I can list a couple reason why I’m reviewing this series that I only just started watching on BritBox a few weeks ago:
I created this Substack for reviewing these kinds of shows.
I had been rewatching Midsomer Murders and needed a break from it but couldn’t figure out why until now.
Series 6 Episode 1 Dark Road truly gutted me to bits.
Okay, let me jump back to the second reason. I love Midsomer Murders. I must since I’ve rewatched seasons 1 to 13 over again. Tom Barnaby is my Barnaby. No offense to his cousin, John. Anyway, there was something about watching all those episodes back-to-back that made me need a bit of a break so I decided now was as good a time as any to try one of these other British mysteries that I’ve had on my radar but just wasn’t sure about devoting any real time towards watching.
Vera was one of those shows and it did not disappoint. Which leads me back to what the reason was for this break I needed; murders. Why on earth does Midsomer have to have like four or more dead bodies per episode? It’s a lot. And I didn’t realize just how much until I watched Series 6 Episode 3 The Moth Catcher of Vera. I’ll get to the earlier episode in a second.
The Moth Catcher is significant because it’s solving a double murder. Until that point, and I’ll have to confirm this on my rewatch, but I’m almost positive that each episode just has one murder to solve. That’s it. 90 minutes to solve one murder. That might seem like a slow burn but it actually works. And I love it.
Which brings to mind some other mystery shows I’ve watched that have their own distinct differences depending on what kind of mystery you’re looking to solve. Perhaps I’ll do an essay discussing just what they are and you can decide which you’d like to watch. I’ll say on a scale of no murder to bloody mess, Midsomer is definitely a bloody mess, while Vera is closer to the no murder side of the scale.
Anywho, what also made this episode vastly different, and which I appreciated, was that the two murders had already taken place not ten minutes after it started. It’s not like some other shows where there’s a murder every night till it’s solved and the bodies are piling up and the killer is actively killing. No, usually, and what I believe to make sure sense is that the killer is only looking to kill one person for a reason and that’s it. Very rarely is a killer out there to murder a whole host of people, though Midsomer would have you think differently.
Now, back to Series 6 Episode 1 Dark Road. I won’t give any spoilers, or at least I will try not to, but there is a character in the episode who we see, briefly in an earlier series. I assumed she was written out of the show cause she was there for like one episode and that was that. So I was pleasantly surprised when she was back several series later. Yay! Cause I liked her.
In truth, the series starts with another female character of color who is sort of like a mentee to Vera. I was sad when she left the show. But then it happened again where she’s there one day, gone the next, then back and I hope it’s for good.
And there was this point where Vera turns to this girl, who by the way is pissed cause she was trying to transfer out to the major crimes division but is passed over for someone else, and says to her “one day this will all be yours; the mack, the hat, the boots.” Then Vera gets in her jeep and drives away. I don’t know. There was something about the way she said it and then smiled.
You have to see it to know what I mean cause what happens next just gutted me to pieces. It’s rare for an episode of a show to do that to me. I can count on one hand the episodes from various series that have gutted me and I can honestly say I’ve added another to the list.
On my scale of 1 to 10 for recommending? If you like any British mystery series and you’re looking for something you haven’t tried yet, do yourself a favor and give Vera a try. She’s a total hard ass, passionate, and just the kind of character who truly wears the scars she has all over her. I give the actress who portrays her, Brenda Blethyn, a lot of credit for this role.
I look forward to watching the next 6 series so I can catch up with everyone else.
What British mystery series do you love? Let me know in the comments or by hitting reply to this email and if you are going to give Vera a try for the first time let me know what you think.
