Customer Reviews

Bramwell Series 4 (2 DVD Set)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I loved the first three seasons of Bramwell -- they did a good job of capturing the complications of being a female doctor in the late Victorian period. The characters have depth and the narrative is well-constructed; at the end of a 45 or so minute episode, I felt like I'd watched a much longer show (in a good way).

Then, enter Season 4. I was so excited by the ending of Season 3.... but I should have stopped there and let the characters live on in my mind. Season 4 destroys them: Eleanor completely loses her grounding, and while her hesitancy at marriage is understandable, her actions reinforce the very social mores that the first three seasons so carefully undercut -- she epitomizes all of the patriarchy's reasons for why women could not be independent, let alone professionals. Plus, considering her history (with Dr. O'Neill particularly), her actions are simply unbelievable. John Marsham, always a complicated character too, loses his respect of Eleanor's individuality and comes across as boorish. Again, while contemplating Eleanor as "wife" rather than just as "colleague" could believably change his behavior, his character takes a bizarre, controlling turn. Even Nurse Carr, though the most consistent character throughout the series, is developed unbelievably: Based on the morals and ideas she espouses throughout the series, it seems unlikely that she would embrace a particularly controversial situation (for the time) that Eleanor found herself in. There are also unexplained and very noticeably missing cast members, whose support was desperately needed in these episodes to establish continuity, and these absences (and their odd and unmemorable replacements) are never explained.

The contradictory nature of these two episodes, as compared to the first three seasons, is glaringly revealed in the child prostitution storyline. Eleanor stupidly (really, a doctor working in that neighborhood would have recognized what was happening, not to mention that considering the timeline, W.T. Stead's "expose" on child prostitution would have been part of social consciousness) sends Dora along with a brothel-keeper, justifying it to herself because of her discovery about Marsham. Then, when the girl cannot be found, "child prostitution" becomes her crusade, and she subjects everyone to her high and mighty, self-righteous rhetoric about how no one is doing enough -- Instead of being a representative for women who did smartly campaign for reform, her character presents as irrational and even hypocritical.

All of the faults in the storyline and characterization are exacerbated by the filming changes. It's as if someone decided to make a postmodern rendition of a Victorian story, with a nonlinear storyline with, at times, bizarre scenes. The shots are often close-ups or the scene is shot from the ground, and the quality of the shot is rarely consistent -- at times, it felt like I was watching a fuzzy screen. The set of the Thrift had also changed in inexplicable ways. All of this was disconcerting in a season that was already transitional (considering the exit of Mr. Bramwell in the season 3 finale and the selling of her family home) -- it felt as if I were watching an entirely new (and entirely disappointing) show.

If you love the first three seasons, stop with them. The last is a travesty, reinforcing all of the reasons why society believed women needed to be parented/guarded till marriage and revealing Eleanor to have the same "hysteria" and lack of self-reflection that she despised in her "bored" female patients in earlier episodes. I'm so sorry I watched it.

While I loved the beginning series of Bramwell, this series was produced by a different company and didn't seem to understand the characters as well. The acting is still superb, but the writing seems hurried as if the writers were just wanted to finish the production. Although I bought it to get "the end of the story", I was disappointed in the script and lack of character development. I think the second company simply did not have the vision of the first, and it showed, sadly.

The first three seasons were excellent. In Season 4, Jemma Redgrave, Kevin McMonagle and Ruth Sheen were top notch, as was the production in general. However, the storyline was dreadful. The real Bramwell ended with the last episode of Season 3. Season 4 was a waste of money and time.

I watched the first 3 series of Bramwell and loved it all. The stories were well written, the characters were well developed, and one was in accord with each of them.

The fourth series was dismal. This was NOT the Elinore Bramwell whose wonderful character was developed previously. They made her into someone she was not and someone you didn't like at all. It was disgusting. I would not buy this video for any money. I agree with one of the other people who reviewed this series: the series ended with Series III. They made Elinore Bramwell into a weak, ugly, depressing character who literally threw her life away and her work away for a cause that was not convincing in any respect. The Elinore Bramwell we knew would not have done that. The Elinore Bramwell these writers of Series 4 created was totally contrary to the character previously created for the first 3 series. It was terrible to watch, and the close-up shots became obnoxious. They added music that was different (light drum booms to supposedly create suspense, but it just added to the depressing quality of the whole piece)that was unnecessary. I don't know why they felt they had to change the tone of the show and Elinore's character, but it was a huge disappointment and bordered on detestable.

This series is for the birds. I do not recommend it at all.

While the first 3 seasons of Bramwell were delicious entertainment, full of sharp writing and endearing characters, season 4 seems to have come from another place entirely. I found myself even missed the theme song! I thought the writing tortured the two main people in the story and quite frankly, went overboard. Worth watching to see how it ends and of course to see how brilliant Jemma Redgrave's acting is -- no matter what was written for her!

The first 3 seasons made such a great series. Why did season 4 ever have to be recorded? The whole Bramwell story started so brilliantly and overall was engaging, smart, touching, and believable. Though admittedly by season 3 Eleanor Bramwell's tendencies to self-righteousness, rushing to judgment, behaving high and mighty, and inadvertently killing people were starting to grate. But I still loved the show because of such fine acting all around. And then there was a sweet potentiality to the ending of season 3. Anticipating the same great writing from season 4 I tried but could not finish even the 1st episode. Wretched does not begin to describe how I felt when the storyline for episode 1 season 4 unfolded. It is incomprehensible that the same writer created season 4. It seems the writer had literally forgotten who her characters were. They are unrecognizable, some are downright missing, and Eleanor degenerates into jaw-dropping, utter stupidity. After all the she had lived through and witnessed in her practice in the slums, after seeing unwed mothers suffer the scorns of the era, it is inconceivable that she would continue on the paths she takes. I wish I had stopped at the end of season 3.

I enjoyed Series 1-3 immensely. The stories, acting, directing, and character building was first rate. After seeing Series 4 I am scratching my head wondering what happened and why was everything so different including the opening. It was a complete let down when Eleanor all of a sudden lost interest in Joe and pursued a man she barely even knew. This was not believable to say the least especially after the two had gotten so close in Series 3. I am so disappointed I don't even feel like bothering with Disc 2. I feel like giving that different production company a piece of mind but it's so after the fact by 12 years to be exact. If they ever read this, I would say this to them, "What were you thinking??!!"

I really loved the first three series. Even though Eleanor made her mistakes, you could not help liking her. But dr. Marsham was my favourite character, he was loving, witty,caring,and as Eleanor said herself "you are my rock". The love between them grew slowly, but in the third series it was evident that they were meant for each other. The writers even killed off Marsham's wife. Even though I enjoyed many of the characters, and the medical mishaps and successes, for me the most enjoyable and interesting storyline was the relationship between Joe Marsham and Eleanor, and the relationship between Eleanor and her father. They were always close, but he is not even mentioned in the 4th series. I kept waiting for the point where Joe and Eleanore would fall in each others arms and kiss passionately. I was waiting for the Grand Finale , where they both would realize how much they loved and cared for each other, and get married, and then continue to run the Thrift together, stronger than ever. But what happens? They kill the characters I was so fond of, the delightful dr. Marsham is turned into something evil. We know that could not be true, how could he change his character completely over night? And Eleanor is not longer the person she was in the first series. Instead she is a depressing and childish , emotionally unstable, woman from the upper class. And she never cared much for her class and its limitations on women and what were socially acceptable .The whole story is so horrible in this 4th series, that it is beyond me how it could have been written by the same people who wrote the first three series. Did they just want to see how much they could possibly destroy all the viewers , and dr. Marsham's , hopes and dreams?, After seeing a bit of the first disc, I could not watch anymore. I wish I had never seen this. I would have been better to leave it after series 3, and just imagine that there would be the happy ending I anticipated. Now, I will do like one of the other reviewers suggests, I will pretend all of what happened in series 4 was just Eleanor's nightmare, and that she wakes up finding her husband, Joe Marsham, at her side.
Do not buy the 4th series. Leave it after series 3 would be my advice.

If I could give Bramwell Season 4 less than 1 star I would. I've never been so dissapointed with the end of a series in my life. Having loved seasons 1-3 I went into season 4 with an open mind, despite having been warned by a friend how terrible these final episodes were.

My friend was right. Season 4 destroys all that went before it. It's as if the series was suddenly taken over by new writers who had no idea who the characters were. They took one look at the character of Dr. Marsham and said, "We don't know who this older man with a mustache is but he's not particularly exciting or attractive, so he must be the villain". As for Eleanor Bramwell, "She's young and pretty so let's make her over-emotional and empty headed".

I could've excused the terrible filming of season 4, the awful lighting, extremely annoying music, the unexplained dissapearance of old characters who were mysteriously replaced without explanation or even acknowledgement. But when they used the final two episodes to turn Dr. Marsham (my favorite character) into the devil, and Eleanor (a previously flawed but mostly sympathetic heroine) into a fickle, empty headed, overwrought child, I had enough.

Now I'm going to go back and watch seasons 1-3 again and pretend the 4th one doesn't exist. How I wish it didn't.

I am sorry but this is not the Bramwell I have grown to love. The acting of course was superb but the storyline had NOTHING to do with the characters persona. It seems like they did not watch the same three previous series to get an idea on how these characters will evolve.