Customer Reviews

The Inspector Lynley Mysteries - Series 6

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I mentioned when writing about season five that this delicately etched and excellently acted series on PBS's "Mystery" was my favorite. It still is. I truly believe it is the finest show on television. Nathaniel Parker's Inspector Thomas Lynley and Sharon Small's Barbara Havers are eagerly awaited with passion each season by this viewer like nothing else on television.

Based on Elizabeth George's characters, the BBC show has grown and matured into something really special. The mysteries are always well-written and the lead characters have been allowed to let life and what each brings to the table change both themselves and how they view each other. Parker and Small are a fabulous duo who balance each other out.

The dashing Lynley was originally paired with Havers because it was taken for granted he would not be distracted by her in a romantic way. But the two quickly found there was more to each other than their reputations, and proved a great team. They also became quite close, their deep friendship and affection for each other rarely dwelled upon but always there beneath the surface.

Havers has given the dashing Lynley depth and complexity while he has given her a softer appearance over time. Small really looked terrific in season five with her hair down. Though some griped it was a deviation from the books, it is this intelligent lack of stagnation which has kept things fresh.

Season five ended tragically as Lynley's world changed in the blink of an eye when his beloved Helen was killed. One of the most poignant moments of the series found Havers sitting with Lynley after her funeral to make the world wait a few moments. It is intelligent and very real moments such as that which make this show tower head and shoulders above everything else out there.

It is for that reason that a massive campaign is being waged to persuade the BBC to continue to produce the show so that PBS fans in America can enjoy these richly mature and intelligent mysteries. The carefully nuanced performances of Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small as Lynley and Havers would be harder to live without than Lynley's beloved Bristol.

Until that happens, we can at least enjoy the two episodes here on season six. In "Limbo," first aired in Australia, the remains of Lynley's godson are discovered twelve years after he was reported missing. Lynley becomes deeply involved with the deceased's sister and will become the prime suspect in a second murder. In "Know Thine Enemy" one young schoolgirl kills herself to escape captivity and Lynley and Havers try to find another before tragedy strikes twice.

The Inspector Lynley series is smart and atmospheric, Debbie Wiseman's opening music setting the tone for each intriguing installment. Fans cherish this show and hopefully this won't be the last we see of our favorite detectives.

The BBC and Masterpiece Theater's long running Inspector Lynley series has produced its sixth and possibly last installment. Nathaniel Parker returns as aristocratic Inspector Lynley and Sharon Small as working class Detective Sergeant Havers.

This installment contains two episodes. In the first, "Limbo", Inspector Lynley, still grieving from a personal loss (see Set Five) is dragged into a mystery involving the prior disappearence of his godson. Lynley's efforts to help the family deal with new police evidence ends up enmeshing him in the case as a suspect when the missing boy's sister dies on the street in front of Lynley's temporary residence. Lynley must rely on Sergeant Havers to run down the evidence that will keep him out of jail long enough to solve both cases. Havers herself will be in desperate need of assistance by the time the murderer is identified. The second case,"Know Thine Enemy", involves the murder of a young girl and the potential threat to an additional victim. Lynley and Havers must sort through the clues under considerable time duress to try to save the living. The two will also have to resolve a major difference of opinion over who the real murderer or murderers are.

The heart of this series is still the relationship between Lynley and Havers, who have complemented each other in increasingly nuanced ways over the years. This viewer hopes BBC won't let Set Six be the end of their partnership. "The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Set Six" is very highly recommended to fans of this well-done series.

I would have reviewed every other series of the Inspector Lynley Mysteries by giving them five stars. I think this one is more disappointing for two reasons; the BBC clearly took an abrupt decision to end the series, and the suddenness of that decision can be felt in the unsatisfactory last scene of the final episode [of the two, I much prefer 'Limbo', despite some plot inconsistencies]. The scriptwriting, especially in the final episode, is poor, and I think the story was based largely on a real crime. Lynley's language and behaviour have changed so totally from previous episodes that he reminds me of an ill-bred thug rather than a well-bred aristocrat. I found myself wondering if the scriptwriter had read the books at all.

I still give it four stars because of the quality of the acting of Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small. Even given a badly-written script they did a superb job as they have done throughout. Their partnership [both in character and as actors] is one of the most compellingly fascinating I have ever seen on TV.

The two episodes in this season of the show are particularly good. They are in marked contrast to Season 5, in which the actress playing Helen changed and her personality also changed -- for the worse. Lynley seemed at times to become an infatuated teenager -- it was not a believable side of his personality. The only thing about this season that I found irritating is that there wasn't some acknowledgement of the end of the series. The second episode just ended, an excellent one, to be sure, but with no resolution of the tension between the characters. Perhaps they're hoping to continue, do specials, or make a movie. Loved the series!

I am a fan of Nathaniel Parker and Sharon Small to say the least

Though coming from different backgrounds they surely did come together to make a fine set of movies.

I am a lover of Materpiece Movies and Mystery Theater on PBS.

Every season was expected to be excellent

I have bought the whole series and encourage all lovers of British movies to do so.

I find the British movies more real than some american movies

These series movies are equal to the Inspector Morse series and Inspector Lewis series.

I give them all a 5 star rating.

Besure and buy these excellent movies. Great scenery in England from them Starting with the very first one "Great Delierence"

Chfancier a lover of good english movies

Seems hard to believe after the long ongoing story between the two that the last story would end without a finish. It really leaves you empty.

The 6th and final series of the "Inspector Lynley Mysteries" picks up after the sudden death of Inspector Lynley's wife Helen, and it continues the tone and look of the previous series. These episodes are written by Ed Whitman based on characters from Elizabeth George's "Inspector Lynley" novels. I found this series a bit over-the-top, with more than the usual stretch of credibility in the behavior of the villains. I can't deny that the episodes are entertaining, though. Fans don't get a grand finale but probably won't be disappointed either. This was called Series 7 on PBS, but it is sold as Series 6, because the Pilot episode is not being counted as a series. There are only 2 episodes in this final series, 85 minutes each, on 2 discs.

"Limbo" finds DI Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) consoling himself with the bottle 6 months after the death of his wife, while partner DS Havers (Sharon Small) isn't having much success in discouraging his drinking. Lynley is startled out of his grief by the discovery of the remains of young Justin Oborne, the son of friends who disappeared on his 5th birthday, 15 years ago. Lynley travels to Rome to convince the Obornes' estranged daughter Julia (Georgina Rylance) to return to England for Justin's funeral. But that effort takes a dangerous turn when Julia's apartment is burgled and Lynley is accused of murder by a ferocious Detective Superintendent Tate (Geraldine Somerville). Lynley and Havers race to solve both old and new mysteries, with the help of forensic pathologist Lafferty (Paul Hickey), before accusations against Lynley turn into charges.

Teenaged Sarah Middleton is found dead after having disappeared on her way home from school two weeks before in "Know Thine Enemy". When another teenager, Kelly Stevens (Eleanor Gecks), disappears, it starts a serial killer scare. With the pressure on, Lynley, Havers, and DC Ed Harvey (Mark Bonnar) set out to find the red-haired woman whom witnesses placed at the scene of both women's disappearances. That leads to Tania Thompson (Honeysuckle Weeks), whose ambitious and abusive husband Guy (James D'Arcy) makes him the perfect suspect. But Havers and Lynley disagree over Tania's role in the crimes. This episode revolves around sex crimes that are hardly believable, and the investigation proceeds in a fashion no more credible.

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I have long been a fan of Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series, and when the BBC series based on it came out, I watched every one of them. Nathaniel Parker played the inspector to the hilt; I was impressed not only with his portrayal of Lynley's genius as a detective, but also with his hypersensitivity, hangups, and insecurities. Sharon Small was the perfect Barbara Havers, another fish out of water where society is concerned, but also a skilled detective. Both characters had to deal with family problems, and neither of them, at least in the first series, had much success with romance. In short, the characters are beautifully human, and the actors did a great job of portraying them.

This series was no exception. Elizabeth George's books are rather long for mystery novels (which I like, because I read fast), and the stories, therefore, had to be edited. However, neither plot nor character suffered from that. The shows were fast-paced and intriguing, and even though I'd read most of the books they were based on, I never once got off the edge of my chair. And now they say that this will be the last Inspector Lynley series? I sure hope not! If so, this will be a major loss to British mystery.

This series is one of my favorite British shows, but this last DVD doesn't live up to the previous episodes. It is enjoyable and entertaining. The first episode, Limbo is the better of the two. The latter episode is a letdown, for me anyway: in viewing this one, I understand why the series wasn't renewed for more episodes. Instead of working together, Havers and Lynley work more against each other in this one. For the price, you only get two episodes here, instead of the usual four, so the purchase is up to you.