At a Guy Fawkes celebration a number of young people are celebrating by shooting off firecrackers around a bonfire. Suddenly the bonfire explodes and a young white woman is shot and an Aborigine boy is found holding a gun and quickly arrested. The boy is not intimidated by the police and knows the arrest was basically racist. Blake realizes for someone to shoot the girl at night that they must have good eyesight and familiarity with firearms. Blake is able to show the boy has poor eyesight and would have been unable to place two shots so close together in the dead girl's back. Superintendent Munro reluctantly frees his prisoner. As a gesture, Blake offers the boy his father's old eyeglasses but on a visit to the orphanage Blake discovers a pair of eyeglasses in the garbage can. The nun in charge recognizes them as an old pair of hers that she had given the boy. Is it possible Blake has made a mistake? The boy is angry at the white people who invaded his country as made the Aborigine an outcast in what was once there's. Could he be the killer
The Doctor Blake Mysteries (TV Series)
This Time and This Place (2015)
User Reviews
Review this title3 Reviews
Racism Is Alive and Well
Hitchcoc21 December 2017
Following the death of a young woman at a Guy Fawkes celebration, an Aborigine boy is arrested. He is holding a gun. We are quickly brought into the game of hatred from the whites in the city. The boy is a revolutionary and is living in an orphanage. As time passes, the likelihood of his being the perpetrator becomes less and less. Blake is embarrassed by the treatment, but can't find it in himself to understand as he should. He is overwhelmed by the treatment of the children at the orphanage. Also, the police brutalize the boy, especially one old foe of Blake who has been doing this for some time. This is a political episode.
Murder on Bonfire Night
TheLittleSongbird24 April 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.
Season 3's third episode "This Time and This Place" sees Season 3, and 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries' overall, showing no signs of faltering. Like the previous two episodes, it's great. My only complaint is the new character of Munro, he is a not very interesting and too much of a cold fish character that took a lot of warming up to. Lawson was far more interesting, easier to be engaged by and settled much better, his chemistry with Blake also more believable.
However, taking on a more political edge also, "This Time and This Place" explores the very much relevant (with it being even worse then than it is now, and it's still bad) and hard-hitting theme of racism. Such a subject runs the potential danger on film and television of being heavy-handed, while making its point "This Time and This Place" avoids that. There are as ever some nice twists and enough suspects to keep one guessing.
By now, 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries' felt like it had found its feet and had established things well by this point. Relationships and characters continue to deepen, the mysteries are even twistier and the pace has more lustre.
Like the rest of 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries', "This Time and This Place" 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.
Writing continues to be 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 riveting, 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, Lucien Blake still has it in how fascinating a character he is.
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.
Overall, 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.
Season 3's third episode "This Time and This Place" sees Season 3, and 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries' overall, showing no signs of faltering. Like the previous two episodes, it's great. My only complaint is the new character of Munro, he is a not very interesting and too much of a cold fish character that took a lot of warming up to. Lawson was far more interesting, easier to be engaged by and settled much better, his chemistry with Blake also more believable.
However, taking on a more political edge also, "This Time and This Place" explores the very much relevant (with it being even worse then than it is now, and it's still bad) and hard-hitting theme of racism. Such a subject runs the potential danger on film and television of being heavy-handed, while making its point "This Time and This Place" avoids that. There are as ever some nice twists and enough suspects to keep one guessing.
By now, 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries' felt like it had found its feet and had established things well by this point. Relationships and characters continue to deepen, the mysteries are even twistier and the pace has more lustre.
Like the rest of 'The Doctor Blake Mysteries', "This Time and This Place" 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.
Writing continues to be 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 riveting, 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, Lucien Blake still has it in how fascinating a character he is.
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.
Overall, great. 9/10 Bethany Cox
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