by Greg Bakun
Resting after all that turkey, it's time to get back to work and see some of the stuff Acorn TV is offering. I am going to take a look at some great deals and programs available from Acorn TV plus I am going to take a look at the first episode the series Prime Suspect starring Helen Mirren. I will also break down what Acorn TV will make have available for streaming for December.
There are a couple of cool things going on with Acorn TV that I
wanted to share with you. If you are interested in Acorn TV and
have yet to decide to sign up, Acorn is going to try a persuade
you. Right now, they are offering a free 14-day trial. As always,
the first episodes of each of the 18 series are available for
free, while complete access to an average of 175 hours (up 40%
from the 125 hours in Sept.) of the very best in British mysteries
and dramas is just $2.99/mth or $29.99/yr. With the free trial,
you'll have access to all Free and Premium programs until December
16th. It seems to be a pretty sweet deal to me!
Also, as it is now December, Acorn TV has special programming for the holiday season. Now, I will be honest, when I look on their web site it is not crystal clear of what is being offered for this Yuletide time of year but I broke it down in the program section and all of my articles for the rest of the year will be a program from this selection.
Here is the list of programs for December 2012 and January 2013.
Please note all program descriptions courtesy of Acorn Media
December 2012:
Why Didn’t They Ask Evans – Complete Series (ends
1/13) Agatha Christie’s classic tale of murder, suspense,
false identities, and sparkling British wit, unraveling the
mystery behind those enigmatic dying words. 1 episode. 188 min
Lillie – Complete Series (ends 1/13) In a time when women
were expected to be docile and demure, Lillie Langtry was the
opposite. 13 episodes. 676 min.
Blue Murder – Series 2 (ends 1/13) Janine Lewis, a single
mother and DCI, heads a police team that probes Manchester’s most
gruesome murders. 4 episodes. 276 min.
Trial & Retribution 6 (Ends 12/16)
Slings & Arrows 1 (Ends 12/16)
Fortysomething (Ends 12/16)
Prime Suspect 1-2 (Ends 12/23)
Cadfael 2 (Ends 12/23)
Fresh Fields (Ends 12/23)
Rosemary & Thyme 2 (Ends 12/30)
Touching Evil 3 (Ends 12/30)
Above Suspicion (Ends 12/30)
Jennie (Ends 1/6)
Murdoch Mysteries 4 (Ends 1/6)
The Last Detective 2 (Ends 1/6)
The Brief – Complete Series (starting 12/10) Henry Farmer
is a clever criminal practice barrister who fights for justice in
the courtroom— and against chaos in his personal life. 8 episodes.
560 min.
Cracker – Series 2 (starting 12/10) Dr. Edward “Fitz”
Fitzgerald is a drunkard, a gambler, a boor, and a brilliant
criminologist— an indelible character in British crime fiction. 9
episodes. 450 min.
Monroe – Series 1 (starting 12/10) With a dose of House’s
dark humor and an infusion of humanity and warmth, Monroe is a
gripping medical drama at its best. 6 episodes. 360 min.
Partners in Crime – Series 1 (starting 12/17) Spirited
dialogue, posh Roaring '20s style, and devious mysteries abound in
Agatha Christie’s tales of the crime-solving couple Tommy and
Tuppence. 5 episodes. 330 min.
Brideshead Revisited – Complete Series (starting 12/17)
Adapted from the novel by Evelyn Waugh, winner of 17 international
awards, it hasn’t lost any of its power to move and enchant. 11
episodes. 572 min Upstairs Downstairs – Series 3 (starting
12/17) Upstairs: the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamys. Downstairs:
their loyal and lively servants. 13 episodes. 780 min.
Above Suspicion – Series 2 (starting 12/24) Does Detective
Anna Travis have what it takes to succeed in what is still mostly
a man’s world? 3 episodes. 180 min
Slings & Arrows – Series 2 (starting 12/24) A
dysfunctional Shakespearean theatre troupe struggles with artistic
egos and conspiratorial board members. 6 episodes. 276 min.
The Grand – Complete Series (starting 12/24) The Grand is
more than a building. It’s a nexus for scandals & romance
among guests and staff members alike. 18 episodes. 918 min.
Partners in Crime – Series 2 (Starts 12/24) Spirited
dialogue, Roaring '20s style, and devious mysteries abound in Dame
Agatha's tales of crime-solving couple Tommy and Tuppence. 6
episodes. 330 min.
Maigret – Series 1(starting 12/31) Equipped with rigorous
logic, uncanny judgment of character, and, his signature pipe and
fedora, Maigret relishes the challenge of solving any mystery. 6
episodes. 390 min.
No Job for a Lady – Complete Series (starting 12/31) Jean
Price has just been elected Member of Parliament. Now her real
work begins: navigating the Machiavellian world of Westminster. 18
episodes. 468 min Time Team – Set 1 (starting 12/31) An
eclectic band of archaeologists explore sites dating from the
Roman occupation of Britain. 12 episodes. 720 min.
December Marathons:
Most Mysterious Christmas Specials 11/26 – 12/23
Agatha Christie’s Poirot “Theft of the Royal Ruby” (Series 3)
Agatha Christie’s Poirot “Poirot’s Christmas” (Series 6)
Rosemary & Thyme “The Cup of Silence” (Series 3)
Midsomer Murders “Ghost of Christmas Past” (Set 8)
Foyle's War "Bleak Midwinter (Set 4)
Midsomer Murders Sets 10-12 12/10 – 12/30 Homicide,
blackmail, and betrayal; just a taste of what goes on behind the
well-trimmed hedges of Midsomer County. 12 episodes. 1200 min.
Doc Martin 12/31-1/27 Enjoy the complete collection of Doc
Martin including Series 1-5 and the Doc Martin Movies (prequels to
the TV series). 40 episodes. 1962 min.
January 2013:
Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries – Series 1 (Starts 1/7) In
1920s Melbourne, Phryne Fisher, the glamorous “lady detective”, is
a thoroughly modern woman operating in a mostly male world. 13
episodes. 650 min. A Fine Romance – Set 2 (Starts 1/7)
Dame Judi Dench and Michael Williams, star in his sitcom about two
middle-aged misfits and their bumblings along the road to true
love. 7 episodes. 210 min.
Cadfael Set 3 (Starts 1/7) A 12th-century Benedictine monk,
played by Sir Derek Jacobi, who uses his worldly knowledge, to
solve crimes. 3 episodes. 225 min.
Murdoch Mysteries Season 5 (Starts 1/14) Cutting-edge
Victorian science meets cunningly plotted mystery in this
award-winning Canadian TV drama. (Not available for Canadian
subscribers.) 13 episodes. 780 min.
Edward the King – Complete Series (Starts 1/14) He waited a
lifetime to be king, ruled England for just nine years, and
changed the monarchy forever. 13 episodes. 676 min.
A Woman of Substance – Complete Series (Starts 1/14)
Determined to ruin the upper-class Fairley family who wronged her,
Emma Harte aims to become one of the richest women in the world. 9
episodes. 840 min.
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie – Complete Series (Starts
1/21) The story of an educator’s effect on young ladies at the
Marcia Blaine School for Girls, revealing the challenges they face
growing up in 1930s Scotland. 7 episodes. 366 min.
Blue Murder - Series 3 (Starts 1/21) Janine Lewis, a
single mother and DCI, heads a police team that probes
Manchester’s most gruesome murders. 3 episodes. 204 min.
Murder Investigation Team – Series 1 (Starts 1/21) DI
Vivien Friend and DC Rosie MacManus lead an elite murder
investigation team for London’s Metropolitan Police. 8 episodes.
384 min.
Dirk Gently – Series 1 (Starts 1/28) Meet Dirk Gently.
He’s poorly dressed, perpetually insolvent… and uncommonly good at
solving mysteries. Based on the Douglas Adams series. 4 episodes.
220 min.
Chance in a Million – Complete Series (Starts 1/28) Tom
Chance seems cursed by fate until he meets Alison Little, a
sheltered, earnest librarian, and the two embark on an
unconventional courtship. 18 episodes. 540 min.
January Marathons:
Upstairs Downstairs – Complete Series (Starts 1/28) Series
1-5 Upstairs: the wealthy, aristocratic Bellamys. Downstairs:
their loyal and lively servants. 67 episodes. 3,417 min.
This week, I look to Acorn TV to show me something I haven’t seen before which this time around is Prime Suspect. Now, it is kind of strange that I have never seen this series before now. I think it comes down to when I was younger in the early 1990s that I was more interesting in some comedies and perhaps because I was also a big fan of Doctor Who which is not a crime series. Some of these other series just passed me by. In fact, it wasn’t until the late 1990s that I started to look at other programs more closely as my palette, as it is, was started to become more refined towards british television. I think a turning point for me was when a friend thrusted Cracker in front of me and told me nothing about the series. It was a turning point for me. I think Prime Suspect is very similar to Cracker but maybe that has more to do with the Red Nose Day spoof Prime Cracker too.
Acorn TV is
offering Prime Suspect as part of their line-up from now
until December 23rd. Since I have never seen the series before, I
have decided to start with the first episode. If you do not have
Acorn TV you can start with the first episode too…..for free. As I
have mentioned before, every series that is offered on Acorn TV
has at least one episode that you can stream for free. This is
great because you can figuratively kick the tires on this service
and see what it brings you. I was speaking with a friend last week
who loves British television like I do and I mentioned this
service to him. The next day, he was telling me how he got into Special
Branch, which is available on Acorn TV, and joined on for
the service. He loves it and now he is contemplating buying the
DVD set too. I wonder if I need to tell him about Prime
Suspect…..
Prime Suspect was a series that started in the UK in 1991 and eventually showed up in the US in 1992. It’s funny because I was so unaware of what I was getting myself into; I wrongly assumed that I would be sitting down for 1 50 minute episode. That is not the case. Prime Suspect is a series that is one story per series and that story is broken into 2 parts. Now for the Acorn TV subscriber, the first part of Prime Suspect 1 is broken into 2 parts to allow people who want to check out the service for free to see the first 50 minutes. To be honest, after watching the first 50 minutes, it would be pretty hard to not to sign on to the service to watch the rest of it. The entire story is 207 minutes. I thought I would simply sit down and watch a 50 minute episode and write about it. In fact, I spent the afternoon into evening watching it and I do not regret a minute.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the series begins with a murder. The
murder is of a young woman who was apparently a prostitute. She
was brutally murdered. As it happens, blood is found on her body
that belongs to someone who has a very rare blood type and a match
for a suspect is found almost immediately and this person is
brought in. One of the police forces best DCI John Shefford is
heading the case. Everything is going well and suddenly he drops
dead of a heart attack. DCI Jane Tennison has worked on the force
for a while but clearly has reached the glass ceiling. Perhaps not
at the best moment, literally that afternoon after Shefford’s body
was taken away, she goes to her commanding officer’s, DCS Kernan,
office and requests a chance to take over this case. Kernan isn’t
too happy about this as Shefford was a close friend. More so
though is that even though he doesn’t say it to Tennison, he
really does not want a woman to head a murder case as this will
lead to more women getting these opportunities. He doesn’t want
the floodgate to open! It’s his commanding officer, Commander
Trayner, who pressures him to letting Tennison to have a chance.
Even though Tennison has the case, the biggest obstacle is still
to come, getting the cooperation of her new team.
Tennison’s new team doesn’t care for her at the start especially the late Shefford’s good friend DS Otley. In fact, Otley is just publicly rude to her. Tennison is smart; she keeps her wits about her and she is tough. She knew what she was getting into when she requested this case. The problem isn’t so much about the new team or the murder itself, it has more to do with the mishandling of the case from the police. Evidence is not being checked in properly and leads are not being followed up. The victim was even misidentified! Otley hates Tennison and refuses to be helpful. He gives her misinformation.
Tennison does not believe the police have enough evidence to
continue to hold their suspect George Marlow. Marlow had been with
the victim the night she died but they cannot place him with her
at the time of the murder. As the police needs to let Marlow go,
another body was found. Ultimately, the police will find more
bodies of female victims all killed the same way. As Otley wants
to only pursue the option of Marlow killing them, Tennison is
discovering that there seems to be a link between these victims
and DCI Shefford. Is DS Otley telling her everything he knows
about his old friend in connection to these victims?
When watching Prime Suspect, there is nothing monumental
about it. There isn’t really outgoing shots and from a production
standpoint it seems pretty straightforward. What makes Prime
Suspect is Helen Mirren as Tennison. The story is able to
pause at times so we can celebrate her victories and take in her
defeats. When she first is attached to this case, she leaves
Kernan’s office and is ecstatic. In turn, when she is nearly taken
off the case she holds her own in front of her superior and when
she is by herself breaks down. It makes her very human which is
helpful. Her line of questioning to Marlow and his common-law wife
Moyra is straightforward and sometimes crude. Perhaps sometimes it
is a little too far. Tennison is missing the filter that reminds
her when she needs to be human in front of other people. She is so
focused on the case. There is a point when she goes to one of the
victim’s parents and doesn’t realize this father needs a moment to
grieve. She isn’t always thinking the way she should. In fact, at
the beginning of this story she is in a relationship but the case
takes over her life so much she ends up losing him. Though to be
honest, her boyfriend didn’t seem very patient for her big chance
to take her career to the next level.
What makes this so interesting for me is that although the story is about trying to pin these murders on Marlow, it really is about Tennison and what she needs to go through to have some success. Tennison needed to work extra hard to get any kind of foot hold with her team. Nobody wanted her to lead the case mainly because she was a woman, she worked all the time researching leads and endlessly going over evidence. Not only that, she tries to live her life with her boyfriend and her family. The balance isn’t really working for her but no one seems to care. Especially her boyfriend Peter. He never stops to think how much work she has or how difficult it might be for her. Tennison never complains she has too much going on. She is open to do whatever Peter or her family needs but when she fails on those fronts no one stops to think about how much she is juggling. I am not sure if that was the intent of Lynda La Plante’s script but that’s what I took out of it. I felt bad for Tennison because she had no support on all fronts.
There are some big names in this production. Perhaps the biggest
name in this episode had the smallest part. I was pretty surprised
to see Ralph Fiennes showing up as one of the victim’s boyfriend.
It was good to see him; I expected to see him more but he was just
in a couple of scenes. I guess if I want to see him more, I could
watch Skyfall again. Also in this story is Zoe Wanamaker
as George Marlow’s common-law wife Moyra. I will be honest, I
can’t stand her. I am really not a fan and I don’t know why but
she grates on me. Maybe that’s why she works so well in this part
because her character grates too. To be fair, I am sure I would
grate on her too.
/
I haven't picked a program yet but I know I
will grab something from the Most Mysterious Christmas
Specials Marathon but which episode should it be? If there is
a program you want to see me review, send me a note through
the e-mail link below and I will take a look at it!
Like what you see? Hate it? Have questions of comments? Send us an e-mail and tell us what you think!
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