'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.
"A Lethal Combination" was a wonderful start to Season 5. Although not as good or one of the series' best "Sorrow Songs" is still a fine episode, for me it wasn't preposterous and the characters intrigued with nothing to get into an uproar about. Maybe some of the accents weren't great but that is it for the quibbles.
Like "A Lethal Combination", thankfully it doesn't have the flat character of Blake's wife or marital sub-plotting distracting from the rest of the episodes that was my continual only complaint of the previous season. It also doesn't have the cold fish character of Munro, who didn't ever do much for me, that was my only major issue with Season 3, am continuing to be glad to see the back of him.
It is also wonderful to see Lawson back and Charlie has come on such a long way. Alice's quips entertain too, but my favourite things here were the delightful chemistry between Blake and Jean and Jean herself. Keep overlooking how wonderful Nadine Garner is in the role.
Everything was already well established and interesting very early on and it all got even better. 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', "Sorrow Songs" 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 otherwise. The relationships between the characters are well worth investing in.
Concluding, excellent. 9/10 Bethany Cox
