that whilst on holiday in Australia both he and Vivian had seemingly murdered a hitchhiker 'together, according to the rules and far from home.' Jeremy had murdered victims of both planning and opportunity - clearly there was no method to his madness, and his love and passion for murder was acted out as a sport.

Clearly Vivian was no stranger to murder either after constantly clearing up her husband's messes and she did not hesitate to attempt the murder of hostage Penny in episode 3. She was constantly stern with what her husband could and could not do, reminding him that the risks he took had consequences to her 'life, career and liberty' and that he 'needed to play safe'. It seemed that the more she tried to keep her husband on a tight leash, the more passionate and hungry he grew for blood until his last murderous rampage in his house of 'horrors'...

During the finale, we watched as Jeremy ordered an escort, plumber, pest control, and food delivery to the house he had commandeered from a school teacher, and then murder each victim before placing a mask of his face over their own - an act that suggests that Jeremy wanted to be the centre of attention, along with the belief that he is more superior than everyone else.

Such a dynamic between the couple was dark, fierce and chilling and there was no doubt that Vivian's love for her husband and the belief that his illness was making him act in such a way, is what drove her forward.
Its a shame that the dynamic between the two wasn't explored further and that the story was seemingly sidetracked by a subplot that was perhaps unnecessary.



*The full box-set of Luther is currently available on BBC iPlayer and Series 1-4 is available on Netflix*