Mystery!: Cadfael

I first watched this show believing it would be another dull British detective story, I was wrong it was an excellent show about a medieval monk who uses deductive reasoning to solve murders. The show also gives you a sense of what life was like in the middle ages. A lot of medieval stories concentrate on brutality of the times while this one shows the day to day affairs of normal people, the culture ,the church, the politics and how it affects the murder of the victims.

I have since read the Ellis Peters novels and quite simply this is one case where the TV show is better than the books it was based on. I highly recommend watching this show if you like murder mysteries.

Even those with criticism for the Cadfael series' inaccuracies and inconsistencies can't help but be avid admirers. The writing and performances are superb and Jacobi must surely be one of the most gifted actors alive on stage or screen.

It seems unnecessary that they had to go abroad to film the series. There must surely be a patch of forest left in Wales or the west of England that would have suited a film crew. It is also a shame that more actual Welsh actors had not been engaged for the series, even as extras or cameos. The location is in a traditionally Welsh region of Shropshire, so one should expect to hear Welsh being spoken by the abbey locals, if not the occasional cast member.

It is true some of the episodes did not work well, especially the incredible "Virgin in the Ice". "The Sanctuary Sparrow" is certainly one of the best due to the classical tragedy of the story. The series is accompanied well on American television by forewords and epilogues by Diana Rigg, usually with interesting trivia about the books, filming or historical background.

there's no ballot. I'd give the series a 9-of-10 mark. Jacobi is perfect as the solver of mysteries. I'd like to kick Brother Jerome in the shins, so that actor must have done an excellent job playing his part as well. Of the 3 sheriffs, I prefer the premier season's man. The others don't quite measure up. I have seen 10 of the videos released from the series so far...am still trying to locate those from the 3rd set.

This is a great, great show. that manages to mix mystery with an authentic period feel. I have always been interested in the middle ages. i loved this show the first time i saw an episode on PBS. Great mysteries, interesting characters and a good feel for period- although the people are a bit clean most of the time; really love the interplay between Cadfael, standing for logic, rationality, and the power of the human brain to perceive the world and the characters of brother prior/brother Jerome standing for dogma, doctrine and rigid interpretations of the world based on religious hocus pocus. Derek Jacobi shines as brother Cadfael, bringing his wonderful talent to the role and delivering a sterling performance each time. It is so easy to love Cadfael, with his strong sense of justice and dry wit. not to mention his rebellious streak. MUST WATCH!

It was certainly one of the more original mysteries to come to television. I love Jacobi, he's probably one of my favorite actors. I must say my favorite sheriff was Sean Pertwee. Jon Pertwee's son (of Dr. Who fame). I have to agree with Br. Jerome being one you would love to just kick. I think the actor does a bang up job doing so. Are there any more in the series? I would think so, I've only read a handful of the stories. I probably learned more about plants watching this than I ever did on my own. The actor who played the Sargeant, I've seen him before...oh yes, Hitchhiker's Guide I think. So as not to stray too much off topic, I'd actually give Cadfeal a 10/10. I love the program and plan on getting it on DVD.

Well that's my 2 cents.