Have always adored detective dramas/mystery series. This has been apparent from an early age, half my life even, when getting into Agatha Christie through Joan Hickson's Miss Marple and David Suchet's Poirot and into 'Inspector Morse'.
Whether it's the more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' (and its prequel series 'Endeavour') and anything Agatha Christie. Whether it's the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' (though that is balanced brilliantly with comedy too) and particularly 'Taggart'. And whether it's the light-hearted ones like 'Murder She Wrote'. 'Rosemary and Thyme' is an example of a light-hearted detective mystery series and always gives me a lot of pleasures and banishes the blues when watching. It is a shame that it didn't last longer because it deserved to.
"The Gongoozlers" for me is one of my favourite 'Rosemary and Thyme' episodes, there is a huge amount to like here as with any 'Rosemary and Thyme' episode. At no point does it feel dull, it has its surprises and is not a case of not being enough suspects. The ending is not predictable and is plausible.
It is a shame that Rosemary is not in it enough, which does rob us a little of the sparkling chemistry between her and Laura sparkling even more and it is this that is one of the main attractions of the show. There is very little to fault with otherwise in "The Gongoozlers".
Visually, "The Gongoozlers" looks wonderful, beautifully photographed, vibrant in colour and as always with the show with a stunning setting, have always been envious of the gardens seen on the show. The music has a lot of charm with a main theme tune that is soothingly folksy that matches the whimsy of the setting appropriately.
The writing is engaging and suitably light-hearted without being frothy. Some of the dialogue is very funny. The story is suitably twisty without on the most part being too convoluted, and is entertaining and with a relaxing vibe without being simplistic.
Similarly the characters engage, with Rosemary and Laura being interesting and distinct in personality, and the chemistry between the two always sparkles. Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris are simply great, individually and as a sparkling double act, love Kendal's fire and feistiness and Ferris' more restrained and thoughtful approach. Belinda Lang is terrific.
Overall, another great episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox