Bookish

It's rare for a show with such a brilliant theme and concept to fall apart so quickly, but Bookish manages it with surprising speed. What starts as a gentle, character-driven world in the first episode devolves into a frustrating and aimless experience by the second.

Unfortunately, this promising premise was let down by poor execution. The second episode squanders all narrative momentum, turning the possibly deliberate pace of the premiere into a frustrating meander.

The central mystery, which should be the show's driving force, struggles to move forward, or may I say just entangles itself repeatedly... making the plot feel aimless and repetitive.

Instead of building tension, the story feels too clever for its own good, introducing a series of convoluted scenes that go on with no clear end in sight. The show relies heavily on its quirky characters, but without a compelling narrative, their unique traits become a tedious way to fill time.

Ultimately, Bookish fails to deliver, leaving me with a sense of disappointment and a feeling that the series is a book best left unfinished.

I really enjoyed the first two episodes, or rather the first case. First, we learn about the bookstore and the area, as well as the main characters. The pacing is well-chosen; above all, you can enjoy the series, and the locations are very interesting. I really enjoyed the whole case. I especially loved the flashbacks, as they reminded me of Agatha Christie's films. The resolution wasn't predictable for me, and there were a few twists and turns. The camera work was okay and I also liked the editing. The character development was very good, especially for some of the main characters. I give it 9 out of 10, and I'm looking forward to the second case.

Gatiss really stepping out of his comfort zone here, portraying a gay, waspish and brilliant bookseller cum detective. I was resistant at first, seeing it as Gatiss's attempt to claim the role Cumberbatch got to before him, but I really warmed to it and I'm glad to see a second series has been greenlit.

The supporting cast are very stage school gorblimey, and there are one or two really bum notes like the diminutive Turkish girl who has, to put it kindly, an unusual acting style. Book's beard, cough, wife is a charming and attractive presence and their relationship is well drawn. The cases are unnecessarily convoluted, but who cares. This is slippers, tea and biscuits TV, and God bless it for that.

I wanted to watch that series because of Gatiss as a Sherlock and Doctor Who fan.

But after 2 first episodes I'm bored and disappointed. Sucha a pity. Nice idea of a bookworm solving crimes in post war London.

Firstly the main character is a boring show off. His is constantly acting like "Look at me, I'm a genius". He likes to be in the center of the attention, not carrying about the others.

His wife is acting like some kind of overacting actress from the theatre. There's completely no chemistry between them. Like they just friends, pretending that they are in love, cos he's gay?

And what with that lisping girl from the neighbourhood, acting like 15 years old?!

She's grown up and acting like a schoolgirl.

Jack is completely bland and the series would be OK without him, he adds nothing in the script.

Ok, now the mistery. We have a few red herrings and of course a murderer is a person, which is showed earlier. People with strong motives are innocent like always. Murderer is punished.

But why they wasted 2 whole episodes to solve such an easy mistery?! Why not 1 episode with less dialogues?!

Little less conversation, a little more action! Like Elvis once said.

Believe me, they're better series that that one.

Now you can hate me, I don't care. That's my opinion, and I will keep it.

I wanted to like this program more than I actually did. It's premise, actors and affable quirks were most promising from the trailers. But it just didn't live up to it and I'm afraid it was Mark Gatiss, for me, who missed the mark.

The performance echoed and harked back to characters originally played in The League of Gentleman decades before (brilliant twisted humour). But having seen Gatiss perform this schtick many times in programs and films, it has worn thin.

Recently, I read an article where Mark Gatiss talked about nostalgia being the problem with new Dr Who episodes and holding it back. Ironically, nostalgia seems to be the guiding force behind his acting. I still like Gatiss but he is slowly ascending a glass pedestal of his own making.