Overview: Following the death of DS Mel Silver, the Cold Case Unit is still in shock. The already intense DCI Boyd is clearly rocked by the loss of a valuable team member, and now has a case that questions his own abilities. So it is left to Grace and Spence to try to keep the team stable and integrate the new members of the unit!

DVD Verdict: In truth, Trevor Eve's character may be getting a little hard to swallow these days! His combination of brilliant detective and standing-on-the-ledge-ready-to-jump temper has always been a little OTT at the best (and worst of times), but he takes this human (character) trait of his to a whole new level in season five!

In the first episode, 'Towers of Silence,' a mummified body found on a derelict aeroplane leads Boyd and the team to a person already convicted of committing a similar crime. Spence goes undercover in a bid to understand his motives, whilst the victim's uncle reveals the dead man's connections with a corrupt businessman selling fake drugs. At the office, the death of DS Mel Silver still hanuts DCI Boyd as he tries to get on with his job. In the second part, the team uncover a pharmaceutical conspiracy involving fake drugs to treat Aids. A major company is implicated in the scandal - and its bosses are prepared to do whatever is necessary to ensure their secret remains safe. We also have a new lab tech (no more Frankie), and bigger and brighter new lab equipment too!

In 'Black Run,' Boyd expects a confession of guilt when he is summoned to prison by one of the inmates, a former policeman serving life for the murder of his partner. The convict does make a revelation - but what he has to say isn't as cut and dried as Boyd wanted to hear - making him second guess the whole case. Along the way Boyd gets drugged and set up for a hit and run incident, and the unit also aquires a replacement for Silver - Stella (Felicite Du Jeu)... who appears to be concealing an agenda of her own!

In 'Subterraneans,' a millionaire businessman is found dead, having apparently committed suicide a year after his initial disappearance. But evidence then suggests he was imprisoned in a cellar immediately before his death. Soon thereafter another body is discovered at the scene. This is a nice jigsaw puzzle of a two-parter, as it keeps you guessing as to who and why the whole way through. The team are convinced Dr Nick Henderson is behind the murders, and Stella puts together damning evidence against him. However, before he can be arrested, he disappears without trace and his wife vanishes as well. But, be warned, this has a very unsettling ending.

In 'Straw Dog,' the appeal of a man convicted of murder and mutilation forces Grace to question the decision she made on the case 30 years ago. Someone who appears to be copying his chilling tactics sends the team footage of a new victim having his finger cut off. At the same time, Grace receives threats and a macabre package - a jar of pickled, severed fingers. This is yet another well-crafted pot boiler of an episode, complete with many red herrings, so beware! The team work out the identity of the killer - an old acquaintance of Tony Green's from prison who is harbouring a grudge against Grace. She decides to confront him personally, but gets more than she bargained for when she stumbles upon the kidnap victim.

In 'Undertow,' the team find evidence linking a soon-to-be-released benefit fraudster with a string of murders. Unfortunately, the nature of their proof is circumstantial at best - and with only a short while to go until the end of the man's nine-month sentence, the detectives have their work cut out to solve the crimes before he is released and free to kill again. Basically here, the killer is known from the start, making this two-parter episode one long game of cat and mouse! The team are forced to release Hunt from custody. Boyd arranges to have him followed to prevent any more murders, but the body of a girl soon turns up drowned in the local swimming pool. The police leak the suspect's name to a journalist hoping to uncover more information - a mistake that proves fatal. And yes, this is one of those abovementioned moments when Boyd loses his cool so badly that you truly can't see him as the boss of this unit!

In the final episode, 'Cold Fusion,' Spencer comes under suspicion when a double murder he worked on 20 years ago in Norfolk is re-examined. DNA profiling proves the wrong man was convicted, and when the team discover someone is trying to destroy the new evidence, the signs point to their colleague. However, a package that arrives for him turns out to be a gas bomb that injures Felix, forcing the detectives to reconsider. Although in our hearts we know he didn't tamper with anything at the time, this episode really explores the 'did he or didn't he' aspect of our minds. Also, is there a mole inside the unit as secrets get revealed and Boyd is determined to figure it out - but does he in time? Backed by some highly-impressive, hauntingly cinematic score music, 'Waking the Dead: Season 5' is one of the most enjoyable shows released to DVD this year! [RT] This is a Widescreen Presentation (1.66:1) enhanced for 16x9 TVs.