“What happened to that man’s money - who took it and why?

“What happened to the husband and why did he hand money to the man in the car park?

Who was the man with the beard who was searching for the money?”

These are just some of the many questions I put to my husband after the recent series of the crime drama ‘Marcella’ on TV.

I enjoyed it, but there were so many areas I failed to understand after the final episode.

It was the same with the series ‘Undercover’, which I also liked, but had more than a dozen questions unanswered as it ended. Was the man on death row really guilty and did I imagine it or did his name suddenly change?

This happens so often when I am watching these dramas that I began to worry. I asked myself, is it me - is my brain not functioning as well as it was, or are these series becoming more and more complex, possibly influenced by Nordic Noir and Scandinavian dramas and other stuff that goes way above my head?

York Press:

Questions, questions, questions: just what was going on in Undercover?

‘Marcella’ was written by Hans Rosenfeldt, who penned the Scandinavian TV drama The Bridge. I heard that series was excellent, although I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it.

I read one review that stated: ‘few crime dramas as complex as this one ever provide all the answers and arguably, in real life, not everything does add up.’ It’s probably best I missed it.

Crime dramas are good for the brain, research by academics at Durham University found. To stay healthy, the human brain needs to be kept active, and suspense-filled small screen dramas provide a taxing mental workout. I’ll say.

The best TV crime dramas build suspense over a number of episodes. They challenge viewers to pay attention to complicated stories, including red herrings, and to remember them from episode to episode, says the research. They provide great stimulation for the brain, which in turn helps keep it healthy. So they are probably worth watching, even if people like me are left in the dark.

I concentrated hard when watching ‘Undercover’, but as it ended I was left with a string of unresolved storylines: What happened to the journalist taking the photos? And why was the man who shot the teenage boy in full view of others, allowed to walk free?

My husband refuses to watch, so sick is he of my constant questions.

But, I’m relieved to say, I am not alone in struggling to comprehend crime dramas.

Apparently most viewers were completely confused as Undercover concluded. ‘I need a bullet point guide and spider diagram to explain to me what just happened,’ said one, while another asked for a special helpline.

Bring back ‘The Bill’, I say, there were never any loose ends after that.