The Chemistry of Death

Based on the 2006 novel written by Simon Beckett, The Chemistry of Death follows Dr David Hunter (Harry Treadaway), a former forensic anthropologist living in the English countryside as a village doctor. David has a troubled past that he had hoped to get away from with his new position in the country, but when the mutilated body of a woman is found in the nearby woods, the police call on him to return to the fold and use his skills to find the person responsible for the killings.

The Chemistry of Death has some fascinating ideas, particularly with its focus on the titular chemistry of death – the forensic investigation parts of the show are genuinely intriguing, and are accompanied by some decent narration from David. However, everything else about the series, from the writing to the camera work, is fairly generic, and there’s very little on display to capture the attention of its audience. Despite a strong performance from Treadaway, David is a somewhat flat protagonist lacking defining characteristics, which isn’t helped by similarly nondescript supporting characters (ironically lacking any kind of compelling chemistry).

Even the more engaging parts of the programme’s storytelling are muted by the uninspiring plot that surrounds them. An example of this is the series’ first mystery, in which characters don’t solve problems as much as they accidentally stumble into solutions. This ultimately makes for an unsatisfying narrative, and while there’s room for the show to turn things around and make the plot more complex, its initial episodes make for a bad first impression.

Overall, The Chemistry of Death is off to something of a rocky start. There are kernels of a promising murder mystery story at its core, but those strong elements are largely undermined by a fairly predictable and generic script, only just propped up by the hard work of its talented cast. There’s still potential for the show to improve and catalyse its components to make a more interesting reaction, but in its current state, there’s tragically little to be excited about here.

Umar Ali

The Chemistry of Death is released on Paramount+ on 19^th January 2023.

Watch the trailer for The Chemistry of Death here: