Sister Boniface Mysteries

Father Brown has matured after multiple series and based on a famous book by a famous author. Sister Boniface is a breath of fresh air. It's not brow beating your idea of religion or Catholicism. Great script, swift and solid plots keep the story driving along smoothly. The characters are great as are the actors. Always good to have period dramas, they seem to pluck at peoples nostalgic heartstrings like FB . Unlike Agatha Raisin or Shakespeare & Hathaway it deals with back stories lightly and concentrates on the plot. The main point is that Sister Boniface is a likeable character. Do not review this after one episode. It's unfair. It's a great tonic. Highly recommend!

Lorna Watson is fun as Sister Boniface and seems to have charisma to spare. The other cast members are fine as well and the production values are good. But something just doesn't work here. I think there are three problems. One, the writing just isn't as good as it could be. Mysteries shouldn't be boring but when you find yourself fast forwarding through a mystery, something is amiss. Second, there is nothing "nun like" in the character of Sister Boniface (aside from wearing a habit). She could be a librarian, a housewife or a pharmacist and it wouldn't change the plot lines one bit. In Father Brown, his Catholicism is regularly invoked so that (most of the time) you know it's a priest solving the mystery. Third, and most oddly, Sister Boniface doesn't seem to be the focus of the series. She plays pathologist, yes, and is ever present but she feels a bit sidelined at times. But it's a nice little time waster if you've nothing better to do.

I was disappointed with the sterile portrayal of Sister Boniface in the first episode. But the character is developing more with each episode. The support characters are wonderfully cliched. Theres a ruggedly boyish detective, a liberated, feminist reporter, a tough, no-nonsense Mother Superior,a super cockney nun and the priggish land lady (can't believe it's Belinda Lang!). Rounding out the cast is a very pleasant Caribbean detective and a lovable junior policewoman. Is it intense highbrow drama? Not by a long shot. It is fun, silly, lighthearted entertainment and I look forward to the next episode!!

As the title says, the vibe of the show is pretty light hearted and the setting is quite idyllic and sort of alt-historical (early 20th century England). So, there is an appealing escapism aspect to this show that keeps bringing me back.

That said, how the stories play out, the way they investigate and figure out who did it, etc. Has gotten quite repetitive. It's identical in every episode so far. This is not Sherlock or Poirot level. It can also come off as too light hearted, well goofy, sometimes, think they could dial that back some but it varies by episode.

Like many mystery shows, Sister Boniface doesn't solve the mysteries on her own, there are 2 official detectives plus a tabloid news reporter who all play parts gathering clues. Sister Boniface just always plays the most important part piecing everything together towards the end. Most of the acting is pretty good given the nature of the show.

As with Father Brown, a constant stream of anachronistic political correctness injected into a mystery set in the 1950s quickly becomes irritating.

In order to post this review I must type 150 characters. I apologize for making you read this far.