Harry Wild Season 3

It’s Season 3 of the much-loved Irish detective comedy-drama and Harriet ‘Harry’ Wild is back stronger than ever, thanks to her unquestionable talent for ‘amateur’ sleuthing, combined with her penchant for literature and seemingly endless glasses of red wine.

Those familiar with Season 1 and 2 know that Harry Wild (a top notch performance from Jane Seymour), a retired literature professor residing in Dublin, isn’t keen on actually retiring. Instead, having discovered a knack for solving murders most foul, more often than not she seems one step ahead of her son Charlie (Kevin Ryan) who happens to be Chief Superintendent of the local Garda Siochána. Charlie has long given up on preaching to his meddling Mum when it comes to solving crime. Instead, he and his colleagues DS Vicky Boyle (Danielle Ryan) and DS Jordan McDonald (Anthony Delaney) have come to accept that it’s best to work with Harry instead of excluding her.

Season 2 ended with a might cliffhanger, namely when Harry’s teenage sidekick Fergus Reid (Rohan Nedd) found out the hard way that his estranged Mum Paula Kenny (Samantha Mumba) plans on taking his little sister Liberty (Rosa Willow-Lee) back with her to Florida, which causes an almighty stink. But really, there isn’t much time to stress over family matters as Season 3 kicks off in spectacular fashion when Jamie D, lead singer of boy band Hot Boy 4, plummets to his premature death from a rooftop terrace just as he’s about to wave and greet his adoring (and mainly female) fans going into full hysteria mode upon his appearance. As it so happens, Charlie’s teenage daughter Lola (Rose O’Neill) is among the screaming teens, much to the chagrin of her boyfriend Fergus and her gran Harry. Of course, it doesn’t take Harry long to figure out that Jamie’s fall from the rooftop terrace was no accident… This episode also pokes fun at the daftness of boy bands and their synchronised dance routines.

The second episode ‘Too Many Harrys Spoil the Murder’ is a bit on the gruesome side as far as the murder goes and also introduces us to a new character named Harry Benedict (Lochlann O’Mearain), who not only turns out to be a rival private investigator but he happens to fall hook, line and sinker for our Harry Wild who, how could it be otherwise, shows him the cold shoulder. However, we know way before she knows it that romance is in the air (finally!) though it takes a few more episodes before some sparks are ignited.
‘Lights, Camera, Murder’ is set among the world of soap operas and when the tyrannical director of a low budget soap opera has his throat slit during filming, what emerges off camera soon turns out to be an even bigger soap opera, albeit set in the real world.

In ‘The Man Who Murdered Himself’ Harry and Fergus are presented with a particularly tricky case, namely when a writer of mystery novels seems to have shot himself in a locked panic room and with no evidence of any gun… Much to Harry’s annoyance, the other Harry keeps on interfering though it’s obvious that he has no intentions of giving up his quest of romancing Harry Wild, who still replies with barbs. The more she shrugs him off though, the more he pursuits her. As the old adage goes: Treat ‘em mean and keep ‘em keen. However, there’s good news for Fergus when his Mum announces that she won’t return to Florida but is relocating to Dublin, to make up for lost time and be a better Mum to Fergus and Liberty.

Another nasty case waits in the wings when the ex-husband of one of Harry’s friends is discovered floating dead in the fish pond, together with plenty of dead fish. Yes, the annual Vibrant Villages Competition is a fierce one, with competitors stabbing each other in the back… or worse!
The final episode ‘Dead Man’s Trigger’ is an absolute nail biter. It’s the big day for Glenn Talbot (Paul Tylak), landlord of ‘The Hairy Goose’ pub and a dear friend to Harry and Co. Big day such as his wedding day! Yes, he’s about to get married to Petra O’Rourke (Caoimhe O’Malley) and, as an amused Fergus points out, has asked Harry at least fourteen times whether the precious wedding rings are still in her possession. En route to the pub, Harry and Fergus drop be at the Garda station to pick up Charlie, his wife Orla (Amy Huberman) and daughter Lola - all dressed to the nines and ready to party. Just as Charlie is about to lock the doors, in walks an ex-soldier recently released from prison with a suicide belt around his waist. As he points out, it’s the first anniversary of his daughter’s brutal murder and seeing how back then, the police didn’t solve the case, he demands that Charlie solve the murder or else… Meanwhile, back in the pub, an increasingly nervous Glenn keeps wondering where the hell Harry, Fergus and the rest are, especially Harry, who has the wedding rings…

While HARRY WILD might fall into the ‘cosy mystery’ genre, there’s still plenty of rough ’n’ tough on offer though sometimes one can’t help wondering how Harry Wild can keep such a clear head and sharp mind all the time, given the amount of red wine she knocks back. The chemistry between Jane Seymour (you’d never guess she’s 74!) and Rohan Nedd is a delight to watch and it’s a real pleasure to see a mature female character in top form. The series benefits from a fine ensemble cast altogether and watching all the episodes almost makes one feel like you’re part of the furniture.

HARRY WILD - Season 3 is available as a 2-disc DVD set and on digital.