The Bletchley Circle

I adore shows with woman as main characters, they are so rare, and this one is thoroughly involving, before you know it-it is over, you are so completely wrapped up in the story, acting; this thriller that you cant believe you drank it all in so sweetly. Each of the woman has her own life story, each of them come with their own brilliant gift, and all care without being sentimental. They are so "you and me" that you feel you could go out to tea with them if you saw them in your life. They are focused, dedicated to the mission and like the marines-leave no woman behind. The more seasons pass-the more developed the characters and possibilities are. Just when I am excited to have found a new friend- ITV makes a gender biased call-women aren't a powerful enough audience-so why bother? 9/10

A group of women who worked at Bletchley during the war return to their undervalued prewar existences until one of them happens upon a line of enquiry regarding a spate of murders of young women. She finds old colleagues from the Bletchley years and they form the eponymous circle to crack the code of the killings. Not believed and told to back down by all men in their lives and the authorities they fight alone to attempt to solve some pretty gruesome murders.

The writing is excellent and the portrayals by. Each of the four women leads is rounded, true and touching in their different ways. The only thing I would change is the over egged references to the murder being solved as a code: it was as if the writers felt it was a bit of a stretch and so had to 'explain' it all the time and thus made this one aspect a little clumsy and difficult to sustain suspension of disbelief.

A good look at the roles and struggles of women of the period but based on the murder mystery pace and style it is not preachy but accessible and exciting.

There have been plenty of hinted at back story lines and there is lots of room for growth and new story lines in a second series - she says with fingers crossed and a begging nod to The makers/funders

Great period drama....quite extraordinary how these women went from code breakers in WWII saving thousands of lives to the hum-drum of home life after the war. I can only imagine how difficult the transition must have been. Anna Maxwell Martin, who plays Susan, does such a great job. I had no idea how fantastic she was--very believable and her passion is deeply portrayed here. This show is enigmatic---quite refreshing. Great actors and very interesting..I couldn't stop watching--I found this by accident and was truly impressed with the production quality. If you like this...watch "Call the Midwives"--another great British show.

During WWII, many women were vital to break the German codes at Bletchley Park. It's seven years after the war. Susan finds herself as a simple housewife and mother of two. Her days of life-and-death work is over. She starts noticing suspicious patterns with murders in the newspapers. Her husband humors her by going to the police but it's hard to be taken seriously. She recruits her fellow Bletchley workers. Millie is the outgoing one. Lucy is the youngest one with an abusive husband. Jean was their supervisor and now works as a librarian.

This is a fine British crime TV mysteries. The superior aspect is the cast and the characters. Bletchley Park is a great backstory. Susan a great character and her issues are compelling. The show could have overdosed with sexism but it is able to find a certain balance. Most of the men are dismissive but they aren't actually hostile. Timothy is a good example. He really loves Susan but he doesn't really know her history or the true extend of her skills. It's a great touch that he is constantly searching for hard puzzles for her. It's both loving but infantilizing. My constant issue is that the ladies are sometimes a little too cavalier with potential dangers. Susan's fears in the second season are well founded. I'm not sure why she gets written out for the last two episodes. All in all, I love the characters and the mysteries are fine.

Four women, Susan (Anna Maxwell Martin) Jean (Julie Graham), Millie (Rachel Stirling), and Lucy (Sophie Rundle), who previously worked at Bletchley, nine years later, pool their unique talents and resources to solve enigmas and save lives.

This is a period piece, mid 50s London, so they have the clothing and hairstyles of the time. They have to maintain the dialog of the time.

This sis a formula detective series with all the standard who-dun-it's and clues. What makes this series unique is that instead of the inspector and his sidekick, we have the for women civilians using their unique code-breaking skills picked up from working in Bletchley Park during the war, to do the same thing.

Even knowing it is only two seasons it is worth the purchase.

A revival attempt is made with The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco (2018).