Keen Eddie - The Complete Series
Add Keen Eddie to the long list of unique TV shows that never clicked with a mainstream following--but which found a small but devoted fan base, for whom this DVD set is a gift from above. New York cop Eddie Arlette (pugnaciously good-looking Mark Valley) fumbles a major drug bust and gets sent to London to mop up the mess he's made. But Eddie's New York attitude proves a successful addition to Scotland Yard, so ambitious Superintendent Johnson (Colin Salmon, Prime Suspect 2) decides to keep Eddie on the team--which suits his new partner, neurotic swinger Monty Pippin (Julian Rhind-Tutt, BBC miniseries Reckless) but infuriates Eddie's accidental flatmate, the luscious, tempestuous, and frequently scantily clad Fiona (Sienna Miller). Individual shows follow self-contained investigations (like a stolen race-horse, a casino robbed by guys in Duran Duran masks, a school hazing gone too far, or a kidnapping by a French mob boss with an astrology obsession), while the rising sparks between Eddie and Fiona can be charted across the 13 episodes (which are presented in order of airdate, not the sequence in which they were created; the ideal sequence can be learned from various fan Web sites). Keen Eddie's quirky, syncopated rhythm can sometimes feel a little forced and the visual flash and rapid-fire editing owe a lot to the movies of Guy Ritchie (Snatch), but the result was nonetheless a distinctive show that deserved more of an audience than it got. This boxed set should give Keen Eddie a second chance. --Bret Fetzer
