TV Series review: The Sister Boniface Mysteries

If you are a cosy murder mystery fan, The Sister Boniface Mysteries is right up your alley. Set in a small fictional village in the Cotswolds, one that rejoices in the dramatic name of Great Slaughter (one wonders of what?), this is the place for plenty of murders—as one can see, small villages are hotbeds of intrigue, mystery, and death. Sister Boniface (brilliantly played by Lorna Watson) is a Catholic nun at St. Vincent’s convent who spends much of her time solving murders, using new-fangled scientific techniques, and making undrinkable wine, using old-fangled techniques. Although the Reverend Mother of the convent frowns upon Sister Boniface’s propensity for solving crimes, she does allow the good sister some leeway. After all, someone must solve the murders!

Bolstering the crime solving squad are Max Brown as Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie; Jerry Iwu as Felix Livingstone, a Detective Sergeant on secondment from Bermuda, whose dream is to be assigned to Scotland Yard; Miranda Raison as Ruth Penny, the up-and-coming newspaper reporter; and Ami Metcalf as Constable Peggy Button. Belinda Lang stars as Mrs Clam, Sam and Felix’s landlady. Robert Daws is Chief Constable Hector Lowsley, who seems very confused that society is actually considering incorporating the fairer (aka weaker) sex into jobs such as police work and science. For such a small village, there are murders a-plenty, and one might even say Great Slaughter’s crime fighting squad gives Father Brown a run for his money!

Some questions hesitant viewers might ask: will I enjoy it? Of course you will; what’s not to like about a murder mystery? Is it funny? You will scream with laughter. Will I enjoy the characters? If you loved Fawlty Towers, ‘All ‘Allo, and the like, this is the series for you. Is it racist? Everyone keeps mixing up Felix’s home country of Bermuda with Barbados, but I don’t think that counts. Are the stories good? Absolutely! Is it socially and politically correct? Not at all so if that’s what bothers you, don’t watch. Are the characters stereotypes? Definitely, and they are just adorable. Mrs Clam is a real scene-stealer and is so funny that I am sure she must have everyone falling about laughing behind the scenes.

No, seriously, this is one of the best and funniest series I have ever watched. It is set in the 1960s and the period detail is superb. The not-a-romance between the attractive, career-driven Ruth and the handsome (if a bit thick in the women department) Sam, who love to hate each other and accuse each other of ruining the investigation, police and reportage, is also very sweet, especially since everyone else can see the sparks flying and feel the sizzle between them. There is no wokery although a couple of episodes veered that way, saved only by historical truths. The themes addressed also include the aftermath of World War 2, social issues of a changing Britain, and the development of women’s roles in a new society. But these are all handled within the ambit of the murder mystery and the fun and high jinks that abound, so fear not, you won’t be getting a lesson in anything. Just a darn good murder investigation! Well worth watching. I can’t wait for series two!

TV Series Review: Crossfire

Crossfire is a British drama series in which Jo Cross, a security consultant and former police officer, takes her family with a group of friends on holiday in the Canary Islands. Her marriage is falling apart but all her domestic issues fade into oblivion when the hotel, located in a relatively out of the way place, is attacked by two gunmen who manage to wangle their way into the heavily secure resort. The story unfolds as the guests are plunged into a nightmare of death with bullets flying and the innocent being picked off seemingly at random by the shooters. Can Jo pick up the threads of her former police training and assist the overwhelmed security officer with help on the way but evidently (by the rising body count) not soon enough?

Keeley Hawes is one of those bankable and very watchable British actresses that you follow, no matter what they are in. She is the pivot around which all the action centres. Her character is also the central focus, to a large extent, of the group’s friendships. Sadly, she is not as good a friend to one of the parties as she could be, with a flirtation gone a bit too far being the catalyst for the holiday itself. Other familiar faces include solid performances by Lee Ingleby, Daniel Ryan, and Josette Simon.

The series got mixed reviews and you’ll see why if you watch it. Although the action starts off with a bang and the shooting begins almost immediately, much of the pace is hampered by flashbacks of relationships etc that end up being a bit out of place and the thought of ‘who really cares about these when people are dying in the present’ comes to mind. What I appreciated most was the ‘reality’ aspect. The drama unfolds without the added oomph of big screen movies where the hero swoops in and the action is carefully curated so there is never a dull moment. The terror, the panic, the confusion, the horror, and unreality come across well because this could have happened in real life. The director chose to make it real, and the events are not exaggerated. People do stupid things and make the wrong decisions, and they die.

Jo falls at many hurdles and finds her police training has deserted her. It’s easy to sit in one’s chair screaming at the screen and wondering why the character doesn’t make this or that more sensible choice. But that is real life, and I think it made the whole story all the more terrifying, especially when the culprits and their reasoning for the attack are revealed. There are some heart-stopping moments, and I wondered what I would have done in those circumstances. Alas, this relatively good series stumbled in the last episode with a shmaltzy, socially woke, and extremely unlikely wrapping up of people’s lives. The director and producers would have done better to end with the finale on the island. But that’s just me. Should you watch it? Most definitely. Consider what you would do if two gunmen started shooting people around the pool at your holiday resort and you have no idea where your children are...

TV Series review: Prodigal Son

I wasn't sure if I would like Prodigal Son, given that initially I did not find Tom Payne an appealing character in his portrayal of the nervy Malcolm Whitley, an empath (?) who now helps the police solve ‘interesting’ murders. But slowly as the plot unfolded, I was hooked. Tom Payne’s character shows via flashbacks what happened to turn him into this insomniac wreck, and it is truly chilling. The themes are dark and grim and there is murder and mayhem. Plus, a truly dysfunctional family such as you have never seen before.

 The talented Bellamy Young is absolutely gorgeous as the beautiful, (supposedly) spoiled socialite wife of now-incarcerated The Surgeon, a psychopathic serial killer, loving husband, and devoted father to two beautiful children who feel he has ruined their lives. Old sins cast long shadows... Martin Sheen is a complete scene stealer and just grabs each screen moment to win you over and make you think that, apart from having killed all those people, he is actually a really nice guy. Bellamy Young is amazing in what she can achieve while tottering around on killer (oops!) heels and when she and Sheen share a scene - well, sparks fly. They have a habit of taking of completely.

 There's a solid backing cast headed up by the ever-dependable Lou Diamond Phillips. But the series is not just about the serial killer and his victims. There are darker and deeper themes afoot. A riveting series. Season One ended on such a shocking cliff-hanger that I literally fell off the sofa. No spoilers here but I had no idea how things would be resolved until I started Season Two, which is just as promising. Pass the popcorn, please! 5/5