This episode centers around a feud and a begonia festival. Bad blood has occurred between two men. After a bad confrontation, a judge is killed. His body is found in his burned down greenhouse. In the midst of this are some interesting relationships developing because, as is often the case, those who feud often have friends and relatives who aren't in their camps. Blake has been picked as a judge for the festival, much to his chagrin. There is a second fly in the ointment. A young rich woman is dying and Dr. Blake has her best interests in mind. This has a really neat ending.
2 Reviews
Deadly hearts and far from flowery
TheLittleSongbird31 March 2018
'The Doctor Blake Mysteries' may not quite be among my favourite shows of all time, but it's a riveting series that keeps getting better and one of the better detective drama shows in recent years. It is always fascinating to see a mystery series from outside England and America, and 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries' is one of the better examples.
Unfortunately, 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries' tends to be buried within daytime television scheduling, both on the BBC when first getting into it three or so years ago and on not as much watched channel (i.e. Alibi). It also tends to be aired at a time where most people will be at school or work, for me it was during sporadic periods when not needing to go into music college. The series deserves much better than that when it has consistently been one of the better shows to be aired in the early afternoon.
Before and with "Hearts and Flowers", 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries' showed at this very early stage its enormous promise and that it was getting better and better all the time. Like the previous episode "Brotherly Love", "Hearts and Flowers" is great and among the better episodes of a very solid, if not always quite settled, first season. Everything about one of Season 1's best, most twist-filled and complex episodes engages, even if later episodes felt a touch tighter.
"Hearts and Flowers", like the rest of the series, is exceptionally well made. The post-war period is beautifully evoked in the sumptuous but also atmospheric settings and scenery and charming costumes and period detail. It is beautifully shot and atmospherically lit, the dark grey-ish tinge being very appropriate and adding much to the overall feel of the episode. It is scored sensitively and the haunting theme tune gets embedded in the brain, while the direction is suitably restrained.
For so early on, the writing is very good with the tone established very well. There is great thought-provoking dialogue that always makes the mystery elements interesting but the atmosphere doesn't ever feel too grim. The story is generally riveting, if at times slow, suspensefully written and you care about having it solved. The solution is not obvious nor is it too complicated, very neat without being too pat. The characters are well written and more than just stereotypes, already Lucien Blake is a fascinating protagonist.
Craig McLachlan is superb in the role as well, quite possibly his best role and certainly the best acting he's ever done. He seemed an unlikely choice at first, but the character suits him perfectly. All the acting is very good actually, and seldom if ever any less. The relationships between the characters are well worth investing in.
In summary, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox
Unfortunately, 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries' tends to be buried within daytime television scheduling, both on the BBC when first getting into it three or so years ago and on not as much watched channel (i.e. Alibi). It also tends to be aired at a time where most people will be at school or work, for me it was during sporadic periods when not needing to go into music college. The series deserves much better than that when it has consistently been one of the better shows to be aired in the early afternoon.
Before and with "Hearts and Flowers", 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries' showed at this very early stage its enormous promise and that it was getting better and better all the time. Like the previous episode "Brotherly Love", "Hearts and Flowers" is great and among the better episodes of a very solid, if not always quite settled, first season. Everything about one of Season 1's best, most twist-filled and complex episodes engages, even if later episodes felt a touch tighter.
"Hearts and Flowers", like the rest of the series, is exceptionally well made. The post-war period is beautifully evoked in the sumptuous but also atmospheric settings and scenery and charming costumes and period detail. It is beautifully shot and atmospherically lit, the dark grey-ish tinge being very appropriate and adding much to the overall feel of the episode. It is scored sensitively and the haunting theme tune gets embedded in the brain, while the direction is suitably restrained.
For so early on, the writing is very good with the tone established very well. There is great thought-provoking dialogue that always makes the mystery elements interesting but the atmosphere doesn't ever feel too grim. The story is generally riveting, if at times slow, suspensefully written and you care about having it solved. The solution is not obvious nor is it too complicated, very neat without being too pat. The characters are well written and more than just stereotypes, already Lucien Blake is a fascinating protagonist.
Craig McLachlan is superb in the role as well, quite possibly his best role and certainly the best acting he's ever done. He seemed an unlikely choice at first, but the character suits him perfectly. All the acting is very good actually, and seldom if ever any less. The relationships between the characters are well worth investing in.
In summary, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
