Durham County - Intoxicated by violence

Television series
German title	Durham County - Intoxicated by violence
Original title	Durham County
Country of production	Canada
original language	English
Year (s)	2007-2010
length	45 minutes
Episodes	18 in 3 seasons
genre	Drama , crime series
idea	Janis Lundman, Adrienne Mitchell, Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik
production	Janis Lundman , Adrienne Mitchell , Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik (until 2009) , Michael Prupas (until 2009)
music	Tom Third
First broadcast	May 7, 2007 (Canada) on The Movie Network Movie Central
German-language first broadcast	September 17, 2009 on RTL Crime
occupation
Main actor: Hugh Dillon Mike Sweeney Helene Joy Audrey Sweeney Laurence Leboeuf Sadie Sweeney Greyston Holt Ray Prager junior Louis Ferreira Ray Prager (Season 1) Romano Orzari Ray Prager (Season 2) Michelle Forbes Dr. Pen Verrity (Season 2) Supporting cast: Claudia Ferri Roxy Calvert (Seasons 1-2) Sonya Salomaa Traci Prager (seasons 1–2) Patrick Labbé Tom Bykovski (Seasons 1-2) Cicely Austin Maddie Sweeney (Seasons 1-2)

Durham County - In the intoxication of violence (Original title: Durham County ) is a Canadian crime series . Between 2007 and 2010 three seasons of six episodes each were produced. The German premiere took place on the pay-TV transmitter RTL Crime held.

action

season 1

After his wife Audrey fell ill with cancer, Detective Mike Sweeney and his daughters Maddie and Sadie moved back to their old hometown of Durham County to make a fresh start and save his broken marriage. They are moving in across from Ray Prager, a former friend of Mike's. The two fell apart after a car accident that ended Ray's ice hockey career. Mike's first case is the murder of two teenagers. When Mike's former lover, elementary school teacher Nathalie Lacroix, is murdered, Mike is personally drawn into the investigation. He tries everything to keep his relationship with Nathalie a secret. Meanwhile, he suspects Ray Prager might be the culprit. At the same time, the investigation strains his relationship with Audrey and his daughters.

Ray imitates the works of a psychopath who was responsible for killing the teenagers. As a fetish, he cuts his victims' hair and collects it in an abandoned wooden hut. Separated from his wife, whom he abused several times, he puts pressure on his own son Ray Jr., who is hooking up with Sadie. Prager also takes advantage of Mike's marital problems and tries to drive a wedge between Mike and Audrey. At the same time he tries to cover his tracks and blame Mike for the murder.

At the end of the season, Sadie manages to expose Ray as the perpetrator, but Ray kidnaps her and tries to rape her. Mike arrives in time and frees his daughter from Ray's clutches. Ray tries to provoke Mike by using Sadie as leverage. Sadie, however, shoots Ray, who falls to the ground.

season 2

Ray Prager survived Sadie's shot and is awaiting trial in a psychiatric hospital. Marked by an attempted suicide, he tries to put pressure on Mike and Sadie through friends from outside. Meanwhile, Dr. Pen Verrity in Mike's Life. The police psychologist came back from a leave of absence after her autistic daughter drowned a year ago . Mike falls in love with Pen while still trying to save his own marriage. He does not notice that Pen is playing a double game. She herself is unscrupulous and tries to alienate her son from his father. Growing evidence points to Pen killing her daughter a year ago, but Mike doesn't recognize the signs. Instead, he entrusts her with his own daughter, who needs support to testify as the main witness against Ray Prager in the upcoming trial.

At some point Mike recognizes that Pen is playing twice and has her observed. Sadie testifies in court despite attempts to intimidate Ray's former cronies. After a few weeks of observation, Pen tries to drown her son, but fails to do so. She goes to Ray in the mental hospital and lets him kill her.

season 3

Mike is a member of a task force investigating drug killings on Highway 401 . His partner is the ex-military man Ivan Sujic, whose wife Katya has disappeared. A friendship develops between the two men, although this is overshadowed by a murder investigation. Mike suspects that Ivan's brother-in-law Miro has something to do with Katya's disappearance.

characters

Mike Sweeney

Mike Sweeney is a hardworking homicide detective. He is quick-tempered and easily provoked. He projects his anger onto his wife, whose cancer he has never coped with. During this time, season one victim, Nathalie Lacroix, was his closest confidante. When his wife survived the illness, Mike tried to save his marriage by looking for a new place to live. But his own past catches up with him.

Audrey Sweeney

Audrey, Mike's wife, barely survived cancer. One of her breasts was removed and she had lost all of her hair as a result of chemotherapy , which is now slowly growing back. In the first season, she takes more care of the children, while her relationship with Mike is increasingly strained by the murder investigation and Mike's dishonesty. In season two, she files for divorce and starts a relationship with a coworker.

Sadie Sweeney

Mike and Audrey's oldest daughter is just as uncontrollable as her father. She is very intelligent, brave and wants to follow in Mike's footsteps. After the events of the first season, she is psychologically stressed and is afraid of Ray. At the same time, she has a relationship with Ray Jr., which is very difficult because of the events surrounding his father.

Ray Prager

Ray Prager is a psychopathic sex offender who keeps the hair of his victims as a fetish. The former high school ice hockey star never could take the fact that Mike ran him over and ended his career. In fact, he had saved Mike's ex-girlfriend who tried to run Mike over because he thought she was cheating on him with Ray. Ray's own marriage is broken, his wife has moved out.

Ray Prager Jr.

Ray Prager Jr. is the only son of Ray and his wife Tracey. He's the exact opposite of his father, more introverted and emotional. For his father he is a disappointment, which he makes him feel several times. Despite his father's actions, he vacillates between affection and anger towards his father.

Dr. Penelope Verrity

Dr. Penelope "Pen" Verity is a forensic psychiatrist who works for Durham County's Police Department. She has been traumatized since childhood when her four brothers were killed in a swimming accident and their father wished she had died in their place. Her autistic daughter, who suffered from diabetes insipidus , drowned her and presented the whole thing as an accident. After that, she made a failed suicide attempt. The incident put a strain on their marriage, but Pen managed to keep her husband to her for another year. Now he tries to save his son Mark, but Mike only sees him as the father in a divorce and custody suit who is trying by all means to get his son.

Minor characters

Maddie Sweeney

is the youngest daughter of Mike and Audrey. She suffers badly from their marital problems.

Traci Prager

Ray's wife moves out during the first season and is threatened several times by Ray. At first she is very dependent, but then tries to get her life under control on her own. In the second season, she started a new life far from her family.

Tom Bykovski

is Mike's partner and takes on his counterpart. The two have very many differences, especially when it comes to Mike's investigative methods and his involvement in the incidents.

background

Durham County was born from an idea by producers Janis Lundman ( Bliss ), Adrienne Mitchell and Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik ( Bliss , Cold Squad ). As directors could Holly Dale and Adrienne Mitchell for the first season, Adrienne Mitchell, Alain Desrochers and Rachel Talalay won for the second season. Mitchell and Charles Binamé directed the third season . The series, which is set in Durham County , was shot mostly in Montreal .

Charisma

The first season first aired in May 2007 on The Movie Network and Movie Central . The series received several awards in Canada, including five Gemini Awards and the Independent Award 2008 . The first German broadcast of the first season took place on the pay TV channel RTL Crime in autumn 2008. The second, also highly decorated season ran in Canada and the United States in autumn 2009 and in Germany from September 2010. Michelle Forbes , the actress who played Dr. Penelope Verrity, received the Acting Award of the Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo for her performance .

Episode list

Awards

First season

• Gemini Awards
  • Best Writing in a Dramatic Series (Laurie Finstad-Knizhnik)
  • Best Direction in a Dramatic Series (Holly Dale)
  • Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role ( Louis Ferreira )
  • Best Performance by an Actress in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role ( Helene Joy )
  • Best Sound in a Dramatic Series

• Directors Guild of Canada
  • Direction (Television Series) (Holly Dale)

• Canadian Film and Television Production Association (CFTPA)
  • Indie Award - Best Dramatic Series

Second season

• Gemini Award
  • Best Achievement in Main Title Design (Kevin Chandoo)
  • Best Achievement in Make-Up (Eva Coudouloux and Adrien Morot)

• Festival de Télévision de Monte-Carlo
  • Golden Nymph Award
  • Outstanding Actress (Drama TV Series) ( Michelle Forbes )

• Directors Guild of Canada
  • Best Direction (TV Series) (Adrienne Mitchell)
  • Best Production Design (TV Series) (Donna Noonan)

Web links

• Durham County - In the rush of violence in the Internet Movie Database (English)
• Official website
• Durham County - In the intoxication of violence on TVseries.de

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Mark R. Hasan: DVD Review Season 1. KQEK.com, 2008, accessed February 9, 2011 . 
2. ↑ Michael Brandes: RTL Crime shows the 2nd season of "Durham County". Wishlist.de, July 16, 2010, accessed February 9, 2011 .