Father Brown: Season Two

I enjoy watching Father Brown watching over his flock in the village of Kembleford. He has a determination to not only expect, but to find, the best in people. Kembleford is fortunate in that, because this village unaccountably has a lot of murders.These mysteries, set in the 1950's, are cozies with an amateur detective who solves the murders with intuition, attention to detail and puzzle-solving abilities. Characters are more important than plotting. Several of the stories in Season 2 are true to the original concept of G.K. Chesterton, who created Father Brown in short stories at the beginning of the 20th century. That is, redemption is more important than justice, and sometimes the plots have more to do with puzzles than with murders. I like many TV mystery series, and Father Brown is a change of pace and one of a kind. In addition there is lot of humor.Season 2 originally aired in January 2014. The 3-disc DVD set has 10 episodes of roughly 45 minutes each. That gives you 442 minutes of mystery viewing. English subtitles are available. Viewing is in 16:9 and sound is Dolby Digital 5.1. There are no DVD extras, which is stingy of BBC, I think.You don't have to watch Season 1 in order to enjoy Season 2, but you are missing out on more light comedy mysteries if you don't:Father Brown: Season 1[Edited to add] The DVD set for Season 3-Part 1 is now listed on amazon:Father Brown: Season 3 Part OneEpisode 1. "The Ghost in the Machine" Charlotte McKinley asks Father Brown for help, "What I need is an exorcism.... I'm serious. The house is haunted." Worse, it's haunted by her sister Elspeth, who disappeared 9 years before. Father Brown reminds her that no one is sure that her sister is dead. He does agree, however, to bless the house. And that's when Charlotte disappears. Just like her sister.This haunted house episode has some funny moments, such as when Father Brown attempts to drive a car: "How difficult can it be?"It is also Inspector Valentine's last case in Kembleford. It's resolution is such a coup that he is promoted to DCI at the London Met.Episode 2. "The Maddest of All" It's a sunny afternoon, and the people of Kembleford are going about their business, when they're startled to see a middle-aged man in a hospital gown stumbling down the street. Inspector Sullivan, Valentine's replacement, reaches him just as he falls to the ground and whispers, "Murder!" And then he dies. Or does he?If the 1st episode is the haunted house episode, this is the mad scientist episode.Episode 3. "The Pride of the Prydes" A ripping prologue! 1488, Lord Pryde, fierce and warlike, has an old woman dragged before him. He sentences her to death by burning for witchcraft. She screeches, "I curse thee and the men of thy line. May they be forever taken with insanity!" (Maybe not the best way to protest your innocence.)Current day, all is not well at Pryde Castle. The current Duke, Sir St John, has financial problems, and today is the grand opening of the castle to the tourists. Miss Diggle, who's written a book about the family curse, leads a tour dressed in a costume including one of the ridiculous hats of the 1400s. Isn't there bound to be trouble in a courtyard with re-enactors and long bows?British pronunciation of ancient names can be interesting. St John, for example, sounds like "sin jin".Episode 4. "The Shadow of the Scaffold" Violet Fernsley has lost her final appeal and is going to hang for the murder of her husband. Father Brown is there with her, "You know now that death is certain. Confess, so that God can forgive your sin."Violet: "I can't admit what I didn't do, Father."Her hands are bound and she's taken to stand under the waiting noose. They are putting a bag over her head when Violet blurts, "You can't do this. I'm pregnant!"This gives her at least 3 days reprieve while they run a pregnancy test. That's 3 days for Father Brown to find out if she's been wrongly convicted.Killer Pigs feature in this episode. I thought it was a lot of bunk until I googled "pigs eat human" and found newstories about it. It was even used in 2013 as a method of mob execution in Italy.Episode 5. "The Mysteries of the Rosary" The elderly Professor Ambrose pushes a small package into the mailbox for collection. We're able to see the label, he's mailing it to Father Brown. Ambrose returns home to find it's been ransacked. As he gazes around in dismay, a man emerges from the shadows and chloroforms the Professor.While the constabulatory try to find the missing Ambrose, Father Brown receives his package. It's a 500 year-old prayerbook, famous because it's supposed to give clues to the location of the equally ancient, and long-lost, Lannington Rosary. There are a lot of people who'd like to get their hands on that rosary - it's supposed to have healing powers. But how many will kill for it?This episode has a special guest, master thief Flambeau, whom Father Brown first met in the Season 1 episode, "The Blue Cross". Could Flambeau be reformed?Episode 6. "The Daughters of Jerusalem" Father Roland is temporarily posted to Kembleford, as Father Brown has broken his leg in an unfortunate bike accident. One advantage of being laid up is that Father Brown does not have to attend the Woman's Institute monthly meeting. This month, it features a film by Father Roland Eager (how apt), "Educating the African Orphans: Scenes From Missionary Work in Swaziland". Unfortunately, when the film starts rolling, it's actually "The Flower of Virginia" and its soft porn images, before the projector can be stopped, shock the Women Institute's members to the core.That would be bad enough, but the next day is the annual Kembleford WI Summer Fair, and feelings run deep about cheating in the Best Jam and Best Cake competitions. Is it cheating or gossiping or pranks that lead to the first death?Father Brown has to detect from his 1st story rooms, aided by a telescope, a la Hitchcock's "Rear Window". (You probably know this, but a building's 1st story in England equals the 2nd story in America.)Episode 7. "The Three Tools of Death" As we watch in horror, young Alice Armstrong is given electroshock therapy despite her pleading. Her father watches from behind a glass, visibly distressed, but it's for Alice's own good. She accidentally shot her mother in a hunting accident, and hasn't been well since.By the time Alice's father is found dead, we know a number of reasons why he may have been killed. What Father Brown needs to figure out, is why Sir Aaron Armstrong was pushed through a window to his death, when his room had a noose, a loaded revolver and a knife that could have been used instead.Father Brown has a funny interlude with Eddie Monk, a tough guy who's not so tough.As I watched Alice's electroshock therapy, I was astounded that this could be considered anything but torture. Reading the wikipedia article on "Electroconsulsive Therapy" gave me a better perspective. Though not totally convinced, at least I learned that in real life patients are sedated and given muscle relaxants prior to this treatment. It's still used today as a last resort. I saw one description of this episode which called Alice's treatment "cranial electrotherapy stimulation" (CES). From what I read, CES utilizes extremely small levels of electrical stimulation and is more modern than electroshock.Episode 8. "The Prize of Colonel Gerard" Colonel Cecil Gerard and his wife Ada have invited half of Kembleford to their mansion for a Welcome Home party for Edward Gerard. Edward was a prisoner of war in North Korea, and has been recently released. He has screaming nightmares every night, but they aren't about Korea. Their images are from his father's death when he was a child. And about his uncle, the Colonel. As Edward tells Father Brown, "When my uncle sees something he wants, he takes it." What if he takes too much?Episode 9. "The Grim Reaper" Farmer John Tatton is a loudmouth, and his son, Alfred, is a bit nastier. Father Brown comments on Alfred, "He does seem a lost soul." Using just a little pretext, Father Brown visits Tatton Farm and finds that Alfred has met a horrible death, falling into the blades of a thresher. He may have been nasty and he may have been lost, but did Alfred deserve death by thresher?Episode 10. "The Laws of Motion" Father Brown and Mrs. McCarthy are guests at an auto raceway, courtesy of Lady Felicia who is host for the days' races. Car #1 rumbles up and stops in front of them. Out hops the driver, who takes off a helmet to reveal a mane of beautiful hair. Lady Felicia introduces the driver, "Audrey MacMurray, property magnate, racing track owner, philanthropist, daredevil. Have I left something out?"Audrey: "Ruthless business woman."Before a conversation can begin, a woman dressed in black approaches and slaps Audrey hard. "You killed my husband. You'll pay for it."She's not the only one who isn't fond of the arrogant MacMurray.Happy Reader