Quote: zooo @ 15th March 2014, 11:34 PM GMTThe general consensus on here is that it used to be loads better, and that may well be true, but didn't it always have highly unlikely huge coincidences?
If so I didn't notice them as improbable.
Two I recall from the recent re-spin were really possible
1, the building of an extra wall in the locked room
2. the painting that was slipped into a pre-prepared location.
Quote: Jonathan Whitelaw @ 15th March 2014, 5:10 PM GMTWhat used to be a show that took risks, both with plots and characters, has become very staid and boring. It's almost like the BBC don't want two off the wall, slightly complex crime dramas. Their baby/cash cow Sherlock is getting all of the attention so best not to rock the boat.
That sounds like the Beeb. IMO JC was a far superior entertain Kent than the gimmicky graphic laden Sherlock. CreekS old fashioned methods are way preferable to the IT modern surveillance methods employed by that weird looking gimbert Sherlock.
True Kipper it was far closer to Sherlock Holmes than Sherlock, that was more of a portmanteau sketch show ever was.
I was half asleep when I watched my recording so if someone can explain please:-
1/. Why didn't the car mechanic say who he was when she opened the door, thinking he was from the dating agency, and then not say anything when his mate's wife comes on to him?
2/. How, if he was dead, did he "turn turtle" in the bath, going from in it on his back to on his front with feet hanging over the end?
Otherwise I thought it was the best of the three, but so much want it to go back to how it was.
she turned him over for some reason, it was in the dialogue.
What were the 2 old ladies suspected of when they were preparing their standup routine.
Quote: sootyj @ 16th March 2014, 9:07 AM GMTshe turned him over for some reason, it was in the dialogue.
What were the 2 old ladies suspected of when they were preparing their standup routine.
Ummm, I thought she said something along the lines of "Oh look, and now he has turned turtle" when showing JC's wife, which suggests he "did it" somehow himself.
I think that was just a bit of guff or a red herring if you will. JC's wife goes back to use the loo and overhears them "plotting" something, whereas they were discussing their script and one of them said something like "We can't do this".
Both played of course by the wonderful, brilliant now 89 year old (!) June Whitfield.
Wonderful but wasted
It's a sad week that the most coherently written drama I watched on the Beeb was Waterloo Road.
Quote: zooo @ 15th March 2014, 11:34 PM GMTThe general consensus on here is that it used to be loads better, and that may well be true, but didn't it always have highly unlikely huge coincidences?
It's very patchy. Having seen them all a few times I'd say there were a handful of really excellent stories/mysteries that had some good, credible twists and are what most people think of as a Jonathan Creek:
The Reconstituted Corpse
The House of Monkeys
Danse Macabre
Black Canary
The Three Gamblers
The Grinning Man
Most of the other require huge suspension of belief or are just not that engaging. It's a brilliant format however and could still work with a team of writers.
Well, I finally got through that episode. Started at 9am, and its now 7.40pm. Really struggled to watch it on iPlayer.
Polly is such a terrible character. It's okay for her to introduce Jonathan to her friends, but not for her to be introduced to his friends.
Didn't she know anything about his background, and cases that he'd helped solve before marrying him?
Quote: Godot Taxis @ 16th March 2014, 10:26 AM GMTIt's very patchy. Having seen them all a few times I'd say there were a handful of really excellent stories/mysteries that had some good, credible twists and are what most people think of as a Jonathan Creek:
The Reconstituted Corpse
The House of Monkeys
Danse Macabre
Black Canary
The Three Gamblers
The Grinning ManMost of the other require huge suspension of belief or are just not that engaging. It's a brilliant format however and could still work with a team of writers.
That's a pretty good average for any show,
And those are the ones with good twists, there's plenty of ones where the twist was a bit weak. But Caroline Quirke or Anthony Head did something funny so it was alright in the end.
Quote: Charlie Boy @ 16th March 2014, 7:40 PM GMTWell, I finally got through that episode. Started at 9am, and its now 7.40pm. Really struggled to watch it on iPlayer.
Polly is such a terrible character. Its okay for her to introduced Jonathan to her friends, but not for her to be introduced to his friends.
Didn't she know anything about his background, and cases that he'd helped solved before marrying him?
That was something I didn't get. The idea of a magic trick inventor and an muck raking freelance journo was genius. But the script just ditches it for a tepid version of Midsommmer.
Quote: sootyj @ 16th March 2014, 7:58 PM GMTThe idea of a magic trick inventor and an muck raking freelance journo was genius. But the script just ditches it for a tepid version of Midsommmer.
This.
Also this series saw the viewer given more information (full info) about the cases before JC became involved. Columbo could do that, but that was part of Columbo's USP... JC was a very different beast.
And whilst the last episode was the best imo, all featured A/B plots that would have been minor distractions (F or G plots?) in past series.
JC would have been stronger if this last series had never been created.
Quote: sootyj @ 16th March 2014, 7:58 PM GMTAnd those are the ones with good twists, there's plenty of ones where the twist was a bit weak. But Caroline Quirke or Anthony Head did something funny so it was alright in the end.
Caroline Quentin. And Anthony Head was only in the 1st episode and was replaced by Stuart Milligan.
Quote: Godot Taxis @ 16th March 2014, 10:26 AM GMTIt's very patchy. Having seen them all a few times I'd say there were a handful of really excellent stories/mysteries that had some good, credible twists and are what most people think of as a Jonathan Creek:
The Reconstituted Corpse
The House of Monkeys
Danse Macabre
Black Canary
The Three Gamblers
The Grinning ManMost of the other require huge suspension of belief or are just not that engaging. It's a brilliant format however and could still work with a team of writers.
Hopefully some of them will come up as repeats on the Drama channel. Every time I come across one it's the same episode with the aging rock star handcuffed to a radiator in his fancy house.
Still haven't got through them all yet but I found Time Waits For Norman to be the most plausible. They should've pursued that route more rather than unlikely homicide/murder within locked room.
Grinning Man probably my fave...
