My own self

"You've never killed before!"
"Well, stop me in the middle if I'm doing it wrong..."

What?
Jekyll is a six-episode 2007 BBC drama written by Steven Moffat and starring James Nesbitt. It takes the shape of a modern day sequel to Robert Lous Stevenson's classic Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. It focuses on Doctor Tom Jackman as he tries to juggle his life between himself and a feral alter ego with tremendous physical abilities, taking over his body for hours at a time.

Why?
I watched this because, quite frankly, I was stunned by Moffat's Sherlock earlier this year, and this seemed the thing on his resume that held the most potential to be somewhat similar in its sensibilities.

So?
Well, I really, really loved it. Not as brilliant as Sherlock, perhaps - and I do say perhaps - but in its own way, almost equally memorable. The first few episodes feel like dark thrillers, genuinely scary, but without ever losing the glimmer of well-executed comedy. The show then increasingly get less psychological horror and more supernatural action-thriller as conspiracies are unraveled and dramatic hunts ensue. It never loses the humour, though - interestingly, two of the main villains are among the funniest I have seen in ages. And in very different ways, too.

Who?
I should also mention the acting. Nesbitt is superb, and together with Moffat's writing, it is his performances as both Jackman and Hyde that truly make this series into something special. However, the smaller characters frequently shine too - Gina Bellman makes a character that is on the surface of it truly trite and formulaic come to life as rather quite interesting, and deserves a mention. Michelle Ryan's psychiatric nurse is always much more intriguing than her relatively small role in the plot really warrants.
More important, though, are the flat out awesome Paterson Joseph and Denis Lawson. Joseph, previously having impressed me as the Marquis de Carabas when I checked out Neverwhere this fall, plays a marvelously blabbering evil mastermind, whose way with words is equally esoteric as it is entertaining. A complete and utter counterpoint in everything but quality is Lawson, who is doing such an exquisite job out of being unflappably British and stoic his every scene is hilarious. The memory of these two's characters will stay with me almost as much as Nesbitt's performances will.

But?
You do notice the slight decrease in tension as the show veers more towards external threats towards the end. Outside forces can simply never be as scary as a man trying to come to terms with a murderous animal inside himself. Also, while the combination of realism and cheese is done very well indeed, some aspects of the big conspiracy become awfully convenient. All of this is nitpicking, though. I loved the series, and I did so throughout.
My main complaint, in the end, is that while many, many questions are answered by the series ending, many more are left unexplained - and a hundred new ones posed. According to Wikipedia, Moffat stated in 2007 he had written a sequel series if the BBC was interested, but as nothing seems to have come of it since, I doubt that will ever happen. As the final episodes increasingly unlock an entire new mythology, this seems a waste. It also, in some respects, weakens the show end. Yes, there is closure. But only in the most necessary ways. Everything else is left more or less open, making you ache to come back for more. Fruitful indeed if there is more, but somewhat less than satisfying when there is not.

Which means?
Go see it. My main complaint was "it ends with me wanting more", for gods' sakes.