prylands-389-567480

Oh dear. This is such a convoluted mess that grinds on and on - loads of exposition and then the playing out of the tedious plot that seems to never end - well, it did when I left the cinema during the submarine scene. I realised that I just did not care. The entire thing felt like an over-indulgent jaunt for TC without really caring about the plot. Without doubt the worst offering of the franchise - it was cliched and lazy, muddled, overly complex and weighed down by huge amounts of exposition. There seemed to be far too many characters in it - most of whom contributed very little. Ill conceived and poorly executed.

This seems to be a series of cliched gags stretched out and aimed at an audience who know little of Shakespeare. It is Blackadder Lite - and either there is a random laughter track added to this or there was an audience present who seems to find any sound amusing. I don't blame the actors - it is the weary script that pretends to be clever that irks me. Nuggets of information are added to what is essentially fodder for halfwits but there is little quality to this pap and I am amazed it has gone on for so long. Please let it die a sweet death now and we will say no more about it. This low quality nonsense is simply embarrassing - hackneyed jokes and not a jot of originality...

I am male and getting long in the tooth but I enjoyed this series very much. Other reviewers have focused upon whether it is realistic or not - this question did not intrude on my enjoyment.

Firstly, it is thoughtful and beautiful to look at. It takes some nerve these days to offer a slow narrative but this is all the better for it. There are a lot of things left unsaid which is a joy when most series these days spoonfeed the audience. We never truly know why Penelope heads off - she does not know why herself. But whatever is driving her is something we can probably all relate to - wanting a place to belong. The script is meagre but Megan Stott is very believable and does a great job. The directing, music and pace of the series are all excellent and I was pleased that there is much left unresolved at the end to me, this seems very realistic.