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Luther - New BBC Cop Drama Starring Idris Elba

post #1 of 122
5/13/10 at 8:59am
Thread Starter 
Anyone else watching this? Seen the first two episodes, and it's pretty damn good. Excellent supporting cast with the likes of Paul McGann, Indira Varma (she's beautiful, but has she ever played a LIKEABLE character?!), the stunning Ruth Wilson and some great guest appearances already.

It's a grim piece of work, but looks gorgeous and the writing is great (the exchanges between Luther and his nemesis, Alyce Morgan, are aces) . . . I am most impressed. Anyone else?
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post #2 of 122
5/13/10 at 10:04am
Yup, watched both so far. I pretty much loathe most of the output this country produces, but there's the odd gem to be found, and Luther is definitely near the top of the pile.
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post #3 of 122
5/13/10 at 10:37am
Yeah I really liked it despite it having every single cop show cliche, I mean the BBC announcer actually said, "he's a maverick cop who doesn't play by the rules" as it was starting, but we haven't had a decent police procedural show for years so I can forgive them.

But Elba is fantastic as usual and really elevates the show, I thought the second episode was much better than the first, surprisingly brutal too.
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post #4 of 122
5/13/10 at 6:48pm
Thread Starter 
Hell yeah - that sniper scene just came out of nowhere!
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post #5 of 122
5/13/10 at 7:27pm
Questions: a) What's the premise? b) Is it based on a series of books or anything? c) Is Elba doing his natural accent (which I recall is quite thick) or a variation on it?

Do we still have that British Cop Show thread? We should resurrect that; I'd be curious to hear what the people who watch UK tv all the time think is good/not good. (For example, I've been thinking about trying to watch The Bill).
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post #6 of 122
5/13/10 at 9:58pm
Ah, well, Elba is a badass detective with a psychological talent/vibe similar to Cracker or Wallander. Not based on a series of books but by the same guy who created MI-5. It's pretty good, being shot in London is a major plus. Most reviews, of course, compare him to Stringer, and even those who acknowledge this as unfair don't seem to give the guy quite enough credit for his performance. I thought he was pretty solid. Not a classic series but good nonetheless. Glad to see Elba on a British show, actually; ya gotta represent.

Anyone interested in seeing Elba in a similar role could check out the UK Ultraviolet, which was pretty damn sharp.
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post #7 of 122
5/13/10 at 10:33pm
I didn't know Elba was in Ultraviolet! I watched the fuck out of that when I was a kid. Jack Davenport, Phillip Quast. Good stuff.
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post #8 of 122
5/13/10 at 10:47pm
Well I didn't know it starred Elba, but I'll check it out. I'm always skeptical about any hour long dramas from this country. They tend to all be garbage, production values matter in this regard I think. Comedies, we're set with that though.
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post #9 of 122
5/13/10 at 10:47pm
Yeah, great stuff. IIRC Elba (pre-Wire) was also in the pilot of an Americanized version which didn't get picked up.
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post #10 of 122
5/14/10 at 6:20am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu View Post
Questions: a) What's the premise?
Essentially, Elba is a detective that has just come back after a "break" from an incident where he was chasing down a child murderer, and let the guy fall to his death instead of saving him. Problem being that the guy didn't die and is currently in a coma. Elba was investigated and found "clean" of any wrong-doing, and no one would ever dare accuse him of doing the wrong thing, but if the guy wakes up and gives his side of the story, there's gonna be alot of bending over and taking it hard in the police ranks.

Meantime, he's throwing himself headfirst into some really nasty cases to compensate for what he sees as a deficiency in his character over the incident, as well to get over his missus shacking up with Paul McGann. Basically, Cop With A Dark Side Develops A Death Wish. Like Dan said, it sounds about as cliche as you could possibly get, but I think this is a prime example of telling an original story not being as important as telling the story well.
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post #11 of 122
5/14/10 at 7:07am
One of the hooks of the show is that the style is Columbo-esque, we know and Elba knows "who did it" early on, and the fun is watching Elba hunt them down and psychologically crack them.

Oh, and The Bill? Fuck no, dude. Fuck no.
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post #12 of 122
5/14/10 at 8:58am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Murder View Post
One of the hooks of the show is that the style is Columbo-esque, we know and Elba knows "who did it" early on, and the fun is watching Elba hunt them down and psychologically crack them.
That was one of the great things about the first episode, in particular, for me. Knowing he had his perp, but trying to figure out how, or even if he'd be able to nick her.

By the teaser for the next episode, he might start coming to Alyce for help on cases - get a second, equally brilliant but very different perspective. If so, that could make for an interesting relationship.
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post #13 of 122
5/14/10 at 11:01am
So its a procedural? No long arcs or serialisation? In that case I'll give it a pass.
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post #14 of 122
5/14/10 at 11:06am
Quite the opposite, it has definite long arcs and serialisation.

Luther does "battle" with a female psychopath called Alice, who is his intellectual match, over the course of the season, while a moment from the 1x01 teaser is hanging over Luther's whole career and is in the background moments of 1x02. His personal relationship with his wife is also spilling over between episodes.
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post #15 of 122
5/20/10 at 6:04pm
Just binged on the first three eps on iPlayer and I gotta say, Elba sells the shit out of this thing. As you guys say the premise couldn't be any more cliche'd if it tried but by gum Stringer Bell brings it.

Little things like always walking with his hands in his pockets and knocking over the coffee shop chair make Luther seem real.

And that sniper scene - oomph
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post #16 of 122
5/20/10 at 6:07pm
Oh, and how ACE was Sean Pertwee? Even if he reminded me of Robert Carlyle's character in Cracker for some bizarre reason
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post #17 of 122
5/22/10 at 11:31am
Thread Starter 
Just watched the third ep - that was some beautifully framed, creepy shit. Fantastic episode, and you know Paul McGann is a great actor when you find yourself hating him.

Looks like the shit is about to hit the fan next week with coma guy waking up. In the meantime, I'm going to fantasise about doing the most profane things to Ruth Wilson while you all watch. I mean seriously - what is it about psychotic redheads that brings me to my knees?!
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post #18 of 122
5/22/10 at 1:54pm
I picked this up to fill the ASHES TO ASHES shaped hole in my heart. Just seen episode 1 and 2 on Iplayer. Whilst it's fairly cliche I love all the perfomances and I love how fucking brutal it's willing to go. That sniper episode was harsh in a way that usually only something like MESSIAH tends to be. Love Elba, but I think Ruth Wilson is pretty spectacular as well. I love how genuinely sociopathic she is and the weird relationship she's forming with Luther.
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post #19 of 122
5/22/10 at 1:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The NZ Natural View Post
Excellent supporting cast with the likes of Paul McGann, Indira Varma (she's beautiful, but has she ever played a LIKEABLE character?!), .
?
Wasn't she Niobi on ROME? She was likeable enough

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post #20 of 122
5/22/10 at 8:31pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Princess Kate View Post
Wasn't she Niobi on ROME? She was likeable enough[/IMG]
Matter of opinion. I didn't like her in that, she was a bitch that got what she deserved in Hustle, she was a weak-willed character in Torchwood, the list goes on . . .

Spike, if it's brutality and Alice Morgan that appeal, you have to get onto ep 3, stat! Copious amounts of both.
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post #21 of 122
5/27/10 at 10:32am
Thread Starter 
Re: Episode 4.

Well fuck me. No such thing as a happy ending on this show, is there?!

But besides that, totally surreal seeing Eddie from Hu$tle play a serial killer . . . that just threw me.

Alot of Bowie references in this one . . . kinda weird the week after Ashes To Ashes finishes.
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post #22 of 122
5/27/10 at 10:39am
Yeah, that was an awesome episode. The actress playing the serial killer's wife was fantastic, I thought. She really sold the character. great stuff!
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post #23 of 122
5/27/10 at 10:40am
Oof, Hammertime!

Really liked the latest episode, the killer was genuinely creepy and weird. Alice and the coma guy was a nice surprise too, thought they would of saved him for the final episodes.
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post #24 of 122
5/27/10 at 2:17pm
That hammer kill was just brutal, so vicious. Loved that the killer was a pitiful, stupid, guy. Usually Serial Killers are intelligent or have an interesting aesthetic to them, that guy was just viciously mundane.
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post #25 of 122
5/27/10 at 7:16pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Marshall View Post
Loved that the killer was a pitiful, stupid, guy. Usually Serial Killers are intelligent or have an interesting aesthetic to them, that guy was just viciously mundane.
Essentially, he was the Anti-Alice.
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post #26 of 122
5/27/10 at 7:19pm
I'm kind of in love with Alice, fascinating character and her 'Boom-Boom' bit coupled with Luther's reaction was hilarious. Also was taken off guard by how quickly they resolved the 'comatose nonce' issue.
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post #27 of 122
5/28/10 at 5:20am
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Marshall View Post
I'm kind of in love with Alice, fascinating character and her 'Boom-Boom' bit coupled with Luther's reaction was hilarious. Also was taken off guard by how quickly they resolved the 'comatose nonce' issue.
I'll fight you for her. No, seriously. Fuck off and join the Karen Gillam queue - Wilson's MINE! :P

Seriously though, the Basil Brush moment was oddly cute. It's unusual watching a psychopath trying to be normal and conversational.
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post #28 of 122
5/28/10 at 5:42am
Ep 4 continues the quality of this series, really liking it so far. I loved how normal and 'cabbey-ish' the killer was when he was convincing that girl to get in his taxi because there's a killer on the loose.

Also enjoyed Paul McGann's calmness over his missus sleeping with Stringer Bell - "Lets make a list..."
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post #29 of 122
5/28/10 at 6:50am
Checked out the pilot because of my mother and brother raving about how "American" the show was (their not the biggest fans of British serialized tv apart from Eastenders).

I really enjoyed the show it reminded me of a blend of Cracker, House, Touch of Evil and of course Columbo. All combined with the trademark well shot and edited slickness from the Kudos production stable. Idris breathes life into a pretty tired cliche and his deranged Nemesis Alice blew me away. Are we gonna hear of a Americanized remake by the season's end?
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post #30 of 122
5/28/10 at 7:41am
This sounds like a GREAT series. Is there any kosher way I can catch episodes on the internet? I don't have TV due to being downrange here in Kuwait. I checked iTunes and came up with nothing.
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post #31 of 122
5/28/10 at 10:59am
Thread Starter 
Walker, I'll admit to torrenting the shit out of this, otherwise there would (currently) be now way to watch it here. Rest assured, though, that like most UK stuff I download a year before it turns up here, I will also be buying the boxset on release.

Oh, and was thinking the other day . . . someone needs to do a Luther/Human Target Opening Titles mash-up.
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post #32 of 122
5/28/10 at 11:25am
There's a (UK, so region 2/PAL) DVD of season 1 coming early in June. If you manage to get the BBC iPlayer to think your pc is in the UK,you can watch it via the BBC's site.
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post #33 of 122
6/1/10 at 6:10pm
Jesus fuck, that episode just kept ramping up didn't it?

I'm guessing that next week is the finale after what happened tonight.

Idris Elba is the fucking man, just completely owned every scene he was in.
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post #34 of 122
6/2/10 at 9:11am
Quote:
Originally Posted by The NZ Natural View Post

Looks like the shit is about to hit the fan next week with coma guy waking up. In the meantime, I'm going to fantasise about doing the most profane things to Ruth Wilson while you all watch. I mean seriously - what is it about psychotic redheads that brings me to my knees?!
I wouldn't mind having a Ruth Wilson, Michelle Monaghan Ménage à trois....Yes...Uh...Um!

Onto the show cliched as it is i've enjoyed it so far, like said Elba brings the goods to the table. Reading an article the otherweek where the writer said imagine Idris playing Mcnulty in the wire(the article had nothing to do with Luther). I guess this is it.

Nice to see that this has been shot around my stomping ground of East London, also Idris smashing shit is great.
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post #35 of 122
6/3/10 at 2:05am
lol, and Det Munch makes it to another series. I don't even think he's been mentioned on L&O: UK yet.

this show is kind of dumb...but damn if it isn't entertaining (and intense!)
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post #36 of 122
6/3/10 at 7:47am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Marshall View Post
Jesus fuck, that episode just kept ramping up didn't it?

I'm guessing that next week is the finale after what happened tonight.

Idris Elba is the fucking man, just completely owned every scene he was in.
Jesus. Fucking. Christ.

So I'm gonna go out on a limb and say no matter which way the last episode goes, there won't be a season 2 of this. A shame, but by the same token, that's what I absolutely LOVE about most UK shows. The much shorter seasons usually equate to "All Killer, No Filler", and they're not afraid to wrap a show up early on and go out on top even if it's a ratings winner (LoM being the perfect example).
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post #37 of 122
6/4/10 at 3:31pm
I don't get people saying this show is cliche or dumb. I kinda wanna grab you by the shirt and shake that opinion out of you. If anything it's the exact opposite. How many other cop shows do you know that would resolve the hostage situation half way through (in brutal fashion) and then spin off into something completely different? How many shows would have a cop killed and then have a twist where a sniper takes out a load more? How many other shows would be so forward in having its lead character be so morally grey?

Come on, people. Something this good comes along rarely, we have to get behind it. Or do you want more generic shit?
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post #38 of 122
6/4/10 at 8:02pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dr. Murder View Post
I don't get people saying this show is cliche or dumb. I kinda wanna grab you by the shirt and shake that opinion out of you. If anything it's the exact opposite. How many other cop shows do you know that would resolve the hostage situation half way through (in brutal fashion) and then spin off into something completely different? How many shows would have a cop killed and then have a twist where a sniper takes out a load more? How many other shows would be so forward in having its lead character be so morally grey?

Come on, people. Something this good comes along rarely, we have to get behind it. Or do you want more generic shit?
I'd agree with you there, Doc. I would assume, though, that alot of those criticisms were coming primarily from the set-up of the first episode. That's about the only part where I was thinking it's that cliche - and you have to admit, although it was a great episode (I mean, GREAT), you still had a cop with a dark side, struggling to hold onto his marriage, trying to break a case while getting too close and therefore not being able to bring all he can to the table, etc etc etc. There were ALOT of cliches there. But since then it's definitely grown into it's own animal, and it's been fantastic, which is uniformly agreed upon.

Only BaldRayo called it dumb, as such, and I really couldn't understand that particular comment, either. Especially when one follows up calling something dumb by also saying it's entertaining and intense?!

Man, I can't wait for that finale!
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post #39 of 122
6/4/10 at 9:25pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by The NZ Natural View Post
Only BaldRayo called it dumb, as such, and I really couldn't understand that particular comment, either. Especially when one follows up calling something dumb by also saying it's entertaining and intense?!
I only mean that there are a more than a few logistical leaps that make me go "hmmmmm," (like Luther figuring out the redhead is a sociopath because she didn't get sympathy sneezes in the first episode, the whole befriending of said sociopath in subsequent episodes - in fact, that whole dynamic, between Luther / Ex-Wife / New Boyfriend / Psychotic Murderer only works because the actors sell it) but it is still incredibly well directed and acted by all involved that I'm willing to let it go and enjoy the show. It's not so dumb that I have to turn off my brain to watch it. But a lot of these eps could be "very special episodes" of SVU or CSI. The fact that the direction is so good and all the actors are so great puts it over those bunch.

Maybe if I rewatched I'd have a different opinion, but I can only watch it on an IP masked comp on iPlayer that's really finicky, so untill BBC Canada steps it up, I can only go off of first reaction.
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post #40 of 122
6/4/10 at 11:25pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by BaldRayo View Post
Iin fact, that whole dynamic, between Luther / Ex-Wife / New Boyfriend / Psychotic Murderer only works because the actors sell it) but it is still incredibly well directed and acted by all involved that I'm willing to let it go and enjoy the show.
That's actually really interesting to hear, because I find the Luther/Alice relationship to be quite organic. There's something in there that's hard to define but makes it believable that these two rivals would form a begrudging respect for each other - even enough for one to come to the other for advice (and it makes sense that it would be Luther that would do this - he wrestles his morality and is looking for the right answers, Alice doesn't have such concerns and doesn't need anyone's validation for her actions).

Interesting to see different perspective on certain elements here. The one thing we all agree on, though - absolutely no one involved in this show is half-arsing it.
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post #41 of 122
6/8/10 at 6:02pm
Wowzer.

That final scene in the train station was just astounding, really great twist on a standard scenario.
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post #42 of 122
6/8/10 at 6:04pm
That was ace.
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post #43 of 122
6/8/10 at 9:38pm
I like how all Alice needs to defend herself from an intruder is a ball point pen.

Also I'm pretty sure I could watch a Luther/Alice crime spree for days.
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post #44 of 122
6/9/10 at 7:40am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mercury318 View Post
I like how all Alice needs to defend herself from an intruder is a ball point pen.

Thought it was a scapel...?

That was an enjoyable finale everyone brought their A-game especially for the
final scene, Ruth Wilson as Alice was great again the way she snuck up
on McGann in the car made me laugh.


Ditto if this does't get renewed for a second series.
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post #45 of 122
6/9/10 at 7:47am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mercury318 View Post

Also I'm pretty sure I could watch a Luther/Alice crime spree for days.
That was so much fun, and for some reason I found Alice adorable throughout the episode even she was acting as an object of unemotional vengeance.

I'd like to see another series, just because everyone did bring their A-Game consistently, but that felt very much like the end of the run.
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post #46 of 122
6/9/10 at 8:01am
Wow. That final scene. As much as I love Elba in this (seriously, the man can BRING IT) it's Paul McGann who really sells the loss/vengence/regret when he realises what just happened.

So beautifully shot as well, I would watch those wide panning shots inside the train station all day. This is also the first ep where I was realised how wowzza Ruth Wilson looks!

If this doesn't get a second season I think my head might explode imagining what comes next for Luther.
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post #47 of 122
6/9/10 at 9:38am
Thread Starter 
Treading on sacred ground here, I know, but I honestly think State Of Play has some suitable company at the top of the pile when it comes to UK mini-series (assuming this is done) after that.

That was 6 hours of pure ballsiness. That climax . . . fuck me, that was something. Even if there's no more Luther, maybe Alice could be A2A to Luther's LoM. Let's face it - we'd ALL watch that.
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post #48 of 122
6/9/10 at 11:47pm
I have to admit I started doubting this show once Zoey and Luther slept together. It seemed as if it was going a quite tired direction. But they totally went a much more satisfying way. Amazing show, and I really hope to get another series, wherein they don't reestablish the status quo, but really dig into the complete mess they ended up with.
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post #49 of 122
10/1/10 at 9:51pm
I just finished episode 4 so I'm avoiding a fair bit of this thread, but I just had to chime in and say that this is damn good stuff. And Elba is on fire.

Also: bad news, NZ Natural, I'm all over Ruth Wilson. So crazy, so hot. I think it's the duck-bill upper lip and the way she whispered "Did you come here for sex?" in the first episode.
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post #50 of 122
10/2/10 at 3:40am
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by tommy five-tone View Post
Also: bad news, NZ Natural, I'm all over Ruth Wilson. So crazy, so hot. I think it's the duck-bill upper lip and the way she whispered "Did you come here for sex?" in the first episode.
I'll meet you on the NSW/VIC border at dawn. And I'll kill you.

Also, did a nice, fat blu-ray order from amazon.co.uk the other night, and why the HELL is this not out on blu?! If season 1 of Blue Mountain State is region locked when it comes out next week, on top of no blu for Luther, I'll be super white-hot pissed.

I mentioned BMS and Luther in the same sentence. God damn.
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