Indian Summers

Just watched the first episode on Channel 4, the pilot was 1 hr 45 min long but wasn't boring at all though some of it was a bit predictable but it's only the first episode and still got 9 more to go. The first episode was about Ralph Whelan and the rest of the Indian Civil Service begin the annual move to Simla where Cynthia Coffin prepares the exclusive white British Club for the summer season. Overall it was a great experience and especially performance by Jemima West, Julie Walters, Henry Lloyd-Hughes and Nikesh Patel were flawless and true to their character. The sets looks great and hope the audience enjoys it and the producers manage to make the remaining 30 episodes.

I went into Indian Summers out of curiosity but, with the thought that, realistically it wasn't something I'd be too into. The whole kind of 'period drama with a twist' has never worked for me. However, I quickly had a change of opinion - I think this might be the best show I've seen this year.

Everything that you would expect to be good is - the acting is superb from pretty much the whole cast - I can't think of anyone who lets it down. The story is complex, with various characters lives interweaving against the backdrop of crumbling colonial India, with endless contrasts of high society and vicious oppression being beautifully balanced to seem both natural and revealing.

The thing that stood out to me though, and it is certainly something that is harder to pinpoint, was the vibrant nature of the whole show. Despite much of the 'action' coming from character tensions rather than events, the eclectic range of character backgrounds, combined with the fierce political and cultural battles being fought brought the show to life in a way I haven't seen for some time. A beautiful colour palette with some stunning camera work makes this an absolute pleasure to watch.

I don't know how season 2 will live up to this standard, but I owe the whole team my confidence after such a brilliant show.

I found it delightful, suspenseful, and full of drama. I thoroughly enjoyed the historical backdrop Characters were so well defined, I wanted more from the Whelans and Dalals . I so wish it had gone on for 3 more seasons

We have come to expect more from Masterpiece Theater, but this is so shocking dull I can't believe it was even encouraged. Someone must have done one hell of a sales pitch in a meeting to get this project green-lighted. It moves at a nail's pace and at the end of a 2 hour episode you feel completely drained and realize you just wasted your time. A re-run of Downton Abbey in Season 1 would be a much better investment in your time. So consider this a friendly heads-up, this is not a well put together story. It lacks clear identification of the characters, their purpose and motivation of why they are there and what they expect to accomplish. At best it isn't even an interesting story or premise to hang on to. It was all I could do to stay awake because I was expecting some sense of what I was watching that never came.

Some months ago, I binge watched all of S1 over a weekend. Real life was effectively cancelled until the closing credits of the final episode. It was a glorious, immersive experience.

This is a genuine 'Jewel' of a show. Sure, it has some laboured historical anachronisms and the usage of tropical Penang as a filming location means Simla has been woefully miscast. But these misgivings aside, as a filmic experience Indian Summers is magnificent.

Cinematography is exquisite, the vibrant colours simply dance off the screen and the production values are top notch. The setting is lush and evocative. The plot is riveting, inter-laced with the politics of the time, (with dark resonances for us today). This is definitely a post-colonial reading of the last days of the Raj, but there is certainly some balance afforded by the marvellously textured and excellently acted characterisations. For example, Ralph Whelan is a charming sociopath, but there is nuance and intrigue in his character that makes him compelling throughout.

Overall, I can safely say that this is one of the best, original TV productions I have seen for some years. I can't wait for the second series!