The murders are often solved through coincidences that are sometimes too convenient, and the mysteries themselves are contrived, too convoluted, and in many instances, weak. This is how smart women once lived and how many women still get their point across – through manipulation. Also, Miss Marple is a woman of her time, and seeing how she boosts the egos of the males around her and makes polite “suggestions” that lead the inspectors in the right direction makes me cringe.
Julia mckenzie and husband series#
My enjoyment of the series does not blind me to the dated quality of these Agatha Christie plots. A cup of tea, my pooch on my lap, and Miss Marple is all the entertainment I need to relax on a Sunday night. And then there are the shots of the British countryside, the beautiful costumes of pre-World War II Britain, and the exquisite mansions and their interiors. We’ve seen all these familiar faces before on BBC, ITV, and PBS productions, and so we know that the quality of the acting will be superb. In addition to the detectives, we get to watch Rupert Graves, Hattie Morahan, Prunella Scales, Anna Chancellor, Amanda Root, Jemma Redgrave, Russel Tovey, Joan Collins, Elliot Cowan, Maxine Peak, Nigel Terry, well, the list goes on and on. The biggest treat in watching this finely produced series is to see the familiar stable of British actors who people the lovely villages in which the plots thicken. In Murder is Easy so many victims fell, that I wondered if the village would have to be abandoned for lack of inhabitants. If I lived in Great Britain and I saw Miss Marple heading towards my village, I’d get into my Bentley and run, for everywhere Miss Marple goes, murder follows. They also lack her female intuition, which prompts her to notice those tiny details that men often miss, such as a redhead not choosing to dye her hat red. While these men are quite capable, they lack Miss Marple’s “insider” knowledge, as she has a knack for being at the right place at the wrong time, as it were. And what fine detectives they are! This season we have Matthew MacFadyen as Inspector Neele, Benedict Cumberbatch as retired policeman Luke Fitzwilliam, Alex Jennings as Inspector Curry, and Warren Clarke as Commander Peters. She never oversteps her boundaries with the detectives who arrive on the scene to solve a case. In PBS’s new Miss Marple series, Julia’s mousy character can easily disappear into the woodwork as she takes on the role of keen observer. Julia’s Miss Marple reminds me of the smart but deferential women of my grandmother’s generation who stand on the sidelines but whose power lay in maneuvering others into action or thinking their way. I’ve held off reviewing this excellent series showing on PBS Masterpiece Mystery! until I got a good sense of how well Julia McKenzie fares as the observant elderly sleuth, and I find that she plays the character true to form. Retired policeman Luke Fitzwilliam and Miss Marple looking for clues If you missed the episode, or would like to see it again, PBS will show it online from June 21 to July 4th. I won’t spoil the plot for you other than to say that this was one of the more satisfying Miss Marple mysteries that I have watched. Finch is a particularly refreshing official, for he respects Miss Marple’s detective skills and consults her as they both, well, she solves the mystery.
Julia mckenzie and husband trial#
Played by the divine Stephen Dillane, who portrayed Schmidt in God on Trial and Thomas Jefferson in John Adams. Once again things go bump in the night and someone is murdered.Įnter Finch, Chief Inspector from Scotland Yard. Assembled at the mansion are a motley sort, even for a Miss Marple mystery. The mysterious County Ludwig Von Stainach wishes to purchase The Chimneys, a house that has seen better days. I should have guessed the ending of The Secret of the Chimneys, the latest Miss Marple episode on PBS on Sunday, June 20, but I so enjoyed going along for the ride that I deliberately missed the cues until the very end.
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