User Reviews

I'm doing a Silent Witness marathon on iplayer and watching all episodes from the mid-90s onwards. This must be the most problematic story I've watched so far. Whereas it is clear that the intention of the writers is good, the episode hasn't aged well.

Basically black characters are portrayed as either victims or problems, a very reductive representation. The worst case is that of the two black mothers, one of them is shown utterly disconnected from her kids, the other one drinking while being pregnant to her child - was this plot detail really necessary?

Essentially, this is actually a white saviour story. It was good for its time, but we've moved on from there. If you want a better contemporary example, better watch Fallout, released the same year as this episode, with some of the actors playing on this one too.

The last scene of the episode helps add the "/s" after the nominal title "Safe," trying to attest its "wokeness" with a token of sarcasm.

When Prince Velvet Suit Leo gets community service for a dui ... driving home from an awards function *in his honor*, he deigns to take a tragically naive interest in the messed up lives of poor black folk trapped in estate gang culture. Mid-way, Leo literally sashays into a crime scene ... of a brutally murdered boy close to his new 'hood acquaintances... in a purple velveteen suit, all perplexed concern. Later, the dead boy's understandingly terrified younger 10yo brother, under heavy gang recruitment, reluctantly confides in Leo, who 'promises him he'll be safe.'

Leo 'shares' with the police... who march on down to the boy's door, where he lives with his useless mom and much younger brother and sister. This is an obvious death sentence for the younger brother... whose hood is really policed by everpresent gang operatives... and whose recent offenses against the local gang was failing to knife a rival gang member.

When the boy is discovered dying of wounds from an attack dog, police refuse to let paramedics in for roughly 20 minutes because there might be vicious dogs around. That seals the boy's death warrant.

When Leo discovers this, he's flummoxed, offended and astounded! He's outraged! He feels betrayed... guilty! It's all his fault says his creased brow, begging for absolution ... which comes quickly and easily from his cohorts.

He presses for a result from his colleague that would indict the cops in the death, but his colleague declines... because "truth" ... even though both expand their concept of "truth" to "truthy" in later episodes when 'victims' more closely matched the team. (Question: For English people who have the ability to do that weird, down-turned square thing with their lower lip : Do they do that to try to remain cute when saying something insufferable? Cuz it has the opposite effect of exponentializing the affront. Looking at you "Harry.")

Finally, Leo gets evidence that helps criminally bumbling, exASPerated local cop arrest neighborhood gang leader for statutory rape. Which will just mean a short holiday inside. And the other gang members roam freely. And the boy's mom and 2 young siblings remain living in the same place.

The white people arrest a gang leader for a negligible offense and attend a black funeral. They are redeemed and cheered by young disadvantaged children ... who are still being stalked by gangs and neglect. And the white people live happily ever after. With their upper crust black spouse and other non-expendables. So they're NOT RACIST!

What a reliably tone-deaf fairy tale.