cheeseman-33760

I must say that I know that Vera is a great series, and I hope that what I say won't take away from that. I get that the TV series is based on a series of books, but one thing I would like to see is more character development, and side stories involving the minor characters (by this I mean characters other than Vera). For example, Kenny's behaviour is always being alluded to. I would like to see him in situations outside the office, not much related to his job. I can't help thinking of the excellent recent series, Beyond Paradise, with Kris Marshall. There, they combined the sleuthing with real, personal stories. Also, in this, they 'reenacted' how the murders might have taken place instead of just talking about them. I get that, to be true to the story, the 'red herrings' have all got to be in 'Vera', but more reenactment and less talk with these could be the order of the day. With a seasoned actress like Brenda Blethyn, you can probably get away with a lot, but, I must say, I have 'watched' a lot of episodes of Vera, and I can't remember one where I didn't fall asleep at some point. Just trying to keep up with all the twists and turns and talk became too much. It sometimes becomes like, you know the story is going along, things are happening, the actors are saying their lines, but they are not taking the viewer (me, at least) along on the journey with them.

On another matter, there is a lot of 'diversity casting' in Vera. Sometimes a POC has a major role, but often a 'diverse person' has a really minor role. I am reminded of a short conversation in one of the episodes where Vera was talking to I think a policeman. The difference in acting ability between between the two was palpable. Which begs the question, was that person the best one for the part, however small? Also, in a few episodes, there is a person dressed in Muslim garb sitting at a desk at the back in the office. She doesn't get up or speak or walk around or interact with anyone or do anything.

To conclude, it would be nice to be able to say at the end, not just 'That was a clever story', but also 'I enjoyed it.'

I love this show with Professor Brian Cox. He draws you in with his knowledge and enthusiasm. You are in a beautiful trance listening to his learned voice. But towards the end, all of a sudden, the spell is broken. Another voice emerges, then another, and heads appear, sometimes even saying the first part of a sentence with Brian Cox finishing it. Why are these other people needed after he has been the sole presenter for most of the show. Are they needed? The answer is a resounding No. Do they contribute anything extra to the program? Again a resounding No. Do they detract from the enjoyment of the show? A resounding Yes. Methinks, it has something to do with diversity requirements. Am I right? Brian Cox is perfectly capable of presenting the show all by himself from beginning to end. Let him do that, for pity's sake.

I must admit that this is an excellent series, very interesting, well acted. I have to date seen only the first two episodes as SBS is drip feeding them at the rate of one a week, which is fine - something to look forward to - and I do. But already I have a beef - not with the script, not with the characters, not with the story, not with the ambience, but with something behind, something that should be avoided at all costs - literally at all costs. Find some other organisation to help with the costs of production, humanity does not need the tobacco industry. Just say no to them. I have of course seen this in many other productions - and it is such a bad, retrograde development. One of the scenes I could not quite believe in the series was the depiction of many of the characters so openly smoking at school. No hiding behind the sheds, no teacher approaching them to tell them to stop. I suppose, given that the students were at the end of their last year at school, it could be argued that they were probably 18 or nearly, so could choose for themselves - it even makes me wonder if perhaps the story was tweaked a little so this could be the case. Younger students could not have been so targeted - but perhaps the adults? The deleterious effects of smoking have been known about for many decades. Smoking is not a life choice, it is a serious health risk, especially since tobacco is so highly addictive. It is hard to believe, but does the tobacco industry really want to get people addicted to such a harmful substance just so they can make a lot of money?