Luther

Detective chief inspector John Luther isn’t an eccentric genius who solves murder cases with his extraordinary gift. He doesn’t find the most miniscule piece of evidence from across the room due to his superhuman powers of observation, in fact at times he has trouble finding any incriminating evidence at all. He’s not cool and calculated and he’s often quite impulsive. Despite lacking the qualities that many prosperous crime dramas have banked on in previous years, the BBC’s “Luther” takes a different approach to the ever so popular cop show. Instead of the cookie cutter characters that one may be used to seeing on television, “Luther” humanizes its main character in a way that hasn’t been done before.

The series pilot finds John Luther pursuing a suspect responsible for a string of recent kidnappings. In the pursuit, the suspect meets a tragic end that DCI Luther could’ve stopped but didn’t out of spite. It picks up some time later as the investigation into the incident finds Luther innocent of all wrongdoing and back on the job, hunting for the killer of a man and his wife.  On top of the stress that his job offers, he’s also dealing with a plethora of relationship issues with his wife whom he’s been in a trial separation from.

On the outside it sounds like just another cop drama however with Idris Elba at the helm as Luther this character comes to life. You can see exactly how the stresses of John Luther’s life are being weighed upon him in his every action. Upon hearing of past you can sense the regret that he has for the wrongs he’s done in the past.  Elba brings a refreshing quality to the screen in a fictional character that’s not infallible and is flawed like the rest of us. He’s got good intentions but his mind wont always let him do the right thing.

Elba’s not the only cast member that stands out in his exceptional performance however. The mysterious and painfully intelligent Alice Morgan (played by Ruth Wilson) is about the farthest thing from ordinary as you could get. Morgan is a research scientist and a complete psychopath who has suddenly taken an interest in the life of DCI John Luther. She’s the most complex right after the main character. After watching, it’s confusing as to whether one should hate her for being the cold unfeeling person she is, or be fascinated by her sheer brilliance.

That’s not to say there are no pitfalls because the shows got plenty. “Luther” is riddled with the typical “cop show” clichés. Its got the over the top dramatic music, its got the intense boss that rides John’s ass when he crosses the line (which is always), the show even has the rookie partner who isn’t quite used to Luther’s questionable approach but grows to accept it over time. However it is almost as if the show embraces these overused dramatic elements and puts them to work to create a more interesting plot. This show knows exactly what it is and doesn’t try to hide it one bit.

Devoted British television fans will notice a similar feel to that of another hit BBC law enforcement drama, Spooks. This is largely in part due to the fact that creator and writer of the show Neil Cross has contributed his skillful writing to a good deal of more recent episodes of the ongoing television program. Although Cross’ television reputation is fairly impressive it’s interesting that a vast majority of previous writing experience comes from novels, having published 8 books in the past.

Although the show has received average to less than favorable ratings the BBC has made the decision to bring back the show for another season in the form of two two-hour long specials. It seems as if the future of this show is up in the air regarding whether it will have a long and prosperous life or a short but glorious one.

Overall the show comes off cheesy or overdramatic in some parts but it’s the performance by the exceptional cast that really shines through. Although it does tend to follow some crime show clichés you’ll not be wasting your time on this British import. Luther may not be as flashy and clever as other dramas you may see but in a lot of ways it’s a great deal more interesting.

Aqua

There is a city that critics, art historians and average citizens alike will agree is at the top of the list regarding architecture in the United States. We are of course talking about the great city on the lake, Chicago Illinois. The city has brought forth works by such architectural greats as Rem Koolhaas, designer of the McCormack Tribune Center, the design firm of Graham, Anderson, Probst & White who’s works include the Field Museum and the Wrigley building, and of course the architectural mastermind Frank Lloyd Wright.

However if one were to journey to this fine city in recent times he or she’d be sure to notice a very out of place looking building rising up from the skyline. It’s called Aqua, and for good reason, its unique design makes it seem as if it simply rose from the waters of Michigan itself. Great white fins protrude from the buildings exterior and ripple throughout creating the illusion of waves on water. Standing at 859 feet this monolith looms over Millennium Park and gives one of the best views over Chicago’s south loop, the river and Lake Michigan. Also regarding height, a lot of attention has been given to the fact that this is the tallest building ever designed by a female.

Aqua was built and thought of with the environment in mind. For instance, the crazy curved balconies that give the building its unique look also aid in shielding the building from intense sunlight lowering cooling costs, an 80,000 square foot planted garden on its roof helps to reduce the heat island effect that plagues urban areas ever so often, they’ve even added aluminum columns that aid in keeping birds from flying into it. The developer has gone so far as to offer the city’s first electric vehicle charging station that is open to the public in its garage. On the inside the its unique looks and revolutionary design execution truly makes this building stand out amongst the many more geometric and straight-laced buildings that surround it.

The execution of these great ideas were challenging at times due to the buildings unique form. To create the wavelike effect on the sides of the building each floor plan had to be different. Even though computer modeling was used for the project its style still made things difficult. However its almost needless to say that something like this is going have hitches or hangups.

Jeanne Gang of Studio Gang Architects, a company in which she is also the founder, designed the building taking an early design of the 1.9 million square foot building from architect James Loewenberg and giving it life. She started her own firm in 1997 and has previously designed things such as an outdoor theatre in Rockford Illinois, a handful of houses in the Chicago area and the media production center for Columbia College Chicago. It’s not hard to see Gang’s contemporary style illustrated throughout the entirety of these previous works and future works alike.

This building is a breath of fresh air for Chicago, in more than one way in fact.
Of course there is on one hand the incredible amount of eco-friendly features that makes this building a great role model for how architecture should be in the future. On the other hand there is the look of Aqua that, at times, wants to mimic its surroundings with its great rippling waves yet tends to stick out from the other buildings that stand alongside it. When people in the past thought of how the future would and the way cities would progress, Aqua would fit in well amongst those visions.