Firstly, despite our expectations to the contrary, he really doesn't seem to be able to deal with Whitechapel policing. He manages to track down a suspect through the filing system fine, but the moment he and Drake take to the streets to try and find him, Flight proves that he really is as green as he appears. Wandering through the back-alleys in his annoyingly clean grey hat, holding his scarf over his face against the smell, he might as well be holding a sign saying 'Mug Me!' He then decides to enter a doss house where the suspect has been known to sleep, despite Drake pointing out that this would be a very bad idea. 'Should we be so frightened Sergeant?' asks Flight, a hint of contempt in his voice. Drake gives him a fantastically narked-off look and replies: 'Come then Constable. I shall show you.' Read: Drake decides it's time for the newbie to have the stuffing knocked out of him and viewers can't help but agree with that sentiment. Inside the doss house, on being confronted, Flight decides to whip out his identification and shout 'Police! Get back!' which results in a fine brawl, leaving Flight with a bruised head but not, unfortunately, a bruised pride.
Secondly, Flight really does come across as a bit of a smug tit. Reid, Jackson and Drake have a wonderfully dry and sarcastic chemistry as a trio, with much of the audience's enjoyment coming from their mixture of world-weariness and their dark sense of humour. In comparison, Flight becomes more and more irritating. He seems far too pleased with himself even early on in the episode he does his research and decides that means he can sit himself down with his senior officers at the pub. Then, when Drake makes a comment about it, he pulls a face like a bulldog sucking a lemon. His one-liners as well are possibly the worst combination of arrogance and pomposity. 'Rest Mrs. Drake?' he says when Bella tells him to go home and sleep, 'Not this night villainy does not rest. I do not intend to either.' This ridiculously clichéd pronouncement has Drake rolling his eyes as viewers at home groan aloud at the cringe-worthiness of Flight's behaviour. Similarly, when he comes across Joseph Merrick, the Elephant Man, getting jostled and heckled on the streets, he decides to confront the crowds with the pithy quip; 'You would stone him? You have forgotten your own sins!' Considering the mood of the crowd, you can't help but think that he would have been far better off had someone like Drake turned up with a bit of heavy-handed justice.