Another generally awesome series: England in the postwar period (like about a million other British shows, set in their favorite time after they kept calm and carried on and beat down the Nazi's along with us). Murders. Super cute intellectual and troubled vicar. Nerdy gay assistant vicar. Copish working class cop detective who lets the vicar team up with him. Landladyish meddling church lady housekeeper. English village. Beer drinking in charming pubs.
Only one problem: the casting of Morven Christie as the vicar's friend and one true love who marries some upper class toff because a vicar is just too common. It's just impossible (for me and friends) to see anything all that great about her. She spurned her obvious life mate because her parents demanded that she marry into the gentry, a pretty high hurdle to jump and still seem sympathetic. Christie did not manage this. She projects nothing that makes her anyone special to care about. She even looks older than Sidney. The totally adorable Sidney Chambers deserves far better. There are dozens of good British female actors in the right age range that would have made it work.
But worth watching anyway.
But then I guess (just watched Season 4/1 and it seems that maybe the Sidney actor decided to leave for greener pastures with not much notice, so Sidney falls in love with a black American daughter of a civil rights activist preacher and suddenly decides to go back to the US with her, even though they have been together (other than the overnight) about an hour and a half, and interracial marriage is still illegal in about 20 states, particularly in the Confederacy she comes from.
Meanwhile we have been introduced to an also cute young vicar who is going to replace Sidney, and the show goes on for two more seasons at least. I have trouble seeing the new vicar as up to the spellbinding old vicar, but I guess we'll see.
Like all British crime dramas this one has its shortcomings: the writing is often not that great, and acting by guest characters (like most of the black activist guys and that includes the daughter) is general and stereotypical. (In that case maybe it's the strain of being totally British and concentrating on being proto-Martin Luther Kings.) Compared to other similar period Brit mysteries it's more personal backstory than crime. OK, until it drags on. And Grantchester is near Oxford, so there's English countryside and Oxford and all those interesting period British cars to look at, besides looking at Sidney.
But it's beautifully shot and the regular characters are great. I have my doubts about Sidney II but we'll see.
Only one problem: the casting of Morven Christie as the vicar's friend and one true love who marries some upper class toff because a vicar is just too common. It's just impossible (for me and friends) to see anything all that great about her. She spurned her obvious life mate because her parents demanded that she marry into the gentry, a pretty high hurdle to jump and still seem sympathetic. Christie did not manage this. She projects nothing that makes her anyone special to care about. She even looks older than Sidney. The totally adorable Sidney Chambers deserves far better. There are dozens of good British female actors in the right age range that would have made it work.
But worth watching anyway.
But then I guess (just watched Season 4/1 and it seems that maybe the Sidney actor decided to leave for greener pastures with not much notice, so Sidney falls in love with a black American daughter of a civil rights activist preacher and suddenly decides to go back to the US with her, even though they have been together (other than the overnight) about an hour and a half, and interracial marriage is still illegal in about 20 states, particularly in the Confederacy she comes from.
Meanwhile we have been introduced to an also cute young vicar who is going to replace Sidney, and the show goes on for two more seasons at least. I have trouble seeing the new vicar as up to the spellbinding old vicar, but I guess we'll see.
Like all British crime dramas this one has its shortcomings: the writing is often not that great, and acting by guest characters (like most of the black activist guys and that includes the daughter) is general and stereotypical. (In that case maybe it's the strain of being totally British and concentrating on being proto-Martin Luther Kings.) Compared to other similar period Brit mysteries it's more personal backstory than crime. OK, until it drags on. And Grantchester is near Oxford, so there's English countryside and Oxford and all those interesting period British cars to look at, besides looking at Sidney.
But it's beautifully shot and the regular characters are great. I have my doubts about Sidney II but we'll see.