It’s hard being an American fan of British television shows, because you have to wait so much longer to watch your favorite series when they've already aired in the United Kingdom. Sometimes, I consider buying a plane ticket just so I can go get my fix of Catastrophe or The Fall. Luckily, the third season of The Fall finally came to the U.S. by way of Netflix on Oct. 29, but this is one time that fans should really savor the series and not rush through it in their excitement. Why? Because it's very possible that this is Jamie Dornan’s last season of The Fall.
Anyone who doesn't watch The Fall probably knows Northern Irish actor Jamie Dornan as Christian Grey in 50 Shades of Grey, and to those people I say, please, please, watch The Fall. Dornan is actually a brilliant actor, especially on The Fall, where he plays serial killer Paul Spector, who has been quietly killing dark-haired women around where he lives with his family, which includes his pregnant wife and young daughter. Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson, played beautifully by The X-Files’ Gillian Anderson, is hot on Spector’s tail, and their game of cat-and-mouse has gone on until this third season. Spoilers for The Fall Season 2 and beginning of Season 3 ahead.
At the end of the second season, Spector was shot by a man who thinks Spector slept with his wife, just as Gibson finally had him in custody. And though it seemed that his fate was uncertain, Spector managed to make it to Season 3. Of course, that doesn't mean he's safe, or that Dornan will continue playing this character much longer.
Series creator Allan Cubitt told Digital Spy of Season 3, "I don't think I'm giving much away in saying it's Jamie's last season, but that's not to say that we wouldn't do more of The Fall." It is disappointing that Dornan wouldn’t be back after this season, because his acting is just so good on The Fall. He seamlessly moves between terrifying murderer and doting dad, and it’s so chilling.
Still, it makes sense that Season 3 is the character's end, no matter if he lives or dies in the season finale. Spector and Gibson are nearing the end of their cat-and-mouse game, and this isn’t American television — producers and writers don’t stretch shows and storylines out until you wish that they’d just put them out of their misery. British series are typically stylish and succinct, and they know when to stop. The Fall is certainly one of those shows and with this being the end for Dornan, the series could either come to its own end now or continue in a new direction that keeps it feeling fresh and maintains the quality. And according to Cubitt's Digital Spy interview, the latter is very possible.
“I do have some thoughts,” he said about a potential fourth season. “But I'm quite keen on doing other things as well, so it's not going to be straight away." Perhaps The Fall could become a kind of anthology series, the way Skins (another fantastic British drama) switched out its cast every two years. Gibson, the badass boss, could be the constant and start investigating another murderer elsewhere in the U.K., letting the series continue without Dornan and without feeling stale.
Even if The Fall does continue, it seems that there will be a lengthy hiatus before its potential fourth season. But that's not a bad thing. It would give Cubitt and the writers time to craft another compelling story, and give fans time to get used to the idea of The Fall without Dornan.
Images: BBC2; Giphy
