Customer Reviews

Lark Rise to Candleford: The Complete Season Three

5 star:		(51)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Thanks to a friend who lives in England, I was able to watch Season 3 of LRtC a couple of months ago, but I have been patiently awaiting the DVD release here in the United States (it took them long enough!). I have been a faithful fan of LRtC since Season One and just love this period drama centered on the inhabitants of the hamlet of Lark Rise and the town of Candleford. The casting is excellent, with a talented ensemble cast who add real depth to the characters portrayed, the stories are generally interesting with real human drama with all the pains and joys experienced by the inhabitants of Lark Rise and Candleford, and the cinematography is simply breathtaking.

Season Three sees the introduction of a significant new character, Daniel Parrish (played by Ben Aldridge), a young journalist who arrives in Lark Rise with some life-altering news for the Timmins. Emma (Claudie Blakley) might inherit a fortune, and both Emma and her husband Robert (Brendan Coyle) ponder the possibilities and opportunities this signifies for them as a family. Parrish is also drawn to Laura Timmins (Olivia Hallinan) who has matured into a true beauty, but still harbors heartache from the break-up with clockmaker Fisher Price in Season 2.

The independent and strong-willed Dorcas Lane (played by the talented and lovely Julia Sawalha) continues as Candleford's postmistress, and experiences some human drama of her own, taking on a role that she finds fulfills her immensely. Unlike previous seasons, Dorcas' story is no longer the only dominant thread this season, as other characters begin to get more screen time (yes, I was not too pleased with this, but I felt some of these stories were still well done). One story arc which I particularly enjoyed watching was the marital adventures of postman Thomas Brown (Mark Heap) and his devoted wife Margaret Ellison (Sandy McDade). Their antics just make me laugh out loud, and yet there is also a poignancy to their marriage which is explored later in the season. This balance makes them an interesting couple to watch on-screen and the actors outdo themselves in lending credibility and depth to their characters.

Minnie, the bumbling yet lovable maid from Season 2 is given a meatier role this season, and I loved how Dorcas takes Minnie under her wing, grooming her not for a life of servitude but for something far more worthy and fulfilling, with mixed results - a blend of hilarity and poignancy that had me laughing one moment and tearing up the next.

Strong and resilient Emma Timmins also gets a chance to explore other sides to her role - she is not just a loving mother and loyal wife this season, but yearns to be something more which I felt rounded-out her character very nicely this season. One of the story arcs I've loved throughout seasons 1-3 is the strong bond of love between Robert and Emma Timmins, one which is further explored this season.

The Pratt sisters, Ruby and Pearl (Victoria Hamilton and Matilda Zeigler) continue their roles as town busybodies and this season sees a major upheaval which threatens the sisters formerly close knit bond with each other. Young Alf Arless (John Dagliesh, also one of my favorite characters after Dorcas and Robert) begins to mature into his role as the head of his family, assuming real responsibilities, but also faces some serious and heartbreaking challenges.

This season also sees the inhabitants of Lark Rise and Candleford coming together in times of crisis, helping each other out, and setting aside their differences which I felt was timely and touching. The stories make you feel like you're there, experiencing these people's joys and pains, their triumphs and failures, and the slowly developing sense of community between both hamlets.

There are many other story threads this season that will engage viewers and keep them riveted to the screen. Is Season Three as good as Seasons 1 & 2? Well, on some counts yes, and others no, but the talented ensemble cast puts together another charming and poignant season to please viewers in general. I only hope Season 4 is a reality and that BBC continues making this wonderful period drama!

This masterful Victorian Britain series has equaled, or bettered, "Little House on the Prairie." English country life at a poetic, pictorial, and enchanting peak. Lives of those living in Lark Rise and Candleford mingle as delicately and wonderfully as frosting on a bridal cake. Even the DVD's music puts a sanguine sugarcoating on the period.
4 DVDs, 12 episodes, about 12 hours, all 1800s awesome. Subtitled. It is romance, nostalgia, saga, suspense, drama, well...it's a cornucopia of viewing that is not to be missed. Especially for the folks who have already sat through seasons 1 & 2, it continues with a great and large nucleus cast, but the stories and depth of characters are growing with the show's movement.

Julia Sawalha (`Return to Cranford') as Dorcas continues as a major player, the postmistress of Candleford, but how long can she keep the postal position? Claudie Blakley (also of `Return to Cranford') as Emma, work well together, both with female roles that show a modern worthiness of women, but without hurting the period setting of the series. Her devoted husband, Robert (Brendan Coyle) delightful marriage interaction between the two, gives way from some of the Timmins family emphasis, to the advancement of Emma. Even though the show offers these 21 century tendencies, it harms nothing of the charm and warmth of a perfection of Victorian set, costume, and attitude that this show, now in year 3 has become known for. Jane Austin would have loved this show. And Catherine Cookson too, although most of Lark Rise and Candleford are less brutal than the commoners and towns of Cookson's adapted works.

Journalist, Daniel Parish (Ben Aldridge) arrives in town which leads to several situations for locals. Viewers will confront measles, witchcraft, bribes, pregnancy, beggars to inheritants, romance, rivalries, and multiple job-insecurity issues. Life. Life as we see now, and life in the 1880s. Amazing writing. Riveting dialogue.

Also, be warned. Expect belly laughs too. Those Pratt sisters, Twister (OK tears too) and wife, Queenie, not to mention, Thomas the Bible-quoting, bike-riding, mail-deliverer, and his wife, Margaret (all returning regulars) could put together a comedy show every bit as good as this dramatic series has been--from day one. There is an abundance of fine British dramatic programming available, but this has to be one of my favorite.

It's very comparable to "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman" in that it is a continuing family struggle 1800s adventure, and hopefully the lady postmistress will survive as long as the lady doctor did. The end of episode 12 does lend itself to continuation, thankfully. I do SO RECOMMEND "Lark Rise to Candleford" series 1 and 2 as well. It is all fantastic 5-star good.

I love the series overall, but, though the individual stories are quite good, BBC's third season budget cuts show -- in too many episodes, major characters are 'out of town' so as to save the pence for hiring that actor for that episode. To me the third series was therefore not quite as rich as the first two, but still well worth seeing, and heads above the usual TV rubbish.

Season Three continues to meet the standards set by the earlier seasons in terms of writing, acting, cinematography and style.

By now, most characters are much more richly developed and rounded out, allowing story lines to focus on these specific characters personalities, feelings and lives whereas in the earliest episodes, I felt some of the charaters were more like "stock characters" who were generally representative of the era and place (a parson's daughter, a small town shopkeeper, a hamlet boy, etc) rather than individuals in their own right.

While a few episodes are weaker than others, I think some of the best episodes to date can be found in Season Three.

Let's hope the BBC realise what a good thing they have going and keep this running for many years, like "Upstairs, Downstairs".

OK, I continue to watch the series, but: It's become transparently a soap opera, constantly working hard to jerk as many tears and "aaaaaawwwwwws" from the audience as possible. In every episode, there is a conflict presented between family members, or between other people, or the community of Lark Rise versus that of Candleford. And each and every episode is very predictably resolved with warm hugs and wise utterances all around. Many of the wise utterances come straight from the modern therapist's office; ones like "This isn't about you, it's about me." However, some of the scriptwriters are channeling Dickens; one of them actually lifted the scene in Great Expectations where the convict threatens Pip to get him to bring food, including only a minor rewrite of Dickens' dialog. Someone's usually in deep trouble or dying or something, and everyone (including, by inference, the viewers), hangs around and weeps for extended periods. Even more than in previous series, the work of different scriptwriters renders the episodes discontinuous. In Series 2, Alf acquired a girlfriend, with a sentimental burying of old grudges between Lark Rise and some other hamlet never before mentioned. Now the girlfriend is gone, with no explanation--and so is the other hamlet. In one Series 3 episode, Twister somehow acquires the object of his dreams: A still. Even though it must have cost a lot of money by his standards, and furthermore, would be a source of urgently needed income or at least free booze, the still vanishes after that one episode, with no explanation. For awhile all this is made acceptable by pretty good acting, folk songs, and the golden glow on the fields (they must have used a yellow filter). But after awhile it becomes too treacly, and after that it becomes ridiculous. In other words, watch only one episode, or at the most two, per evening.

One tidbit of info: The series theme music is a Polish folk dance.

This is spectacular with a great story and great acting.Wish ther were more DVDs like this.

This television program has become my absolute favorite. It is clean and violence free! It is so visually pleasing too! I recommend it to anyone, but especially if you like decent, good period dramas. This one is top notch!

Loved this show from the first episode on season one. This season does not dissapoint, it is the best thus far and keeps you hungry for more.

I have all three Season Series of "Lark Rise to Candleford". I've loved watching them and have shared them with my family. They all are enjoying this series. We hope there will be a season Four...Five...Six...and on. It's good to have a something to watch that is entertaining, funny, (yet bring the occasional tear) and still be wholesome. Good job BBC!!!!

SPOILER REVIEW

Like with many series, they tend to degrade the longer they go and this is no exception. Towards the end of Lark Rise to Candleford: The Complete Season Two the writing started making less sense and that continued and worsened in season 3. I often found myself completely puzzled at characters doing things totally out of character or story lines that made no sense.

I found that I spent a good portion of my time just trying to "get through it" so I could see how it ended. I would have given this 3 stars were it not for the last few episodes where Fisher returns. He helped this season to end MUCH better than it otherwise would have although not as well as it could have if Laura had actually chosen him... but perhaps that's just my opinion. Either way, having him back improved the plot line as well as bringing some quality acting back since he and Laura have a chemistry she does not have with Daniel.

In the end, if you're a fan of the series it's probably worth the watch, but at the end I wondered if I shouldn't just have stopped after Lark Rise to Candleford: The Complete Season One