“Twin Peaks with a Tyke backdrop. Weird, unsettling, seriously watchable stuff.”
“The return of the ghost story, by the by, is a welcome development: realism has become the default mode in TV, which has meant bringing anything of the supernatural into a story can quite easily look idiotic. If I list some of the things that were going on in this introductory episode it does indeed sound a little hokey – dripping taps, a shrouded figure in the shadows, a crying corpse, creaking floorboards. But by the time the hour was up I was, if not chilled to the bone, decidedly frosty to the touch.”
Benji Wilson, The Telegraph
“For all its genuflections to old ghost stories, this is a thoroughly modern one. The consensual, secular fear to which it speaks is not the afterlife or even death, but old age, not simply as an ordeal we may be unlucky (or lucky) enough to endure, but as a burden for families and society. The benign Palin recast as a possibly homicidal octogenarian carries an allegorical punch.”
Andrew Billen, The Times
“It is fabulous full-on spooksville under an ominous black Yorkshire sky (the tourist board might not be overjoyed, though it does look beautiful).”
Sam Wollaston, The Guardian
“It’s a series I’m delighted to be so puzzled by. On the surface, with its Yorkshire views and its well-worn ensemble cast, it looks as if writer Gwyneth Hughes has created a bright, sweet, decent tale of crossing paths and twilight friendships. Go an inch deeper and it turns into Twin Peaks with a Tyke backdrop. Weird, unsettling, seriously watchable stuff.”
Matt Baylis, Daily Express
The Walking Dead, Fox
“‘Crossed’ is an episode that highlights the strengths and flaws of the fifth series. When it works, it delivers some of the season’s finest scenes.”
Alex Straker, The Independent
“The way in which the episode cut back and forth between the plotlines of the various characters meant that the approach to the hospital felt rather staggered and drawn out: by the time the credits rolled, they still hadn’t actually broken in to the place. It’s understandable that the show is saving the big showdown for next week’s mid season finale, but unfortunately, despite some interesting moments, this episode felt like a prelude to the main event. Like its sadly decrepit Walkers, it just wasn’t moving fast enough.”
Rebecca Hawkes, The Telegraph
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