Customer Reviews

Jonathan Creek: Season Three

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

 

 

Produced by the late great Verity Lambert , who also produced the early doctor who episodes and many other shows , this show never lets the viewer down. The characters are interesting and the leads are great. The only problem with british shows is that they don't produce lots of episodes. Fortunately this series lasted four seasons and had 2 christmas specials and a new year special for 2009. And there is a upcoming easter special for 2010. This show is well done and the whole family can enjoy the quirky characters and storylines. Fans of Columbo and other shows like that one; should enjoy this fun show. Every season is great and the show should be made into a functioning series again instead of just doing specials. This show is so good that mystery loving fans can watch all six episodes in a row and not feel fatigued! It's that fun, and even lighthearted in some aspects; in spite of people popping up dead along the way. Caroline Quentin as always just engages the audience just as expertly as she does in 'blue murder' which is a much more serious show. And Alan Davies is just as expert in bringing his character to life. This is one of my all time favorite brit mystery/ crime show and it deserves more episodes to be made.

Series 3 of Jonathan Creek keeps up the high standards of the first two series. The writing and plots are as ingenious as ever and Jonathan solves the mysteries with his usual diffident brilliance. There's lots of humor and Creek's boss is involved a little more, too, which is good.
The only downside is that Caroline Quentin doesn't seem to have the same gusto and enthusiasm as Maddie that she showed in the first two series. She was replaced for season 4 (by Julia Sawalha of Ab Fab), so perhaps she'd just found that she had no more to bring to the part. She's professional enough, but the outrageous chutzpah is missing.
Never mind, the show is still well worth watching. I'm not sure whether a new series is planned, but there have been several one-off specials, including one this past Christmas, and hopefully the BBC will release those in due course.

Series 3 is a fun collection of mysteries. For those unfamiliar with the series, it teams an investigative reporter with an illusionist (or, rather, creator of illusions for a stage magician). The two characters play off of each other quite well, and the shows are laced with a lot of humor. These were widely shown on BBC America here in the States. There are 4 seasons total (thus far) and BBC has been releasing them to DVD on Region 1 at about a year apart! So...look forward to Season 4 about a year from now....

In the meantime, there are reports that the title character is being resurrected for a new series in 2009, without Maggie. If that's a success, maybe the BBC will get Season 4 out sooner!

There's a very paranormal slant to the third season of "Jonathan Creek," as if the writers had watched a little too much "X-Files" -- you've got ghosts, ghouls, precognition, aliens and a pact with Satan. But fortunately the main concept (Jonathan debunks impossible crimes/tricks) is very much still in place, and Alan Davies and Caroline Quentin are still awesome.

A dinner party goes completely south in "The Curious Tale of Mr Spearfish" when a man claims to have signed a pact with the devil, which he credits for his newfound fame and luck. But even after a man trying to shoot him drops dead, Maddie and Jonathan suspect there's a more mundane explanation for what's happening.

And in "The Eyes of Tiresias," an old lady is having dreams of future murders that have a nasty habit of coming true. In "The Omega Man," Maddy is contacted by an extraterrestrial expert to take a look at an alien skeleton... only to have the US army (wha?) charge in and take it. The problem is, as soon as they unload it again, it's vanished into thin air. So guess who they drag in to help.

"Ghosts Forge" becomes a problem when an ex-coworker of Maddy's wants them to investigate a very old murder at a creaky old manor house. Then there's a "Miracle in Crooked Lane," when an ex-glamour model is almost killed in an explosion... and is seen several hours later on her way to church. Is it a true miracle, or does Jonathan have a more earthly answer?

And it all ends on a gruesome note with "The Three Gamblers," in which the police find a drug dealer who was bludgeoned and shot to death has somehow crawled up a flight of stairs... AFTER he died. His killer is literally going insane with fear, and a drug cartel is causing trouble.

Obviously "Jonathan Creek Season 3" has a more supernatural/paranormal slant to it, and fortunately it doesn't lose its solid grip on reality. The only problem is that sometimes things get a little far-fetched -- the first episode has oh-so-convenient timing on a LOT of stuff,merely to make shady stuff look downright satanic.

But despite the supernatural/paranormal focus, the scriptwriters DO manage to stick to the core of the series -- everything must be unraveled and explained by Jonathan.

Sadly this was the last season with Caroline Quentin, because Maddy and Jonathan had finally settled into a less prickly, more comfortable little zone with each other (she even gives him a book he desperately wants). They even test the romantic waters once or twice. And Alan Davies' Jonathan seems to be a bit more comfortable with himself and his more public life (although the dweeby fanclub seems to bug him).

"Jonathan Creek Season Three" is a much darker, weirder story than the one that came before it, but fortunately it hasn't really strayed from its core idea. Too bad there's no more Maddy after this.

Jonathan Creek has always been a favorite of mine. Season 3 is a little different. In season 1 and 2, Maddy is a well-known mystery writer who usually introduces the mysteries then brings Jonathan in to solve them. In season 3, Jonathan is the famous one and Maddy, who is still very visable, responds by being present, but not really there. The outrageous Maddy is gone and so is part of the fun.

I will pull a Jonathan Creek and surmise that Maddy asked for a raise. After all, the show was called "Jonathan Creek," but the Maddy character was as important as Jonathan. Perhaps the producers felt the actress was asking for too much, and subordinated the character to fit her salary, and since Caroline Quentin had to fulfill her contract, she showed her uphappiness by not bringing anything to the part. I haven't seen subsequent shows and so I don't know how that worked out for them.

1. "The Curious Tale of Mr. Spearfish." Maddy does bring Jonathan into this one and so the new Maddy isn't fully evident, yet. The seemingly supermatural mystery is absorbing, but the solution is a little disappointing since it depends on a scientific "fact" that most modern people know is wrong. And the focus of the plot seems to be on the wrong person.

2. "The Eyes of Tireseas." More supernatural doings with a complex solution that is very down to earth. In this one, Jonathan has a scene standing at the window where he displays an absolutely perfect rear end. It has to be a body double with a curly haired wig.

3. "The Omega Man." A skeleton that supposedly belongs to an extraterrestrial being disappears. Oddly, the author wants to depict an army that steals valuable artifacts, puts people in jail without charges, and bullies civilians. Of course, the English wouldn't act like that, and so he makes the army American. I didn't know we acted like that or had that kind of power in England. I found this device odder than the plot.

4. "Ghosts Forge." This is a good mystery with an unexpected solution. One thing that made it so appealing is the attractive, and outrageous female writer who is a friend of Maddy's. Maybe they were auditioning her for Maddy's role. She didn't get the part, however, because Julia Sawalha, the outrageous Lydia from "Pride and Prejudice," did.

5. "Miracle in Crooked Lane." This is an eerie mystery with an eerie solution. Another good one.

6. "The Three Gamblers." Really scary in parts with a simple, but unexpected solution, and a story with a heart.

Jonathan's outrageous cousin, the magician, is still evident and the mysteries couldn't be solved by anyone except Jonathan Creek.

I have the entire series. However, I can only play it on my computer because when I went to buy it, it was only available in the european version. Alan & Caroline played well off each other. They made a great team & the series is excellent. You will be intrigued by each episode. Try as you might, I defy you to figure it out before the end of each show. Their comedic timing & terrific acting make this a series that you will want to watch over & over again. What's this I hear about the title character being reprized this year in a new series?
marciajean223@yahoo.com

Series 3 of Jonathan Creek is just as good as the first two,J C and Maddy still bring a smile to the face and more way out tales with laughs and thrills in equal measure.The six stories are as follows:The Curious Tale of Mr.Spearfish,about a man who sold his soul and now thinks he's immortal,The Eyes of Tires 73 year old woman has dreams of death maybe psychic or something else.The Omega Man an alien skeleton figures into this X-Files type story.Ghost's Forge a friend of Maddy's turns up with a mystery of her on in a house in Norfolk so beware.Miracle in Crooked Lane has a 1970's sex kitten in a coma turning up at a church.The Three Gamblers is the last one another mystery solved by J C WELL WORTH OWNING.

One of the best mystery yet funny comedies I have seen. I wish they had more episodes! I really had great fun seeing this series.

Please see my Review for Series Two. It applies for all 3 Series. In a word......GREAT!

Can't get enough of Jonathan Creek - yet another reason the Brits do it better.