Home Webseries C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart Season 1 Review: A Gripping Mystery That Hooks You Emotionally

C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart Season 1 Review: A Gripping Mystery That Hooks You Emotionally

The connection of philosophical messages and intense suspense makes The Ink Black Heart a gripping addition to the crime-thriller genre.

by Parvathy Ananthanarayanan
The Ink Black Heart Poster

The BBC and HBO series C.B. Strike has made a comeback with its latest season, The Ink Black Heart. The series is adapted from J.K. Rowling’s sixth Robert Galbraith novel.

  • Cast: Tom Burke, Holliday Grainger, David Westhead, Emma Fielding, Tupele Dorgu, James Nelson-Joyce, Ruth Sheen, Jack Greenlees, Natasha O’Keeffe, and Caitlin Innes Edwards.
  • Streaming Platform: Jio Cinema, HBO
  • Storyline: Edie Ledwell, the co-creator of the popular TV cartoon The Ink Black Heart, looks for Robin’s help to identify her anonymous online tormentor, Anomie.

The web series is famous for its sharp storytelling and engaging mysteries and this four-episode season of C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart once again focuses on the beautiful chemistry between Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger as private detectives Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott. I found it quite compelling due to the emotional depth found in the characters who enacted their dialogues quite naturally at their own pace and time.

So, the story starts with the grieving death of Edie Ledwell, the co-creator of an awful online cartoon. Strike and Robin get involved in the investigation as they want to understand the case which also takes the viewers to the darker side of fandom.

JK Rowling’s narrative manages to keep the viewers captivated as they get to see the pressures faced by artists when their work is stolen or twisted. Probably that is based on her own experiences while dealing with criticism from the public.

I liked the way season 1 of C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart slowly takes the audience to the mystery behind the simple-looking storyline. The way Strike and Robin investigate various suspects makes it a compelling watch. The viewers slowly get to the main plot of the dangerous side of toxic fandom and the vulnerabilities that come for creative professionals in the digital era.

Anomie is heard throughout the second half of episode 1 of this season 1 and the name itself serves as a caution to people who scroll on the internet about several artists and influencers online and how at risk they are. Won’t share any spoilers here as it would spoil the viewing time. However, be assured that you will get to see the mind-blowing natural performances of its cast. More than Tom Burke’s performance as Strike as a quiet character with a lot of inner pain, I liked Robin’s part played by Holliday Grainger. It is because of her expressions and dialogue delivery that kept me interested in watching the series. Robin is determined come what may to know the truth about Anomie and she is steady in her approach. The unspoken affection between Robin and Strike is something that manages to steal my attention right from the start. Yeah, the series has its own tense moments but the plot keeps us wanting to watch the episode till the end. Performances of the other cast members such as Ruth Sheen as an office manager Pat and Kevin Bishop, and Christian McKay manage their parts well.

So, there are amazing performances, a thought-provoking narrative, and a gripping storyline about obsession and online harassment which define the series.

It is just in the last 10 minutes of episode 1 that the series C.B. Strike: The Ink Black Heart reveals the meaning of “Anomie” subtly through a painting that reads: “A state of Anomie is impossible wherever organs in solidarity with one another are in sufficient contact and insufficiently lengthy contact.” This cryptic statement sets the premise for the further episodes.

Not just the painting but even the mysterious and chilling figure of Anomie, who emerges in the game becomes the key suspect, which further adds to the suspense plot. One special moment comes when Anomie openly confesses, “I did kill Edie, and you are the next.” This revelation by Anomie along with the suspect described by Strike as having a “horrible bald head,” keeps viewers on edge at least towards the end of episode 1. So, I go with a 4/5 rating for this intense suspense drama.

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