Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency, Season 1
I recently rewatched the series Dirk Gently because during its first run, a glitch somewhere prevented my DVR from recording one of the episodes, pivotal as it was.
For anyone not aware, Dirk Gently is the creation of Douglas Adams, who also wrote the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy series and had worked on Doctor Who back in the 70s. Keep this in mind as you watch Dirk Gently.
Adams wrote two Gently novels that I'm aware of, but I haven't read either one. This review is coming from a non-reader, based only on what I saw on the screen, without any comparisons to the source material. Maybe at some point, I'll revisit the books.
I won't lie: the first time I watched the first episode, I hadn't a clue what was going on. But that was okay, because a lot of the characters weren't too aware of what was going on either. On the rewatch, I already knew what was going to happen, and i could still see where this could be maddening. But that's okay. Stick with it for a couple of episodes before deciding if you should give up or not. Basically, if you aren't hooked by, say, episode 3, then the series probably isn't for you.
So what's a "holistic detective"? Someone who believes in the interconnectedness of things and that the universe is a driving force in solving mysteries. Running counter to that would be, say, a "holistic assassin" who believes in the interconnectedness of things and that the universe tells her where to go and who to kill, and won't let her get hurt in the process.
One other thing, forget "agency" -- as far as I can tell, there was no office anywhere. It's just Dirk, and his new assistant and possible best friend, Todd, whom Dirk meets when he climbs through his window and tells him that they were meant to meet. Todd just got fired from his job as a bellhop and gets caught up in Dirk's madness. And for that he crosses paths with Missing Persons, the FBI and government agents as well as four guys in a van known as the Rowdy Three, who seem to like following Dirk around. (They later develop an affinity for Todd's ill sister).
The series opens with the murder of Patrick Spring in the hotel where Todd works. While traveling up to the penthouse, the elevator stops on another floor and Todd sees himself standing in the hall arguing with someone. It gets weirder at the murder seen where it appears that the victim was attacked by a wild animal. Still weirder, Dirk had been hired months earlier by Patrick Spring to solve his own murder, which he knew was coming.
Nothing is what it appears to be, such as a corgi that appears to have the soul of a person inside it or the kidnapped daughter of the murder victim, Lydia Spring, who appears to think she's a dog. And both of them are tied to a man named Gordon Rimmer who wants to know why Todd and Dirk are after him (and why they took his dog at one point).
Everyone seems to have a piece of the puzzle but it's a matter of making the pieces fit together.
Seriously, that's about all I can say without giving away something (or something more that I already have). Watch it. You'll be glad you did. And know that season two is on the way.
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