Luther largely revolves around the main character Inspector John Luther. For him, solving crimes is not a job, but a calling. Luther is a brilliant investigator, who has his own laws and rules and regularly amazes his colleagues with his sharp insight. With full dedication he enters into the psychological duel with psychopaths, murderers and the demons that reside within himself. Luther has a troubled mind. Sometimes he is friendly and vulnerable, other times tough and even violent. The character Luther is played by a fabulous Idris Elba. Luther can actually only talk to one person about his dark sides and therefore feels a kind of connection with her. I'm talking about a character portrayed phenomenally by Ruth Wilson. Meet Alice Morgan.
Although I think Ruth Wilson is a fantastic actress, I have not yet come into contact with many series in which she plays a prominent role. You may know her from series such as Mrs Wilson, The Affair, His Dark Materials and The Woman in the Wall. I checked and they are all reasonably to well-regarded series, so perhaps I should give some of them a chance. Yet Ruth's best-known and, for many, most beloved role is that of Alice Morgan in Luther.
We as viewers are introduced to Alice Morgan from the first episode. Her parents' murder is investigated and she is interrogated as a victim by John Luther. During the conversation, Luther gets the impression that Alice may have something to do with the murder, but he cannot prove this. From their first meeting, the chemistry between Idris Elba and Ruth Wilson bursts from the screen. The interrogation between the two characters is a work of art in itself. It is therefore not surprising that the makers have chosen to have Alice return regularly. Throughout the series, a strange bond develops between the two characters. Alice becomes Luther's good friend and one of the few people he trusts. Their friendship is strong, even though Alice's core belief that nothing ultimately matters is in direct contrast to Luther's.
Alice Morgan is such a layered character that you could almost write an entire book to explore her character traits in depth. For starters, she's a genius, psychopath, and malignant narcissist. Alice is proud of the murders she is alleged to have committed due to lack of evidence. She is so proud of the fact that they can't catch her and sees it as a sign of prestige, power and self-affirmation of how good she is. Since Luther cannot convict her, he moves on to other murder cases, but Alice becomes obsessed with Luther and starts stalking him. Throughout the series they create a love-hate relationship. She does things that cannot stand the light of day, but Luther still sympathizes with her. The great thing is that as a viewer you are also taken into her imagination and secretly hope that Alice can get away with everything. Somewhere in the series she tells Luther that she was staying somewhere and had gotten married. Moments later she killed her husband. Why? She had always wanted to be a widow. You can't get a better summary of her crazy thinking.
You never know what Alice Morgan is for you and that's what makes her character so fascinating to watch. I really enjoyed the excellent Ruth Wilson and when I look at the votes on MySeries, more people think so. She can therefore rightly call herself a crowd favorite.
