Customer Reviews

Rosemary & Thyme - Series One

5 star:		(34)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I enjoy both Pam Ferris and Felicity Kendal in several other presentations. This one is my particular favorite because they work as a team! I love it because of the light mystery format, the wonderful settings and the ladies are just delightful! The reason I give five stars is because no higher ones are allowed. I long for fun things to watch, not the prevalent gory stuff out today. These are "real" women. Finally, something for people who don't enjoy always seeing unbelieveable young girls, sometimes with little acting ability, in the spotlight. Thanks for this series. Well worth the price.

ROSEMARY & THYME won't win any Golden Globes, but it is a fun series. The creative twist comes with the gardening angle.

Mrs Thyme is a middle-aged woman with ties to the police force through a soon-to-be X-husband and son, and she spent time on the force herslf before she married a DCI. She lost her house and garden when hubby ran off with a 23-year old, but she misses her garden the most. Due to her training, Mrs Thyme has a 'copper's eye' for noticing when things are out of order, and it seems where ever she and Rosemary Boxer work, things are soon out of order.

You might recognize Pam Ferris who plays Mrs. Thyme--she was Ma on the 'Darling Buds of May.' Rosemary Boxer is played by Felicity X who starred in 'The Camomile Lawn' and played on 'Good Neighbors' a Britcom from the 70s. Rosemary is an academic gardener with an analytic mind and an ability to sleauth chemical solutions compared with Mrs Thyme's more organic approach to resolving problems. The two link up and form a gardening business when Rosemary loses her academic job.

The gardening business becomes a dective business when a mutual acquaintance is mysteriously killed after his vahicle rolls through an intersection and is hit by a truck. (Brakes and other mechanical things fail more often than not on this series)

"Soak the Privit cuttings in Yew bark solution? That's an old wives' tale" says Rosemary.

"I am an old wife" says Mrs Thyme.

If you like Britcom type mysteries with little or no gore and two older babes chasing the bad guy(s), and plot reminiscient of those shown in the 1970s, Rosemary and Thyme may be your cup of tea. Many interesting character actors from other mysteries appear in cameo roles in a series that reveals more knowledgeabout English Gardens and horticulture than crime.

I liked Rosemary and Thyme, znd although I felt the plots fell a bit short of being mysterious the garden angle is fascinating. The two female actors carry the day. The settings are comparable to those in other British mysteries (beautiful and old!!) and Rosemary drives an ancient land rover. The producers could have put all six of the first episodes on one DVD, but three disks will come in the first set. This fact is extremely annoying for one with storage/space issues. (Hint Hint)

Cosies are to mysteries what tea and crumpets are to blood pudding...there's a very different taste involved. It's wise to remember, however, that the tea can be poisoned even more easily than the pudding. Cosies usually feature village or small town settings, good manners, gossip and indiscreet goings-on, a self-appointed detective or detectives who are of a certain age and usually female, often self-conscious puns for titles...and murder. Rosemary & Thyme fit the formula in satisfying style.

Rosemary Boxer (Felicity Kendal), a botany biologist, has just lost her job at her university...let go by her ex-husband. Laura Thyme (Pam Ferris), has just seen her husband leave her for a younger woman. She's a former policewoman and an avid gardener. Rosemary and Thy...Laura...meet by chance and, with nothing better to do, agree to work together at an estate to save some ailing trees. There is the owner of the estate suffering from a noxious condition of skin blisters and lesions, a loving wife who administers the salve which gives him relief, a sullen housekeeper and a fatal car accident. Before long the two women are up to their eyes in a mystery of murder and madness which only Laura's police memory and Rosemary's knowledge of dangerous plants can solve.

Rosemary & Thyme is a well-produced series of murder mysteries. Kendal and Ferris are first-rate actresses, quite happy to play their age (actually, they play about 15 years younger than their age and are convincing). Kendal is small, quick and sounds a little like Joan Greenwood. Ferris carries a few extra pounds, and can be determined. They interact with each other easily and naturally. As usual with most British productions, there is acting depth and high production standards. The series is filmed at a number stately homes and major gardens in England.

There are five other episodes in the Season One set. The mysteries all involve some aspect of gardening and plant knowledge. The DVD picture is just fine. The only worthwhile extra is a filmography for the major characters.

In the first of six episodes, major life challenges confront both Rosemary Boxer and Laura Thyme. These are met and dealt with, as the women strike up a resounding friendship. They discover a common interest in plants and gardening, though they come from different backgrounds (one has a degree in horticulture and the other's father had been a farmer). Intrigue, mysteries and murders come their way and these horticultural sleuthing detectives face these challenges with charm, wit and intelligence. This is due in part I am sure, to the special talents of actresses Pam Ferris and Felicity Kendal. Beautifully filmed with an eye for colors, florals and greenery, this series is a cut above the ordinary. Bravo to the Brits for this new delightful series that is absolutely food for the soul. I'm a fan for life and will buy every series as they are released.

If you like gazing at lush English gardens, then you will enjoy this series simply for the scenery. If you love mysteries as well, you are in for a double treat! I found myself glued to the six one-hour episodes in short succession and can't wait for Series Two. The series is very well done with excellent photography and producation standards and the actors are top notch.

One quibble - the picture appeared a tad distorted (stretched) on my 35" tv screen. There was no letter-box option so I'm wondering if the series was filmed in widescreen format but presented fullscreen on the dvd? I wasn't sure and could not correct it. However, it wasn't bad enough to ruin the pleasure of a fun six hours.

An added bonus - check out the excellent website listed on the dvd box ([...]) for behind the scenes stories, interviews with the leading ladies and identifications for the gardens used in the shows.

I enjoy British comedy and drama because they have realistic characters in both abilities and appearance. None of that Hollywood perfection for them. It is so refreshing! And they aren't afraid to present a program with characters of a certain age.

The sleuths of Rosemary & Thyme are middle-aged women who love all things growing green. Rosemary Boxer (Felicity Kendal of the fantastic British comedy Good Neighbors) is a former university teacher (horticulture). Laura Thyme (Pam Ferris, best known for her role in one of the Harry Potter films) is a former police woman who lost her policeman husband to a much younger woman. The women meet in the first episode and eventually join forces to solve mysteries everywhere they are employed.

The episodes are compelling and interspersed in the programs is interesting information about gardening. The relationship between Rosemary and Laura is pure chemistry. Unfortunately the first season is only six episodes. But they are fascinating stories. And the acting is wonderful, but then, the British are so good!

This mystery trio has a wonderful sense of playfulness, as opposed to several other British series which seemed to be filmed in dark and murky places with dreary, serious themes. Rosemary & Thyme, a duo of gardeners/mystery solvers, features two actresses who keep the series light and showcase their sometimes quirky temperaments. With the series revolving around mysteries taking place in various gardens, a gentle imparting of gardening information, and the down-to-earth humor, this series is enjoyable watching on several levels.

By now, I'm sure, on this board, that it is well known that I adore English Murder Mysteries. I'm coming rather late to this series; however, I found it to be most delightful. Although the mysteries might not be as intriguing as those in Morse, Frost, Lynley, etc., the story line or theme of the series (professional gardening and murder) plus the two leading ladies are thoroughly enjoyable.

Felicity Kendal (of "Good Neighbors" fame) as Rosemary Boxer and Pam Ferris as Laura Thyme are splendid as two middle aged (whatever the hell that is) women that are professional horticulturists and amateur detectives. It is so nice to view some mature women that have great wisdom combined with extreme wit.

I love glimpsing at some beautiful English Gardens that seem to attract "Murder(s) Most Foul".

So if you enjoy the murder mystery genre and want to see some beautiful English gardens, buy this series.

(by the way I fully intend to purchase the second season of this wonderful series)

"Rosemary & Thyme" is a superbly crafted, richly produced, brilliantly acted, cleverly scripted series of mysteries featuring two intrepid (if unlikely) amateur female sleuths who are in the gardening and landscaping business but can't seem to avoid getting involved in murder mysteries. Laura Thyme (Pam Ferris) is a former policewoman who has been abandoned by her philandering husband for a younger woman, and Rosemary Boxer (Felicity Kendal) is a plant biologist who lost her university teaching post. Together they are Rosemary & Thyme, and their adventures are played out against gorgeous English gardens, manorial landscapes, and the often stunning floral beauty of rural Britain. Volume 1 features six episodes, while Volume 2 has eight episodes. These are classic British-style 'whodunnits' with the viewer deeply engaged with every remarkable character, plot twist, and surprise ending. The DVD format allows for the inclusion of production notes, a photo gallery, cast filmographies, - and even a trivia quiz. If a community library budget can only allow for the addition of one new DVD series - make it the enduringly popular, flawless produced, enthusiastically recommended "Rosemary & Thyme"!

This is a delightful series, with a new, gardening approach to mystery. Anyone who likes light-hearted, British mysteries will love Rosemary and Thyme.