Customer Reviews

Ballykissangel - Complete Series Three

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It is interesting that I find 16 reviews for series 3, and only a few for series 1 and 2. I assume most everyone who watched season 3 had also watched the earlier seasons. This reaction appears to come from the writer killing off Asumpta in such a cruel fashion. Would I have preferred a different ending? Probably so. I don't think Peter could have lived without Asumpta, that was a done deal. However that was a pretty cruel way to deal with that situation. Still it did bring out some characters as they dealt with the tragedy. I really don't see the third season being notably of less quality than the early seasons. It just ended with the major tragedy, that is the big difference. True, the character of Fr. Clifford (Peter) changed as he was torn between his love of Asumpta and his love of being a Priest. And I certainly preferred the old Peter to the anguished one. However the third season brought other characters out, as Asumpta and Fr. Clifford were absent for a number of episodes trying to make some space between each other. Niamh became much more important, and I felt a very appealing character. Her convincing Peter to perform last rites on Asumpta demonstarted her willingness to take charge when necessary, a quality that was brought out in the third season in other ways as well. If you like PBS type stuff, such as Mystery or English dramas, you will very much enjoy this series I believe. It would not appeal to a mainstream audience. Just as PBS does not. I think that is a good yardstick, if you like watching PBS type stuff, and generally prefer that to most of what you get on mainstream TV, you should like this very much. This show is not boring, something new is always happening. I had a hard time turning it off, staying up late to watch episodes.

I'm Irish and I know that all their wars are merry and all their songs are sad, etc., etc., but this is ridiculous. This was a wonderful series until they decided to blow it up and take a completely different tack than the one that originally attracted people to it. i.e., the story of a young English priest in a small Irish village. And until the last episode of this series, they did a great job telling that story. The characters were well-defined and well acted and the humor and quirkiness definitively Irish, but the center of the whole thing was the English--accent on English-- priest and when he disappeared, as far as I was concerned, the whole series collapsed, particularly in light of the way in which the two central characters were dispatched. If Kirwan and Tomkinson wanted to leave, surely the writers could have come up with a better, less abrupt and disappointing way to allow them to do it. At any rate, it was great while it lasted but the episodes that followed this series were an awful letdown, even with the appearance of Colin Farrell and several other interesting Irish actors here and there.

I've been a fan of this show since the late '90s and am thrilled that it's finally been released on DVD. While the first two series were superb, as others have noted, the third series is lacking in some respects. Many episodes in S3 are fantastic and I enjoyed seeing several secondary characters get their days in the sun. For example, we see more of Ambrose's police work, Niamh mellows out considerably, Padraig's ex-wife returns, Brendan and Siobhan get an interesting storyline and a secret from Father Mac's past is revealed.
However, Assumpta and Father Clifford are MIA for several episodes and when they return, their characters are often angsty and irritated. Do they have some redeeming moments? Yes, but the fact that both Stephen Tompkinson and Dervla Kirwan are ready to leave is evident in their performances.
While the final two episodes will knock your socks off, they sadly are the death knell (in more ways than one) of this once-great series. Kieran Prendiville also departed at the end of S3 and thus series 4 and 5 took a nosedive.
If you are a fan of Series One and Two, I would definitely recommend buying this DVD--but you should probably stop here.

My family and I were delighted by the first 2.5 seasons of BallyK. It started out, as another reviewer pointed out, as a humorous series about the trials of a young English priest in an Irish village. It was also quite refreshing to see a Catholic priest portrayed in a sympathetic light. However, by the end of Season 3, it felt as though the writers were unable to stand any more positive portrayals of Christianity, and resorted to Father Peter losing his faith in the aftermath of Assumpta's death - a reaction I consider rather unlikely. By the end of Season 3, the series had also swapped its lighthearted feel for a prolonged grimness. This season is definitely not as enjoyable as seasons 1 & 2.

I started watching Ballyk in the middle of Season 5 and was hooked though I was only able to watch the episodes haphazardly in my pre-TIVO days. When the series started being released on DVD, I picked up my copies and watched the first two seasons for the first time and became a fan. I recently picked up the third season and was a little disappointed. Overall the episodes were great. However, I felt that Stephen Tompkinson's character, Father Peter Clifford, went from being very likeable to somewhat painful to watch. His feelings for Dervla Kirwan's character, Assumpta Fitzgerald, reasonably explains some of this change. However, I wonder if he was just getting tired of the series. In the end, both Dervla and himself wanted to leave the series after Season 3 and this resulted in a very abrupt ending. I believe that adding one or two episodes may have eased the transition to Season 4 and would have produced a more satisfying ending. However, the ending was quite thought provoking which cannot be said of many series. If you are a fan of the series, you will not want to miss this collection of episodes on DVD. If you know nothing about the series, start with Season 1 and work your way through. I think you will get hooked as I was. On a technical note, I was disappointed in the lack of extras other than a cast bio. That and Tompkinson's performance on the later half of the episodes resulted in my 4 star rating.

I would disagree with the reviewers who felt season three marked a disappointing downturn in this series. In fact, I think this season provides the first real opportunity for all the characters to deepen--the first two seasons were characterized by wit and a certain lightness, but at the expense of many in the cast (Donal, Liam, Siobhan and even Niamh) who functioned mainly as stock figures, important only in moving the contrivances of the plot. The plotlines in season three may have been more straightforward, less intricate (although the baby episode with the return of Father Mac's past was certainly very layered) but they were more natural, more human. I found that I didn't mind that the "main" characters--Assumpta and Peter--were absent for the center of the season. I was completely drawn into the lives of everyone else in a way I wasn't during the first two seasons.

I've not seen the rest of the series, as I've just joined it as a dvd watcher in the States. However, I'm curious and interested to watch Ballykissangel continue, despite the departure of two very important figures--there are many more who intrigue me just as much.

I had seen most of the repeat's on BBC Prime here in Germany and bought series 1,2 to get the full picture and now just received series 3 in the post and have also pre-ordered series 4.
I was disappointed to find Episode 9 missing,with the excuse
"regrettably,episode 9 "The Waiting Game" is not available on DVD?????????. Short and sweet but why??? I would not have bought
the series had I known this episode was missing. Would you buy Jackson Browne's Running on Empty without the title "Stay "
VERY DISAPPOINTING.
This missing episode should be at least mentioned by AMAZON.Com.

I understand many of people's frustrations with the finish of Season 3, but this is one of the most well acted and heartfelt shows ever. In particular, the episode "The Reckoning" is a combination of some of the most heart wrenching and shocking TV you'll ever see. Probably one of the best episodes of a TV series of all time. It is almost impossible not to be affected by the scene in Niamh & Ambrose's kitchen when Peter relays his Polar Bear analogy to Assumpta - just one of the all time great scenes in TV - perfectly acted, perfectly written(complete with some terrific background orchestration during this particular scene). Just brilliant.

I miss these characters. The show was never the same after Season 3. But dont miss out on the first 3 seasons. Some of the best TV you'll ever see

The Ballykissangel series is now about ten years old and whether you're discovering the magic of the series for the first time or just wanting to relive the chemistry between Peter(Stephen Tompkinson)and Assumpta (Dervla Kirwan)and enjoy the quirky and entertaining characters and situations that arise from Kieren Prendiville's massive hit then you can't go wrong with the DVD's. Series 1 ignited our interest in Peter and Assumpta as the sparks flew between them. Series 2 gave us many an enticing moment between the two of them and we begged for more. Series 3 however, took the viewers on a path that many did not want to go and resulted in many alternative endings being written by viewers and posted on fansites. Ballykissangel continued for another three series, but for many viewers, it ended with the departure of Stephen and Dervla in this third series. Series 3 remains well written and acted with many delightful and heartwrenching moments, but in contrast to the previous two series it is overall 'heavier', emotionally infuriating, has Stephen and Dervla absent for two episodes and has the most unsatisfactory ending of all time. Having said that, if you've watched Series 1 and 2, you can't not watch Series 3. Sit back and enjoy, then write your own ending!

(.....)

There are two episodes in particular in this season that I think some have issue with. I had no expectations or prior knowledge when I watched them. Some of the shock proved to me just how connected I had become with the characters. I found myself swept away in the emotion. So much so that I was still thinking about it a few days later. This rarely happens with anything I see on television. What is amazing to me is how much has been conveyed throughout the series without being said. This is a credit to the actors, writers, and directors.

Also, the relationships that are depicted seem so much more real than so much of what I see on American television. I traveled to a small town in Ireland and lived there about a month while I was student teaching. Ballykissangel always mentally takes me back there. It is about community. The characters have depth and richness. It is particularly small town. It is particularly Irish. Wonderful.

I had caught a few episodes on PBS, but then started the series at the beginning. I am glad I watched it in order.

Two of the main characters have left, but I still eagerly anticipate season 4.