Bodies - Four Detectives, Four Time Periods, One Body
The Netflix show and eight-issue miniseries by Si Spencer is a mind bending, time spanning story involving four detectives from four different time periods.
The graphic novel uses different artists for different time periods and the Netflix show has managed to make the four time periods look very different, but that doesn’t mean the movement between the different stories isn’t confusing.
Here is your quick guide to the four characters and four time periods of Si Spencer’s graphic novel Bodies.
DI Hillinghead
The nineteenth century is the earliest time period (although not the first one introduced). Detective Inspector Edmond Hillinghead (played by Kyle Soller) is a forward thinking detective living in Victorian London. He is investigating a murder no one wants investigated in a time of Jack the Ripper.
Hillinghead sees both the poverty of the lower classes and must participate in the rituals of the upper class in order to perform his job and keep his secret desires hidden. In a world of established hierarchy, superstition and spiritualism, Hillinghead applies a logical process of deduction to try and solve the mysterious murder.
DS Whiteman
Detective Sergeant Karl Whiteman (played by Jacob Fortune-Lloyd) lives in London during the second world war. His name used to be Weismann when he lived in Germany. Fleeing persecution and tragedy, Whiteman has a hidden past, but prefers focusing on his present.
In addition to being a police officer, Whiteman also runs all the criminal activity in the East End from the Longharvest Arms. Determined to keep the gangs in line, Whiteman exercises a good deal of violence. Finding a dead body in the rubble after an air raid isn’t unusual, but it is causing Whiteman trouble, especially as it is accompanied by a German airman. Whiteman is going to have to take responsibility for his own cruelty or run the risk of the Allies being defeated.
DS Hasan
Living in London of the 2020s, Detective Sergeant Shahara Hasan (played by Amaka Okafor) is a modern day police officer willing to suit up in riot gear and defend her community against acts of violence.
Hasan is determined and committed to her duty as a police officer. Her approach is methodical and scientific. When she is faced with the murder investigation, she is not afraid to investigate the unusual alongside the tragic.
The challenges of balancing her personal beliefs, work life and romantic relationships in the face of persecution and harassment, brings conflict into Hasan’s life. She must remind herself to exercise reasonable force even when she feels a sense of rage at the injustice she faces.
DC Maplewood
Living in the dystopian future of 2053, Detective Maggie Maplewood (played by Shira Haas) will have to deal with the presence of a pulse that has wiped the memories of everyone on the planet. Being unsure what happened and what to do, society crumbles and anarchy reigns.
When Maplewood discovers the dead body, she knows she has a duty to perform. Accompanied by the a mysterious young girl named Bounce, Maplewood will need to battle a constant state of uncertainty in order to save the world.
One Dead Body
Each detective encounters the same dead body in the same position, in the same place with the same injuries, but in a different time period. The distinctive approaches of each detective will overlap as they uncover the unusual circumstances connecting them to each other. If they can solve the murder and contend with their own disbelief they might stand a chance of saving the the world.
Catch the Netflix adaptation from 19th October 2023.
Pick up your copy of Si Spencer’s Bodies (this is an affiliate link which will provide me with a small income, but won’t cost you any more).
Fascinating! Thank you!