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Reviews
Lovejoy: The Judas Pair (1986)
Case-hardened? I think not.
My personal metallurgist (PhD and over 20 years in the steel industry) agrees with the entry in 'goofs' with regard to what case hardening actually is (though he said 'baked' wouldn't be his first choice of word).
That out of the way, this IS one of the best episodes, certainly of the early Lovejoy stories.
Poor Lady Jane gets saddled again with some of the 80s nastiest clothing (as do many other cast members); it really was an awful decade for fashion!
There's some genuine jeopardy and unpleasantness here, not to mention an insight into the psyche of the obsessive collectors of the world.
Lovejoy and Jane are in real danger, but display some very quick thinking. It's just as well the cottage boasts the biggest 'priest hole' I've ever seen. They're usually (not that I'm an expert) pretty cramped.
Like Lovejoy, I found Michael Seymour suspicious for a while. It was good to be wrong. Discovering that Judas was less of a reference to the 13th disciple than to the dodgy nature of at least one of the guns comes as a genuine surprise, and it is sad to think of a gunsmith being forced to create such a thing.
The whole episode clips along - it actually seems quite short - and is definitely one of the high points of the show.
Lovejoy: Friends, Romans and Enemies (1986)
Great episode
First, to deal with what another reviewer says, Lovejoy did NOT admit to having sex with Gimbert's sister Amanda when she was 15! When Gimbert lists ways Lovejoy has annoyed him, one of which being sleeping with Amanda and Lovejoy says 'that was 6 years ago', Gimbert says 'she was only 15!'
Lovejoy immediately says 'Not Amanda!' and refers to one of the other things.
However another reviewer is quite right - this could easily have been a two-parter, just like its predecessor The Sting. In fact, up until I rewatched it today, I would have sworn it was 2 parts.
Anyway, it is an entertaining episode, let down by both the 'Americans' sadly.
Lovejoy: The Sting (1986)
Too much story, not enough episode
It's a good story, this one. It's just there's too much of it for this one episode. It probably could have made a two-parter without too much trouble but I suppose at this early stage in the programme's life, they might have thought they couldn't get away with it.
Anyway, it's quite a convoluted plot and it would have been nice to let it breathe. As it stands, the sub plot with the nasty drug dealer ex-boyfriend for Corinna is dealt with really rather too easily (though the scene in the pub - 'Lovejoy? Rings a bit of a bell...' is amusing). The various forgeries are also reduced to what amounts to a montage and Lovejoy's day out with his daughter ends up being a pointless waste of location filming.
Lastly, the actual sting isn't very clearly explained. It's not obvious why Lovejoy needs more than one forgery to manipulate Gimbert into buying, but it turns out it's so that the items Corinna swaps for the 'jade' cup/vase will make a big enough value to make it realistic that she would give up the jade.
It IS a good, very entertaining story, it just needed a bit more space.
Lovejoy: The Axeman Cometh (1986)
Tricky
Awkward one this. It includes some stereotyping that would generally be thought not to pass muster these days.
I think it can be allowed the benefit of the doubt though.
The 'frummer' , Froebel, turns out to be someone who is himself *pretending* to be an Orthodox Jew on the basis of 'respect for uniforms, so they know what they're dealing with', so any stereotyping is arguably down to him.
Where the episode really loses stars is because it takes Lovejoy out of Suffolk, to London. The regulars (yes, we're only on episode two, but still) only really make brief appearances and the meat of the story involves people we haven't seen before and won't see again (IIRC).
So this is only an average episode.
Lovejoy: The Firefly Cage (1986)
Terrific start
The first episode of any series is often slightly awkward, perhaps epecially for comedies. If they're sitcoms, you don't know any of the characters and there's only 20-30 minutes to make an impact.
Lovejoy isn't entirely a comedy and it has a longer running time, so arguably should find it easier to begin, but this is still an impressive first episode.
All the main characters are introduced without it seeming clunky - perhaps the most obvious bit of actual exposition is Tink explaining to Eric what a 'barker' is and that still flows naturally from the situation.
We're also rapidly given a very clear picture of who Lovejoy is - a bit shady, known to the police, but almost universally liked (even Gimbert isn't antagonistic all the time) and respected, plus he's very kind in a lot of ways.
This is comedy-drama, not just comedy, so the criminal plot isn't really detailed (even if it is quite nasty; poor Drummer!) and is fairly readily resolved. Still it brings a bit of action, rather more than in most episodes, if I remember correctly.
All in all a terrific start to a great series.
The New Avengers: Sleeper (1976)
Top tier caper
Like another reviewer, I like a good heist movie/episode and this is very good. Of course, with the average heist movie, the viewer is often supposed to be on the side of the people doing the heist and that's definitely not the case here.
There's a great deal to enjoy here, but one thing that I do find really sad is that yet again the plot is driven by the murder of one of Steed's friends. The depiction of the phone ringing unanswered on his desk, which shows all the bits and pieces he left lying around when he went out, believing he would return, is very moving.
It seems to be a bit of a feature with the New Avengers, that they keep bumping off Steed's friends. I don't remember that being so much of a trope in the old series, though it certainly did happen.
However, mostly the episode is full of humour to go along with the thrill of the caper. From Purdey being stranded outside in her jim-jams, (which later give her some trouble in the shop window), to Steed and Gambit making like statues at the bus stop, there's a great deal to raise a smile. It does seem an odd choice to have the two unfortunate police officers eating chips (& fish? We aren't shown) at what is effectively breakfast time! But that's a very minor niggle, not worth deducting any stars.
The episode is something of a showcase for Purdey, as she is working alone but still takes care of plenty of baddies, though Steed and Gambit get the mastermind pair.
Finally, we get a terrific twist at the end, followed by a light-hearted pay-off.
A vintage episode.
Ripley: VIII - Narcissus (2024)
Perfetto
Binged the whole series over the last few nights. As a fan of the book, (all of them actually) although it's a while since I last read it, I loved everything about this series.
I am also in awe of all the Italian spoken by the various cast members who definitely aren't Italians. OK, for all I know one or more of them might already be fluent, but surely they can't all have been, yet the language seemed to flow effortlessly. I can't really believe it's quite the same as simply learning any old dialogue; maybe I'm wrong. Still found it impressive.
I like the b/w photography too - although I did occasionally wish I could see the colours of various bits and pieces.
This whole series is a triumph; I very much hope there will be more. I feel as though I can trust this director to adapt the rest of the 'Ripliad' faithfully too.
Oh, and that cat was ADORABLE!
Jeeves and Wooster: In Court After the Boat Race (or, Jeeves' Arrival) (1990)
What an entrance!
Returning home after his court appearance, completely hung over, Bertie collapses onto his bed in an apartment in complete disarray. The front door bell gets him to open the door (eventually) where a smartly dressed man introduces himself as having been 'sent by the agency' because Bertie needs a new valet. Bertie allows the man in and stares in disbelief as all the mess is magically cleared up. Finally, the 'pick-me-up' works instantly to cure Bertie's hangover and he turns to the man 'You're engaged!'.
'Thank you Sir, my name is Jeeves.'
Hands down the best introduction to a character ever. Obviously a great deal of the credit goes to Wodehouse, who invented the characters and this whole sequence is (IIRC) lifted more or less directly from the books, but it's still a terrific few minutes of TV and sets the two main characters up perfectly for the viewers. Fry and Laurie were born to embody these people. I don't believe it can be bettered.
Hamish Macbeth: Destiny: Part 2 (1997)
Love it!
This review is for both parts.
Watching on DVD allowed me to binge both parts together, which I think helps but regardless I love this finale, apart from the fact that it IS the finale because frankly I would have loved Hamish Macbeth to carry on for several more episodes.
Yes, the whole thing is preposterous but it's also funny and sad and dramatic. TV John's brother is a deeply unpleasant character but his bad luck (right down to an easily missed incident near the start with a box of matches) truly is epic and funny. The rich exiled Scot is also nasty and OTT, but makes a useful device to hang the plot on - he wants to buy the Stone of Destiny which starts the whole rigmarole off.
I honestly really enjoyed the whole story, with its spooky content and the innate goodness of TV John saving the day: the hypnotist helps him swap out the stones because he saves her life.
It was also great to see Hamish and Isobel *finally* getting their act together (love how Hamish is fixated on how they could have been 'at it' all this time rather than the more romantic 'together' that most shows would go for!) with the help of Herman and his money-fuelled fire.
There are too many enjoyable parts to this story to list them all. Another one is Lachie and Junior with their own names for engine parts and then letting Rory & the Colonel think their decimal point prank has lasted all these years.
Daniel Boyle has basically thrown everything into these final two episodes. No, it doesn't all quite work, but it's a highly entertaining couple of hours.
Personally I think the Lochdubh guys should just leave the Stone hidden in the hills though. Trying to swap it back now, in these times of better security is going to be a different kettle of fish from the original escapade in the chaos of war!
I wish them Slàinte Mhath!
Hamish Macbeth: The Trouble with Rory (1997)
It's not just Rory
OK, in this episode Rory is acting out of character and actually not behaving very well but...
The bit that seemed odd to me was how the rest of the village behaved *before* finding out about the situation with the school. It has never before been suggested that Rory is treated as a figure of ridicule, with the other villagers recounting funny stories about him (the one about the sheep) behind his back. Yes, everyone took a little pleasure in gently teasing him and Esme about their 'secret' relationship back before they went public, but it wasn't like the scene in the bar in the early minutes of this episode. That seems like a mis-step by the writer.
Watching on DVD, and in the knowledge that a whole episode isn't included in the box set due to problems over music rights, I can't help but wonder if the scene when the villagers are prepping for the stake out actually featured the real Mission Impossible music. On the DVD it's a sort of knock-off version.
The story as a whole is pretty good, featuring a genuine police mystery and some real jeopardy. Plus it has a happy ending both for Esme, Rory and the school. It's just the part near the beginning in the bar that definitely strikes me as an error.
Hamish Macbeth: No Man Is an Island (1996)
Quite brilliant.
Wracked with guilt over Alex' death, Hamish has gone off on leave. He's taken himself off to the island he and Alex thought of as 'theirs', perhaps more accurately, hers. He's intending to take his own life, probably.
Meanwhile, back in Lochdubh (where they know he's gone on leave but not where, or what his plan is), a temporary constable has arrived. He's very ship shape and eager. Luckily, the man before the man before Macbeth gave the villagers, organised by TV John, an exact template for dealing with this sort of situation....
Many TV shows would struggle here, and have their main character moping about for many episodes. Luckily we're dealing with a cleverer writer. Hamish encounters an older woman on the island, whose personal story resembles his in that she has been recently bereaved, but who is not willing to give up. She's also not willing to allow Hamish to fob her off when she asks for his story, and uses her current precarious situation to basically blackmail him into opening up. Hamish finally allows himself to grieve.
Our writer - Daniel Boyle - also sticks Alex' dad and Isobel - the sort of 'other woman' in a boat together, so they can also air out their problems, then has them rescue Hamish and Belle, in the course of which the Major makes it clear to Hamish that he (the Major) is not blaming Hamish for what happened.
The upshot is that by the end of the episode, the three from Lochdubh have had a catharsis which will undoubtedly help them come to terms more quickly with the loss of Alex. It's very deft.
It's a great episode. At one turn moving, at the next hilarious as the villagers 'deal' with the replacement constable.
Great telly.
Hamish Macbeth: Wee Jock's Lament (1995)
Kilts!
I have deducted a star for the fate of poor Wee Jock, but basically this is a perfect episode if we overlook that terrible plot choice.
It really marks the start of the otherworldly content that came to be a feature of Hamish Macbeth as the series progressed and which brings something really individual to the show.
I love how the men of the village (apart from Lachie Jr) put on kilts to go searching for Hamish, considering them to be the ultimate practical garment for tromping through the heather. (Though possibly not great for stopping the midges from making you itch!)
I'm sure I remember this being explained explicitly in a later episode.
To go with the kilts, and as a knitter, there are some gorgeous jumpers on display!
Wee Jock 2 is simply adorable (there's an unacknowledged time jump I think as the dog Hamish has with him at the end is a bit more than the pup he takes from the flat) and yes, as another reviewer says, the final scene is sublime.
Brilliant.
Kingdom: Episode #3.6 (2009)
Oh, bother! How could they?!
This is a lovely series. I don't think there's a single duff episode. I do think the marriage of Mr Snell, in ep 5 of this series, is a bit daft. It would have been better to have his romance of Gloria continue. But other than that I don't think they put a foot wrong.
It's also clear that there were stories left to tell, as this final episode ends on a very intriguing cliff hanger. It is therefore also extremely annoying!
We already know that the older Mr Kingdom was no saint, not least because of the cash he had stashed in the house. But now we are left to wonder what secrets his wife, Peter's mother, was keeping. Either she was already pregnant when she married Kingdom Snr, or she had an affair of her own. Otherwise Peter, supposedly half-brother to Simon & Beatrice and older than both of them, wouldn't exist. It seems Aunt Auriel knows all about it. Unfortunately, we never will. Bah!
Last of the Summer Wine: The Rights of Man (Except for Howard) (2010)
The thing is...
The thing is I cannot stand Howard. He's a dreadful character. His behaviour is appalling and frankly laughing at the things he does regarding his wife and Marina feels quite icky. So this little run of episodes is a mixed bag from my POV.
Unlike the 'live' audience, I do not feel the need to go 'Awwwww!' when Pearl has finally had enough and throws him out. It's about time!
That said, Robert Fyfe, who has the misfortune to play Howard, does an excellent job. He also clearly managed to stay fit well into later life, as his dancing (apart from the bit where he was obviously sitting on a green-screened chair) illustrates.
(There's also an earlier episode where at the end Howard emerges from a police car and legs it up a sloped street in a remarkably short time. I couldn't see any evidence of camera trickery, it seemed to remain firmly on him and there wasn't a cut that might have hidden a swap. I think Fyfe was just in good health!)
There is some humour here though, mainly from the sheer idiocy of Hobbo's expertise.
Things are winding down in LotSW and it does show. But it's still not a terrible way to pass a half-hour.
Silent Witness: Kings Cross - Part 2 (2024)
Really good
This pair of episodes were really excellent. It was a genuine mystery, with no *real* jeopardy for the pathology team, nor too much soapy content. I much prefer Silent Witness when it keeps the Lyall personnel to their professional tracks rather than at the centre of the plot.
Additionally, this plot was slightly more novel than the usual serial killer fare. The killer was horrifically banal - he had no more idea than anyone else really as to why he'd committed the murders ('Practice?') and his policeman protector was as horrified as anyone else but still felt parental feelings for the younger man.
Like many people I still don't find the personal relationship between Nikki and Jack all that believable. That said the final scene was lovely and it would REALLY annoy me if this relationship, now it's been visited upon us, was tossed aside in any forthcoming series. I'm still smarting over the abrupt and almost completely unexplained disappearance of Matt, the American love interest!
Silent Witness, which did struggle slightly after Clarissa left, (not least because of the high turnover of cast members) has achieved a measure of equilibrium with the current team - Nikki, Jack, Gabriel, Velvy and Cara (though she can't realistically remain an intern/student placement forever, I very much hope she will be around regularly). I hope all the actors remain available and the writers don't do anything silly.
Spooks: Gas and Oil: Part 2 (2006)
Prescient and disturbing
The big problem with these two episodes is that frankly it feels like the writers have basically provided a blueprint for enacting a coup in the UK, but we know that IRL there's probably no one like Harry and his team looking out for us.
Watching the twofer again from the perspective of a country where the Govt has *already* legislated to restrict protest (using as their figleaf the protesters against big oil or in favour of decent insulation, not even faked-up terrorist attacks as depicted here) it all feels even more believable than it did back on the first showing, and it felt pretty darn believeable *then*!
The writers also clearly think the stance of the person at the top of the various organisations is crucial. Harry isn't having any of this nonsense and so neither are Adam and co.
Collingwood from MI6 is up to his paranoid power-hungry eyeballs in the whole thing and *his* staff seem to have fallen in line with little to no fuss, right up to murdering other agents (poor Colin). Meanwhile they portray the police as only too happy to point guns at the populace - is it too much to hope a lot of officers would simply refuse to go along with this? I really don't know any more.
At the back of all of it is Russian money. Spooks decides it's the mafia, I think the same plot now would simply say it was ordered by the head of that state; he's got form after all.
This is a brilliantly done warning. Let's hope it remains just a fiction.
The Avengers: From Venus with Love (1967)
Groovy
It's 1967, a new series IN COLOUR, and everything is groovy.
The Avengers - once Emma Peel showed up - was fairly trendy, with-it and generally 60s anyway, but there have been a few tweaks for this new colour era.
Firstly, the opening titles. Clearly designed mainly to show off said colour - that carnation! - it has Emma and Steed cavorting in some rather silly ways which would probably not be all that helpful in a fight.
Then there's the introduction of the 'Mrs Peel, we're needed' gag at the beginning of each story which is frankly just irritating, and the little couplet 'Steed....., Emma.....' which adds what I always think of as 60s twee. Neither of these things is an improvement.
Emma's clothing is trendier than ever, but unfortunately Steed seems to have been made over too and his clothes are a little less classic-looking than they were before. Nothing *too* way out thankfully and at least no one had the temerity to remove his bowler hat!
Emma's flat has also been 'improved' and frankly doesn't look all that comfortable. (We don't get to see Steed's place this time)
The story here is pretty good and not out of line for the Avengers. It seems quite sci-fi at first, but there is a down-to-earth explanation. The body count is quite high - I was particularly sad to see the demise of Bert the Toff Chimneysweep!
I don't know yet if they will keep this up, but the wrap up scene at the end has some relation to what has gone before, which is actually *better* than the previous series. Previously these scenes were pretty bonkers and often the viewer wanted a final few lines about the resolution of the story but instead just got Steed and Emma driving off in a weird car or something.
All in all it's still a great show. A few 'improvements' that aren't but which don't really matter and are understandable given the times in which the production team were working. The basics are still here though.
Spooks: The Special: Part 2 (2005)
A thriller
I really enjoyed this episode - or pair of episodes to be exact. They were an excellent way to kick off a new series of Spooks. Also, apart from a couple of poor drivers (who might just as well have been wearing red jerseys), the good guys basically came out on top.
However.
I do rather agree with the reviewer who suggests that Spooks of old wouldn't have been quite so upbeat. It did feel slightly more like a traditional thriller movie, where by and large good triumphs over evil.
Martine McCutcheon is a fun character - I particularly like her answering Harry back when he gives her the 'be grateful' chat and that she's quick thinking enough to make use of the smart jacket when she's being dragged out of Thames House.
But it's basically stunt casting, of someone who was having a 'moment' at the time but who rather sticks out in 2024 as a bit misplaced. And I also think it's one reason for her character being saved in the nick of time, rather than sacrificed as I do agree Spooks series 1 might have done.
It's a question of tone and frankly if changing the tone to be a bit less dour meant that Spooks kept going for longer, I don't really mind. Nonetheless, though this is a fun start to series 4, it is just that little bit more run of the mill than the early stories were.
The Avengers: Room Without a View (1966)
A Glimpse of Something Serious
Every so often something serious pops up in The Avengers.
In this case, it's when Steed starts to describe conditions in the prison camp Wadkin is thought to have been held in, Ni San. It's a horrible place but Steed knows all about it, about the routine, the sounds and about what it feels like to be held there. It's almost as if he has direct experience....
Given Steed's age and his career, he might well have exactly that. If he did, it might well explain his insouciant approach to life now. It is hard to imagine being able to take anything much seriously after surviving such a horrendous experience. He wouldn't be the only war veteran I have encountered (even if he is fictional) who felt, having survived the very worst things, that nothing could ever really be all that bad afterwards.
Death in Paradise: Episode #13.1 (2024)
Excellent 100th episode
If your TV show doesn't take itself too seriously there are certain things you want in your 100th episode. Mainly some level of nostalgia for episode one, plus maybe something to make the loyal audience feel like you're talking directly to them.
Death in Paradise delivers here absolutely. Despite not being able to, for example, have the original detective return for a guest slot (because he was murdered!), they still used a clip to show his face. They had a guest slot for possibly the most-missed female cast member, Camille and showed another in a photograph. Plus they brought back a character who had appeared in episode one to be a main character in this one. I honestly didn't remember Marlon Collins from ep 1, but I wouldn't mind betting some viewers did.
The actual plot was pretty clever and involved jeopardy for a long-standing character. I never really thought there was any danger of him leaving, but I suppose you never know.
Finally, they had the cast chatting about whether or not there would be any interest from the wider world about the adventures of a British policeman living in the Caribbean.
Shouldn't have thought so, would you? :)
The Avengers: The House That Jack Built (1966)
The end really makes it
As has been said elsewhere this is an excellent, creepy, claustrophobic episode.
It's very much concentrating on Mrs Peel - a device to allow Patrick Macnee a bit of down time apparently. I don't know how things work nowadays in TV, but I would have assumed the actors took their holidays in between seasons. However, it seems that in the 60s at any rate, they got time off during the filming! There are some early Dr Who episodes where certain characters (including the Doctor!) don't appear in an episode because they were, apparently, on holiday!
Anyway, Mrs Peel does an excellent job of rescuing herself, with Steed only turning up right at the end when it's all over. (His friend/agent Pongo, or Withers, manages to appear sinister and untrustworthy, so is not really much use to Mrs Peel)
It is only as Steed offers Emma his hand that we see from her face just how unsettled she has been by the whole episode. She's not unaffected, but Steed will just offer wordless support because he would never want her to think he thought her fragile. It's a clear display of respect and, actually, of love. Maybe not romantic love, but love all the same. Subtle, but very effective.
The Persuaders!: Greensleeves (1971)
Preposterous but fun
Even in 1971, doing up a house of the size & type of Greensleeves from 'virtually a ruin' would cost many thousands, even millions. All for a scam? Even for a lucrative scam it is simply preposterous.
It does make for a highly entertaining romp however, as Sinclair masquerades as his own lookalike, in order to find out what the heck is going on. The scene where he arrives and the people who want a Sinclair lookalike are critiquing his likeness to the 'real' Brett ('The profile is a bit off' says the woman) is of course very amusing to the audience as we know what's what.
Curtis' turn as a butler is typically hilarious though he's surprisingly good at carrying a tray of tea cups! It takes only moments though for young Ms Congoto to spot the deception.
Another reviewer wonders why Sinclair hadn't been to the family seat recently, but I think the obvious answer is that this is not the family seat but just one of many properties and Sinclair just hasn't given it any thought lately. It does seem a bit hard on poor Moorehead though, if he's been having to live in a 'virtual ruin' all these years!
It doesn't really make a lot of sense when you drill down but it's one of the better entries in the series.
Death Comes to Pemberley: Episode #1.2 (2013)
Someone should wring Lydia's neck
I have always loathed the character of Lydia, right from my first encounter with Pride & Prejudice, through every film/movie adaptation and particularly in this story. When I first encountered Death Comes to Pemberley I was sort of hoping she'd be the victim. Here, Jenna Coleman does an excellent job of being ghastly!
However PD James understood - as is outlined in the actual plot - that even a peripheral connection to a murder would be fatal to the Darcy family's reputation, not something that could be brushed off so she would be most unlikely to bump off Darcy's sister-in-law no matter how much we might all want her to!
This is an excellent adaptation of an enjoyable book (though not I think PD James best). There are one or two anachronisms brought in by the TV writer which I don't remember from the book. I don't include the more relaxed, modern dialogue, which I think is a reasonable alteration. However, one TV invention that stood out was the vicar gently teasing his congregation because basically he had a full house due to the scandal: church going was totally usual and expected at the time. I doubt he ever had much less than full attendance!
The Good Ship Murder (2023)
OK so it's not ground-breaking telly, but...
First the good things: Shane Ward (who I had never heard of before) can sing and his acting actually isn't bad, especially given it isn't his first job. There are other decent actors in the cast too. The show also gets extra points for - as far as I can tell - using the real locations and for including some characters who at least try to speak languages other than English. Last time I looked, Madame Blanc, for example, hadn't even started trying to speak French!
But that's about it. The plots are a bit average, some are better than others and as has been pointed out the involvement of Jack, Kate & the rest of the ship-board characters in the crimes isn't really credible. However, this is NOT the only TV crime drama that stretches credulity like this, especially at the moment.
This is not great, ground-breaking telly, but there's nothing really wrong with it. It's lovely to look at and it actually doesn't always shy away from the realities of life - episode 3 is particularly good here.
It's a perfectly nice way to spend a winter evening.
Signora Volpe (2022)
Highly enjoyable
Since the UK was crazy enough to go through with Brexit, there seems to have a been a rush of dramas, usually crime dramas, set in beautiful Euro locations with attractive women acting as detectives in what is a fairly unlikely manner. By and large, the local cops don't seem to mind and frankly some of these dramas only avoid the 'dim copper' trope by the skin of their teeth.
Anyway, Signora Volpe is a highly entertaining entry into the genre and is slightly different in a couple of ways. Firstly, Sylvia Fox is very competent because of her MI6 background. It's actually believable that she might stick her nose into investigations and place herself at risk, where for some of the crop of mid-life women 'tecs it's less likely.
Secondly, there's no hint that the local police aren't competent. In fact Capitano Riva pretty much instantly gets that Ms Fox isn't just some visiting English tourist. The series mainly deals with the police by either including them and Sylvia being relatively straight with them, or by leaving them out of things altogether.
This is not a gritty, angsty drama - I wouldn't watch that anyway. It's all beautiful, things work out fairly rapidly for Sylvia and whoever she's effectively taken under her wing and quite frankly, I would happily watch this every week. There's enough angst in the world at the moment, without watching more on TV!
The worst thing about Signora Volpe, and the reason I have docked one star is the lack of episodes. THREE?! What sort of season is that? Come on guys, make more, soon as possible please.