Review Party Recommends: Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
If you need to know one thing about Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, know that it co-stars Elijah Wood. If you need to know two things, know that it is based off a series by Douglas Adams, famed author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. If you need to know three things, it’s that those first two were enough, and you need to watch this show.
Hey! Welcome to the segment where we implore you to like the things we like, or at the very least to give them a chance. There is logic to this, though. After all, you’re reading this blog post, so something either led you to our podcast or website, and so we are trusted voices to you, in some small way.
Before we go any further, know that the show was cancelled after its second season, so if you have a bleeding heart for Firefly, it can now have one more hole punctured in it from this gentle dirk.
What is this Long-Titled Show all About?
While not directly lifting any plot-points from the novels, the show takes its eponymous character and drops him into an investigation. But it’s how he solves his case that makes for entertaining watching (and rewarding re-watching).
Dirk, you see, is a holistic detective, something the first few episodes will make clear, which means he does things a little bit differently than, say, Sherlock. Dirk doesn’t look for clues, perform interviews, dust for prints, any of that. He just believes in the interconnectedness of the universe, which will inevitably lead him where he needs to go and show him what he needs to see.
He sounds like a bit much to deal with, right? Especially if you are a tired and frustrated Elijah Wood, just trying to muddle through your boring life. Dirk disrupts that. And did I mention that he’s British? And overwhelmingly positive? And that he unilaterally decides that Woods’ character Todd is fated to be his assis-friend (assistant and friend)?
You get the sense that sparks are ready to fly, and you’d be right.
So are you hooked yet?
Pictured: The reason I decided to write this blog on Memorial Day
If two handsome boys don’t do it for you, don’t worry, there is plenty more going on here. But so as not to spoil it, I’ll just craft a quick list of items and objects of intrigue and importance.
A man bit in half by a shark, in a hotel room
A very cute kitten
A very cute corgi
A beloved rhino
Jackets, such stylish jackets
A cult
A conspiracy
Twists, turns, and maybe a little timey-wimey
It has sci-fi and mystery all rolled into one, with great writing, and excellent cast, and a hypnotic score rolling through the entire first season (8 episodes). The second season (10 episodes) is an entirely different animal, a spooky mystery fantasy adventure. But the first season may well be the best first season of any show I’ve ever seen.
You will, and I guarantee this, feel moved by some of the things Dirk says. You will feel pride and dismay as the finale’s credits roll.
Then you’ll move on to season two, you’ll see the wave build up, all that potential just waiting to wash over you. But it won’t.
Maybe it’s better that way. Maybe when a show writer is accused of what Max Landis has been accused of, it’s better to just leave things suspended, leave them where they are. If that’s what the universe has deemed necessary, who are we to question it?
I don’t know about you, but I am a leave in the stream of creation.
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency can be viewed on Hulu in the United States and Netflix around the world. At least at time of writing. Don’t hate me if that changes.
