Black Earth Rising
BBC TWO, 9.00PM
Four years after 2014’s The Honourable Woman, which dissected the Middle East peace process, comes another intelligent and complex eight-part thriller from Hugo Blick. Michaela Coel stars as Kate, rescued, and adopted, from the Rwandan genocide by Eve (Harriet Walter), an international criminal lawyer. When Eve prosecutes a man who fought to stop the genocide but now stands accused of war crimes in the Democratic Republic of Congo, it drives a wedge between them that causes Kate to question her loyalties, her past and her very identity, sending her on a dangerous journey that will eventually take her home.
The careful research is apparent throughout, but never at the expense of plot, character or atmosphere. And although the subject matter – trauma, truth, the West’s relationship with Africa – is thorny, there is humour throughout, much of it courtesy of Eve’s fellow barrister Michael (John Goodman). As always with Blick’s series, it feints one way before going another, and rewards close attention. And those not entirely convinced would do well to tune in next week: after 10 minutes of the second episode, there’s a fair chance you’ll be hyperventilating. Gabriel Tate