36 opiniones
This is an exceedingly hard series to rate because the first three seasons are so terrific and the fourth is unaccountably bad. First season deserves the 9 stars I gave it. I would seriously only give the last season one--half it they'd let me. Do yourself, Eleanor and the other characters a favour and resist the temptation to watch the fourth season.
The first three seasons are interesting, well composed period pieces of life in Victorian London. Story lines focus on an intelligent, educated young woman and her widowed father. Both are doctors. At the time women doctors were an anomaly. The class and sex divisions of that society are depicted in interesting detail throughout the series as Eleanor moves from a hospital position, dabbles in middle class general practice and goes on to become head of a free infirmary in the slums of the city.
Jemma Redgrave and the other actors are simply excellent. The casting director is to be commended. The third season ends at a good point, but the series is so well done you naturally want more. Resist if you can that tempting fourth season. It is a poison apple.
Apparently the Pod People visited the set in the third-fourth season hiatus, taking over the bodies and minds of both cast and crew. The last two tedious episodes are imitations of bad art-house fare--darkly lit, with unnaturally bright lighting on certain characters' faces. Intrusive, annoying and at times downright weird music. Eleanor's devoted father and other ongoing major characters apparently were abducted by our alien visitors, for they are nowhere to be seen. The Men in Black must have visited the Thrift (Eleanor's slum-based infirmary) because there's not a mention of them or the fact the Thrift appears to be an entirely different building (with several new floors!)in the same place it always was.
Worst of all is the fact that the characters we've come to love, with all their warts and bumps, have been replaced by automatons bearing the same names and clothing. It was of passing interest to see an actress as good as Jemma Redgrave tackle the role of an entirely new (and unlikeable) character with only a name in common with the person she'd portrayed so beautifully in the past.
Do not sully the memory of these people by watching the last season. You'll only regret it. Your time will be better spent looking up Jemma Redgrave in IMDb to see her other work. That's where I'm going next.
The first three seasons are interesting, well composed period pieces of life in Victorian London. Story lines focus on an intelligent, educated young woman and her widowed father. Both are doctors. At the time women doctors were an anomaly. The class and sex divisions of that society are depicted in interesting detail throughout the series as Eleanor moves from a hospital position, dabbles in middle class general practice and goes on to become head of a free infirmary in the slums of the city.
Jemma Redgrave and the other actors are simply excellent. The casting director is to be commended. The third season ends at a good point, but the series is so well done you naturally want more. Resist if you can that tempting fourth season. It is a poison apple.
Apparently the Pod People visited the set in the third-fourth season hiatus, taking over the bodies and minds of both cast and crew. The last two tedious episodes are imitations of bad art-house fare--darkly lit, with unnaturally bright lighting on certain characters' faces. Intrusive, annoying and at times downright weird music. Eleanor's devoted father and other ongoing major characters apparently were abducted by our alien visitors, for they are nowhere to be seen. The Men in Black must have visited the Thrift (Eleanor's slum-based infirmary) because there's not a mention of them or the fact the Thrift appears to be an entirely different building (with several new floors!)in the same place it always was.
Worst of all is the fact that the characters we've come to love, with all their warts and bumps, have been replaced by automatons bearing the same names and clothing. It was of passing interest to see an actress as good as Jemma Redgrave tackle the role of an entirely new (and unlikeable) character with only a name in common with the person she'd portrayed so beautifully in the past.
Do not sully the memory of these people by watching the last season. You'll only regret it. Your time will be better spent looking up Jemma Redgrave in IMDb to see her other work. That's where I'm going next.
- sherry-86-950063
- 20 jun 2011
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Season 3 not so much, and Season 4 is embarrassing..or it should be. The characters lose all of the traits and behaviors that made them so endearing. And there were some excellent stories in the first couple of seasons, but season 4 shows this very smart woman acting like she had a frontal lobotomy. It's as if the series was written by two different sets of writers.
Do watch the first two seasons, maybe skip the later ones if you've come to love the characters. The synthesizers used for the music in the last two episodes have no place in the 1890's!
Do watch the first two seasons, maybe skip the later ones if you've come to love the characters. The synthesizers used for the music in the last two episodes have no place in the 1890's!
- boomer-kris
- 11 abr 2020
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I had never heard of this series but since it was available on Netflix streaming I gave it a go.
What a pleasant surprise! It engaged me immediately and I found myself sitting through all night marathons to catch up with the story.
What the show does best is not to be cliché. The characters portrayed are not perfect human beings and have faults which makes the storyline nicely unpredictable with a few twists and turns that I found quite emotional at times.
It's very well acted throughout and Jemma Redgrave is outstanding and perfectly believable as a late Victorian doctor working in the slums of London and all the supporting cast do a fine job.
I have to add an addendum to this review since I hadn't seen the entire series when I wrote it.
The show is very good, but somehow it comes off the rails at the end of the line! Talk about a train crash!It's as though the show was canceled at the last minute so they hurried up the plot to wrap up two years into two episodes. Who knows, but all the characters are out of sync as is the plot with main characters disappearing never to be heard from again, and others appearing from no-where to take the lead. And the music get's surreal at times with no connection to the plot... at all. Quite a mystery and quite strange.
I had to remove two stars for the above reason.
What a pleasant surprise! It engaged me immediately and I found myself sitting through all night marathons to catch up with the story.
What the show does best is not to be cliché. The characters portrayed are not perfect human beings and have faults which makes the storyline nicely unpredictable with a few twists and turns that I found quite emotional at times.
It's very well acted throughout and Jemma Redgrave is outstanding and perfectly believable as a late Victorian doctor working in the slums of London and all the supporting cast do a fine job.
I have to add an addendum to this review since I hadn't seen the entire series when I wrote it.
The show is very good, but somehow it comes off the rails at the end of the line! Talk about a train crash!It's as though the show was canceled at the last minute so they hurried up the plot to wrap up two years into two episodes. Who knows, but all the characters are out of sync as is the plot with main characters disappearing never to be heard from again, and others appearing from no-where to take the lead. And the music get's surreal at times with no connection to the plot... at all. Quite a mystery and quite strange.
I had to remove two stars for the above reason.
- jmcnulty-1
- 26 abr 2011
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I came upon this miniseries by accident, and I am glad I did. I'd never heard of it, but it sounded interesting. It really does a good job of portraying what London and medicine probably were like back in the 1800's. Though not an overtly feminist piece, it does depict what women doctors had to go through to gain a bit of respect. The story line might be considered thin for four videos, but it held my interest enough so that I purchased it. If medicine, Merry Olde England, or good acting is of interest to the viewer, this is well worth watching.
- vgs1895
- 2 feb 2004
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I started watching this show (Netflix instant play) as background noise while I worked on some projects, but soon fell in love. I am particularly drawn to medical dramas, and this show was no exception. I love the relationship between the doctors Bramwell (Elanor and her father) and the hopefully somewhat-accurate depiction of the struggles a woman doctor might face in those times. I also love the depth of the more minor characters (Dr. Marsham, nurse Carr, Kate) and the witty humor and sarcasm employed.
I was grossly disappointed by the fourth mini-season of the show, however. I was warned not to watch it, by a Netflix review, but gave into temptation. Now I repeat a similar warning: if you admire Elanor's strength and character (and especially if you are fond of Dr. Marsham) don't watch Season 4. I am now trying to trick myself into remembering the series as it ended in season 3 as I was so disgusted with what went on in Season 4. The creepy music used in the intro, and throughout the fourth season should have given me a head's up. Also, Sidnney was replaced with a weenie of a character that badly needed a shave, and Dr. Robert Bramwell didn't make an appearance. Perhaps if he had, he would have knocked some sense into his daughter.
I was grossly disappointed by the fourth mini-season of the show, however. I was warned not to watch it, by a Netflix review, but gave into temptation. Now I repeat a similar warning: if you admire Elanor's strength and character (and especially if you are fond of Dr. Marsham) don't watch Season 4. I am now trying to trick myself into remembering the series as it ended in season 3 as I was so disgusted with what went on in Season 4. The creepy music used in the intro, and throughout the fourth season should have given me a head's up. Also, Sidnney was replaced with a weenie of a character that badly needed a shave, and Dr. Robert Bramwell didn't make an appearance. Perhaps if he had, he would have knocked some sense into his daughter.
- ScienceIsCool
- 15 ago 2012
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- pdhutch
- 25 sep 2017
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Fantastic series. Season 3 was amazing and is a good ending for the show. I watched Season 4 despite the reviews and because I usually watch shows in their entirety. However, the last season, it was like watching someone on drugs. It was horrible. The music, the way it was shot, it was all truly painful to watch. I'm going to simply pretend that Season 4 doesn't exist.
- latoyadavidson
- 6 may 2020
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Really enjoyed this series particullarly from a historical point of view. Having said that Season 4 SUCKED! No other way to put. Weird soundtrack, filming technique was like an out of body ecperience, very dark mood.
You spend 3 seasons loving theses characters and then season 4 happens and you really don't like them!
Would love to see a. Mini series on how the characters lifes changed as they took on the 20th century.
- johnkennethmann
- 23 abr 2019
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- john-3048
- 16 ene 2020
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- rosalisa-09605
- 12 ago 2019
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- lundrira7
- 19 ene 2019
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I agree with most reviews. 1-3 were amazing and I had hoped that the story line and character of Eleanor would have stayed there. It would have been lovely to see the relationship between the doctors. Bringing in a soldier was useless and irrelevant.
- khzzmyk
- 27 dic 2021
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How could a series take such a bad turn with writing, directing and acting not to mention settings, lighting and music. Seasons 1 thru 3 were enjoyable but I found it astounding that Eleanor was so dumb as to not see she was being used. But then the 4th season train wreck happened and proved that yes, in fact, Eleanor is that stupid. They should have ended it with season 3.
- carol-36189
- 27 ene 2019
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- dbh850
- 14 may 2012
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I have followed "Bramwell" since I started watching the mini-series on PBS's "Masterpiece Theatre" a few years ago. The depiction of a female doctor in Victorian England is very entertaining and groundbreaking. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in period drama or the history of medical practice.
- evso
- 9 ene 2000
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I've watched this series several times over the years. What an abomination the last season was, and it seems to be everyone's overwhelming opinion, which is why I've taken away the last two stars. I guess the writers decided to just make some huge change to characters for the sake of making changes. What a betrayal to the characters. It was ended on such a low, low note. As the saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. No one said anything while reading the script and went ahead with production? So go ahead and watch the show, and skip the last season. I'd rather walk away from a quality project with unanswered questions instead of a huuuuuge disappointment.
- slappysquirrel_2000
- 26 ago 2022
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Taught period piece focusing on one of the first female doctors and professional woman in late Victorian times. Stellar cast with each episode centering around a theme: betrayal; loss; love; trust; class snobbery; and medical backwardness.
Well written and atmospheric bringing you into a very gritty part of London.
Well written and atmospheric bringing you into a very gritty part of London.
- nrbessmer
- 2 feb 2019
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It's a pleasure to watch a show without cursing, fornication and same sex love scenes. In other words it's not a woke liberal trash show. These types of shows are hard to find in this modern sea of ugliness that is today entertainment industry.
Ms. Bramwell, although a little naive, should be a model for young women navigating this debauched world.
The show is presented in a square format that was prevalent in 1995. This in no way detracts from the wonderful acting and story line. I found it a refreshing reminder of how entertainment was and could be again with the right writers, directors and producers.
Ms. Bramwell, although a little naive, should be a model for young women navigating this debauched world.
The show is presented in a square format that was prevalent in 1995. This in no way detracts from the wonderful acting and story line. I found it a refreshing reminder of how entertainment was and could be again with the right writers, directors and producers.
- cloudmesa
- 19 sep 2022
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- kathyfleming-06531
- 7 oct 2019
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It's hard to believe that a top flight production such as Bramwell in its first three seasons could become such a horror show in Season 4. Xylophone music? "Dark Shadows" lighting? Really?
All of the people we came to love in seasons 1-3 are gone: Dr. Robert Bramwell, Alice, Kate, the LOVABLE Dr. Marsham (not the nasty man who masquerades as Dr. Marsham in season 4), and Sidney. And perhaps most importantly, the writing quality is utterly lame in season 4. It's as if the writers had amnesia and forgot about the entirety of the character development of seasons 1-3!" Conclusion: Hard pass for Season 4.
So although I LOVED seasons 1-3, I can only give the whole series a "6 star" rating because of the poor quality of season 4.
All of the people we came to love in seasons 1-3 are gone: Dr. Robert Bramwell, Alice, Kate, the LOVABLE Dr. Marsham (not the nasty man who masquerades as Dr. Marsham in season 4), and Sidney. And perhaps most importantly, the writing quality is utterly lame in season 4. It's as if the writers had amnesia and forgot about the entirety of the character development of seasons 1-3!" Conclusion: Hard pass for Season 4.
So although I LOVED seasons 1-3, I can only give the whole series a "6 star" rating because of the poor quality of season 4.
- Berlinerin2020
- 22 oct 2022
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- debleenab-79-975804
- 24 feb 2012
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Whoever thought a xylophone would make a scene more dramatic was drunk on his a$$. The first three seasons were great, and the 4th season consisting of only two episodes were pathetic at best. Music makes or breaks any production as everyone knows. Whoever was in charge of the music should have been fired before they started...
- overjoyedtoo
- 8 ago 2022
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turn of the century London....a thrift infirmary treating patients with the diseases and scourges of the day....graphic depictions of 19th century medical practices, including operations, amputations, etc... a beautiful lady doctor with a heart of gold and a stubborn streak...YES PLEASE....MAY I HAVE SOME MORE! I'd jump off a ladder if there was a chance I'd get treatment from Jemma Redgrave. I can look at her all day.
I've got to stop watching shows like this. It only makes it harder in real life...finding real women to compare to the likes of Eleanor Bramwell
I've got to stop watching shows like this. It only makes it harder in real life...finding real women to compare to the likes of Eleanor Bramwell
- WilliamCKH
- 26 abr 2010
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- michaeljarman-26433
- 4 abr 2024
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- wmeyer-8
- 3 jul 2012
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