Adding spice to the Raw recipe

The final episode of RAW was broadcast on RTÉ on Sunday night. The first episode was a let down but subsequent episodes managed to elevate the series although not to former glory but somewhere near it.
While the new restaurant owner, Fiona, never did improve, the other actors did a fine job. The storyline between Pavel and Geoff was possibly the best of them and it was the emotion that existed between the two of them, along with a true sensitivity, that mainly kept my interest.
The final episode of the season was a nice wrap-up. It had the usual mix of humour, drama and, of course, fist throwing. While it wasn’t at all close to being a cliffhanger, the final episode has still left it open for the axing or a return.
The series has a third installment in it but a few changes are necessary. Firstly, and not just because she is from our own fair county, but Kelly Gough, the restaurant owner’s sister, needs to be used more. That storyline had real potential but it was never really explored.
On top of that, hopefully the Bobby-JoJo love tangle will be put to rest. The final episode certainly seemed to do that but the last thing this season needs is a Ross and Rachel element to it.
Pavel and Geoff both need to find new partners and the spice needs to come back into the show. The opening scene of the first season, although only done for shock and awe, did give the show
a spice that I would like to see back in it.
If Raw is to translate to the international market then they need to spice it up. It definitely has potential, so why not invest now and laugh all the way to the bank.
The Republic of Telly returned to our screens on Monday night. Host Neil Delamare was on hand with a few quick comments and some fairly funny insights. The programme as a whole works well. I was skeptical at first, although the return of Mailbag is always high on my agenda.
Neil has been doing a fairly good job in recent times. Check it out Monday evenings.
The best documentary of the week must go once again to Scannal, the Irish-language programme that looks back at scandals that rocked the nation. This excellent blend of archive footage and modern interviews is one of the best programmes on television at the moment.
This week it looked at the kidnapping of the prize-winning horse Shergar. This story became one of international interest and was reported all around the world. It is an incredibly interesting story, the details of which seem lifted from the pages of a crime novel. It is a story that has fascinated people for years and is filled with intrigue and suspense.
Of course, Shergar was never found and this makes the whole tale even more scandalous. Entire garda units were devoted to the recovery of the horse and the manpower used to find him was enormous.
Scannal dealt with the story in the usual way by blending the facts as they are known with archive footage and interview. Even for those who are not interested in the story, the archive footage alone is worth looking at. It paints a picture of an Ireland long forgotten and a time when things were in many ways a lot more complicated. Scannall continues its current series every Monday night.
A new late night show on RTÉ has attracted a large number of viewers for good reason. Castle is an American comedy-drama television series following a famous mystery novelist, Rick Castle, played by former Firefly star, Nathan Fillion.
He has become very bored with his own success and has been called in to help the NYPD solve a series of copycat murders based on parts of his novels.
Castle is a likeable character whose boredom with his own success endears him further to the viewers. In the first episode, which was screened a few weeks ago, he comes face-to-face with NYPD Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic, The Spirit), a bright and aggressive detective who keeps her investigations under a tight rein. Although they don’t get on to begin with, soon the bubbling of romance seems to form and suddenly we have the makings of a good television series.
The series is quite good and the whole idea is very entertaining. Castle, as I have said, is likeable and funny. The script is quick and the actors gel well together. It is actually surprising that it is on so late on a Saturday and would probably do better if it were on a weekday evening. However, if you are in on a Saturday night tune in and check it out.
Skins is back on E4 and the mayhem has begun. The cast are looking seriously glum in their Topshop outfits and the parties, chaos and lunching has begun in earnest. All is as it should be on the show so it needs very little introduction from me. It’s the same cast as last year, the same shenanigans, although set in a few new locations and starring a few new faces. Expect at least three serious meltdowns, as well as a lot of drugs and alcohol. Brilliant!

One to watch
Apart from Skins the one to watch this week is Masterchef, which returns for another series on BBC One this Thursday at 8.30pm.
The judges, Greg Wallace and John Torode, are on the hunt for this year’s best amateur chef. It promises some culinary triumphs and disasters along the way so tune in and cook-a-long.