Hear the Angels Sing

'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.

"Hear the Angels Sing" is another wonderful episode to Season 5. One of my favourites of the season in fact.

Mainly because 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. Munro is too much of a cold fish though, never have warmed to him.

It is also wonderful to see Lawson back and Charlie has come on such a long way. The chemistry between Blake and Jean (radiantly played by Nadine Garner) and Jean herself are a continual huge part of the series' appeal

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', "Hear the Angels Sing" 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, and seldom if ever any less otherwise. The relationships between the characters are well worth investing in.

Overall, another wonderful episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Watched all of these episodes. Every season. Not sure why. Guess I was curious to see just how bad it could be. Plots a bit gruesome. Cars a bit too shiny. Acting, tho, actually very good, EXCEPT for the doctor and his missus, and that was the worst part. The last season, ironically, saw a vast improvement. I guess the network just couldn't put up with that.

What a pleasure it is to watch this detective procedural set in 1950s Australia with a flawed protagonist who ingratiated the viewer with his humanity and intelligence he applies to his duties as a police surgeon who compulsively meddles in solving murders that afflict the village of Bellarat. The sympathetic cast and sensitive psychological approach is appealing, the plots are challenging and the storyline has been sufficiently consistent to create expectations of the viewer that the series will continue.

We have enjoyed this program on PBS so much. The acting is excellent and the period of the piece is not overdone. The cases/mysteries are more interesting than on American tv and my only complaint is that there aren't more stories. Munro is an interesting character. The actor was a good guy in another show and you loved him. Here he is not such a nice guy and you want to rip him in two. Great acting. Give us more of this kind of thing.

The victim this time is a young man who is one of the police detectives at the Ballarat station. He takes a young woman to the station at night and while she waits for him, he is murdered. Doctor Blake's hands are pretty much tied because his erratic past catches up with him. He probably has this coming. There is a reappearance by the former chief inspector who committed some unpardonable offenses and who blames Blake for his ouster. While he and Blake walk down a street, a violent thing happens. The young editor of the newspaper has a vendetta against Blake and the police department in general. He creates serious enemies and betrays his own father, who set him up in a lucrative business. But there is another character waiting in the wings. The other really important issue is Jean and her need to face the tenets of the Roman Catholic Church. Things are put together pretty nicely but there is room for serious future developments.