Doctor Blake Mysteries

[Adam H. Kerman]

Anyone watch these? I started watching "If the Shoe Fits" from Series 1,
but couldn't get into it. There was something off-putting about
the direction; it was plodding.

The main character has the temperament of Quincy.

He's a police surgeon. In this episode, his observations at the crime
scene miss a blow to the back of the head, making a death in a factory
stages to look like an accident a murder. He's more interested in ranting
about unsafe machines. He leaked the story to a friend on the paper. She
wrote it up as an accident, and it gets her fired.

I wasn't enjoying it so I didn't stick around for the revelation.

Wikipedia says there's a fourth series. Set in the 1950s in Ballarat,
a small town I've never heard of about 65 miles from Melbourne.
Wikipedia says it's a gold rush town.

[anim8rfsk]

In article <mso3mj$boa$1...@news.albasani.net>,

Our friend down under watches them. I gave one a try but couldn't
really get into it. I kept waiting for him to stamp his walking stick
and become a Norse God.

--
SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEQUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuu......

[suzeeq]

I've seen a few of these, but the plot of this one doesn't sound
familiar even though I did see it. I thought they were pretty good, not
great, but okay.

[erilar]

In article <anim8rfsk-0F0B2...@news.easynews.com>,

anim8rfsk <anim...@cox.net> wrote:

> In article <mso3mj$boa$1...@news.albasani.net>,
> "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
>
> > Anyone watch these? I started watching "If the Shoe Fits" from Series 1,
> > but couldn't get into it. There was something off-putting about
> > the direction; it was plodding.

> Our friend down under watches them. I gave one a try but couldn't
> really get into it. I kept waiting for him to stamp his walking stick
> and become a Norse God.

Thor hasn't done that since comic books, has he?

Anyway, I did watch the episodes of the show that showed up on PBS
locally. The description of the episode Adam describes doesn't sound
like what I was watching. I may not have seen Series One. I rather
liked what I did see.
I was also a Quincy fan when it was originally on. Maybe I have a
weakness for medical examiner sleuths 8-)

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist

[anim8rfsk]

In article <drache-FA0032....@88-209-239-213.giganet.hu>,

erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> wrote:

> In article <anim8rfsk-0F0B2...@news.easynews.com>,
> anim8rfsk <anim...@cox.net> wrote:
>
> > In article <mso3mj$boa$1...@news.albasani.net>,
> > "Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Anyone watch these? I started watching "If the Shoe Fits" from Series 1,
> > > but couldn't get into it. There was something off-putting about
> > > the direction; it was plodding.
>
> > Our friend down under watches them. I gave one a try but couldn't
> > really get into it. I kept waiting for him to stamp his walking stick
> > and become a Norse God.
>
> Thor hasn't done that since comic books, has he?

No, the terrible movies made Blake an unrelated character.

>
> Anyway, I did watch the episodes of the show that showed up on PBS
> locally. The description of the episode Adam describes doesn't sound
> like what I was watching. I may not have seen Series One. I rather
> liked what I did see.
> I was also a Quincy fan when it was originally on. Maybe I have a
> weakness for medical examiner sleuths 8-)

--

SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUZZEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEQUUUUUUUUUUUUuuuuuuuuuu......

[suzeeq]

I do too, and I realize why I didn't recognize Adam's description of
this episode either, I haven't got that far yet. I thought he meant ep
1, series 1 and this one is ep 6.

[David Barnett]

In article <msoad5$g8l$1...@news.albasani.net>,
su...@imbris.com says...

That's exactly what I was going to write:
pretty good, not great, but okay.

--
David Barnett

[Capricorne]

David Barnett wrote :

Agreed. I put it at the same level as Father Brown. A 6.5 on 10.

[suzeeq]

I realize now he didn't mean the first episode; this one was the 6th and
I haven't watched it yet. That's why it didn't sound familiar.

[David Johnston]

It was an atypical episode. Blake wasn't a social crusader in general.
(And of course the one time he was, he had ahold of the wrong end of
the stick.)

[erilar]

In article <d5ipcp...@mid.individual.net>,

Capricorne <capri...@gmail.com> wrote:

> I put it at the same level as Father Brown. A 6.5 on 10.

I liked it better than Father Brown, which I got tired of.

--
Erilar, biblioholic medievalist

[Horace LaBadie]

In article <drache-1F5B97....@88-209-239-213.giganet.hu>,

erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> wrote:

> In article <d5ipcp...@mid.individual.net>,
> Capricorne <capri...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > I put it at the same level as Father Brown. A 6.5 on 10.
>
> I liked it better than Father Brown, which I got tired of.

Considering that the Father Brown stories are entirely lost in the
current adaptation, and there is nothing of Chesterton's style to
appreciate in the adaptations, tired is something that I got almost
immediately.

[Adam H. Kerman]

Thank you, Yoda.

[Bill Anderson]

Old thread, I know. Sue me.

I just started the Doctor Blake Mysteries with Season 2 Episode 3 and
liked the episode. Now I've gone back to the beginning with Season 1
Episode 1 and enjoyed it even more. I love a good mystery and I wish I
could get enthusiastic about Father Brown. I mean, I watch him whenever
I come across a show because I like the characters -- but the plots are
pretty ridiculous. Doctor Blake's stories, on the other hand, seem less
stupid. Is that a convincing recommendation? Less stupid?

--
Bill Anderson

I am the Mighty Favog

[anim8rfsk]

In article <Zv6dnS4p-be9dgDL...@giganews.com>,

I couldn't get into Doctor Blake. Maybe because I kept wanting him to
hit his walking stick and ...

--
Join your old RAT friends at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1688985234647266/

[suzeeq]

I've seen a few of Dr Blake and only 1 of Father Brown. I'm going to
watch more of the Dr and not bother with the priest.

[Adam H. Kerman]

suzeeq <su...@imbris.com> wrote:
>Bill Anderson wrote:
>>On 9/13/2015 6:38 PM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>Horace LaBadie <hlab...@nospam.com> wrote:

>>>>erilar <dra...@chibardun.net.invalid> wrote:
>>>>>Capricorne <capri...@gmail.com> wrote:

>>>>>>I put it at the same level as Father Brown. A 6.5 on 10.

>>>>>I liked it better than Father Brown, which I got tired of.
>>>>Considering that the Father Brown stories are entirely lost in the
>>>>current adaptation, and there is nothing of Chesterton's style to
>>>>appreciate in the adaptations, tired is something that I got almost
>>>>immediately.

>>>Thank you, Yoda.

>>Old thread, I know. Sue me.

>>I just started the Doctor Blake Mysteries with Season 2 Episode 3 and
>>liked the episode. Now I've gone back to the beginning with Season 1
>>Episode 1 and enjoyed it even more. I love a good mystery and I wish I
>>could get enthusiastic about Father Brown. I mean, I watch him whenever
>>I come across a show because I like the characters -- but the plots are
>>pretty ridiculous. Doctor Blake's stories, on the other hand, seem less
>>stupid. Is that a convincing recommendation? Less stupid?

>I've seen a few of Dr Blake and only 1 of Father Brown. I'm going to
>watch more of the Dr and not bother with the priest.

If you watch Father Brown, it's got to be with the same attitude that
you watch Hawaii Five-0 (without hoping Kono will appear in a surfing
scene in her bikini). A few of the episodes were decent, but otherwise,
it's really bad. It's fun to see if he lets the murderer get away with it,
as Father Brown is all about getting the criminal to seek God's forgiveness.

[anim8rfsk]

In article <n7llcj$961$2...@news.albasani.net>,

"Adam H. Kerman" <a...@chinet.com> wrote:

Oh, that would be infuriating.

[suzeeq]

I don't watch Hawaii 50....

[Adam H. Kerman]

The fun is in the anticipation of how egregious Brown's behavior and
bizarre sense of morality will be.

[anim8rfsk]

In article <n7m8s3$jn2$2...@news.albasani.net>,

For me that wouldn't so much be 'fun' as 'can we get this guy locked up
for accessory after the fact?'

[Adam H. Kerman]

That would bring it to an abrupt end.

I can't believe the G.K Chesterton stories were anything like the series,
which must have been set in the '20s and not the '50s, decades after the
author died. I guess I should read one.

[anim8rfsk]

In article <n7mcnn$rn8$1...@news.albasani.net>,

It would be interesting if he had written about the far future of the
1950s with flat screen TVs and flying cars!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Father_Brown

In 2012 the BBC commissioned the ten-episode series Father Brown
starring British actor Mark Williams in the title role. It aired on BBC
One beginning January 2013, Monday to Friday, over a two-week period in
the afternoon. The era and location are moved to the Cotswolds of the
early 1950s and used adaptations and original stories.

[Adam H. Kerman]

Look at epguides which shows how it aired on BBC1:
http://epguides.com/FatherBrown_2013/

I see there's been a fourth series. Each of the four series had aired
intensively, five a week, each January. Series 1, 2, and 4 were 10 episodes;
series 3 was 15 episodes. It's supposed to be very popular, but I don't
know how anyone can watch five episodes a week. Watching one a week wasn't
especially pleasant.

Looking it up, the character was created in 1910. I had assumed it was at
least post WWI.

[Capricorne]

Adam H. Kerman wrote :

They show it during the day.

[Adam H. Kerman]

Thanks. I thought it was late afternoon/early evening. It's not a serial
so I wouldn't have thought it lent itself to daytime drama. My local
public television station shows it Saturday evening, 9 pm I think, so
rather a different idea of who would watch.

[Bill Anderson]

Tonight I spotted a Father Brown on my DVR and decided to give that
clever old cleric another chance. Once again I liked the recurring
characters -- Father Brown, his housekeeper, their high society friend
(the petty criminal chauffeur wasn't in this one, but I like him too) --
but I thought the mystery was jaw-droppingly absurd. If nothing else,
this show is consistent -- it always disappoints.

So...right afterward, just for comparison, I decided to watch Dr. Blake
Season 1, Episode 2, and I found it delightful, superior in every way.
How? Well, as these things go it was intelligent -- plus, I like the
recurring characters just as much. I like them a lot. And I got caught
up in the story, which among other things mentioned ANZAC. which made me
feel smart because I know what ANZAC is, having actually once visited a
cemetery at Gallipoli with a busload of tourists that included
Australians. (I realized immediately it was time for this Yank to stand
unobtrusively and respectfully out of the way.) And I learned that
Britain conducted atomic bomb tests in the Australian outback in the
1950s much to the dismay of at least some Australians, which I didn't
know about til tonight, but which makes a lot of sense and which made
this particular episode even more fascinating. And the mystery was
well-developed and the path to its solution didn't insult my
intelligence. And did I mention I like the characters?

Maybe it's not for you, I dunno. But so far (after viewing just three
episodes) The Doctor Blake Mysteries are hitting my TV-viewing sweet spot.

[suzeeq]

Oh you must have misread my commemt - I like Dr Blake and didn't care at
all for Father Brown, either the mysteries or the characters.

[Bill Anderson]

Sorry -- my fault. By the time I got to the end of what I was writing I
was thinking of others who'd found Dr. Blake lacking and forgot I was
responding to a specific comment of yours. I agree with your assessment
of both Father Brown and Dr. Blake.

[chicagofan]

LOL! I know what you mean. I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one
who just can't see his appeal. I keep checking it out, when there is
nothing else on, and I'm always disappointed. I agree with that Hawaii
5.0 expectation comment made above by Adam. :)
bj