drchazan

I just binged this over two nights, and I had SO much fun watching this one. I loved the idea of a recluse puzzle genius getting wrangled into solving crimes, when his identical twin brother goes missing. There's also a bit of the Professor T here, as well, but it is more like Monk without the OCD and fewer phobias, mixed with Sherlock Holmes without the bombastic arrogance (also sans the violin, drugs, and pipe). The actors work charmingly together, and they're all first rate. Plus, we really can't figure out how each of the crimes were committed until he reveals it all at the end, using the showy, but charming "gather all the suspects together" technique, that Agatha Christie was so apt to use in her stories.

I'm sorry but this soft-porn soap opera is so typical of Jilly Cooper that I'm surprised I actually got through the whole first episode without turning it off in disgust. Just how many bums do we need in one episode? Lots, apparently. Plus, the convoluted story was unfollowable. Okay, so let's be serious. If you want to watch it, go ahead, because honestly, it isn't bad enough to be funny, and I was hoping that it would have some wit an humor. But all it is is trashy. That said, David Tennant (who I love) does try to have his tongue in his cheek, but apparently the script just makes him gag as much as it did me.

The plot is good with lots of twists and secrets to keep you guessing. In fact it might be a touch too complicated to follow at times. As for the acting, my biggest problem is that Mandy's accent is as inconsistent and muddled as Dick Van Dyke's in Mary Poppins. The question is, why make such an excellent actor attempt an accent that he just isn't good at putting on. Was he cockney or middle class London or slightly yorkshire or a mixture of them all with an undertone of Midwest American?

Despite this heinous flaw, I have to admit to being compelled to binge most of the series in one sitting. I wouldn't be averse to watching more.