Bramwell

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.