451. Web-series Reviews – 248

More web-series reviews…

Bookish – Came out in 2025. Gabriel Book, proprietor of an antiquarian bookshop, relies on his vast collection to unravel baffling cases. He nurtures a group of lovable yet troubled individuals, providing informal protection and guidance.

A review from IMDB...

I hear some say oh not another Sherlock Holmes style 1940's crime drama but read on and you might be interested.

Mark Gatiss who stars and is the creator of this six part whodunnit certainly has introduced a fascinating new character to add to the world of crime sleuth entertainment.

Mark Gattis plays Gabriel Book an unconventional somewhat eccentric book shop owner who helps police solve crimes in 1946 London he even as he often states carries with him a letter from Winston Churchill.

The most interesting aspect for me of this six part series that thankfully has already been commissioned for a second series is the emotional triangle of the three main characters.

While the crime mysteries are interesting in themselves it's the ensemble of characters that appealed to me .

Gabriel Book the bookstore owner , his wife Trottie played by the delightful Pollie Walker and the young man Jack that Gabriel Book employs in his Antiquarian bookshop fresh from prison played by Connor Finch.

Without spoiling the plot it's suffice to say that Gabriel and Trottie Book have a very unconventional marriage that suits the times they live in .

It's a very open affectionate and loving match based on convenience, companionship admiration and humour that allows each of them to pursue affection outside their marriage.

The series begins with young Jack being released from prison and taking up the offer of employment and a room at Gabriel Book's antiquarian bookstore simply titled "Books". He soon meets the effervescent Trottie ,Gabriel's wife who operates a wallpaper shop next door .

It soon becomes obvious that the offer of Jacks employment and welfare by Gabriel Book is part of a promise Gabriel made to himself in memory of the young man's deceased father who held a special emotional place in the sleuthing booksellers heart .

The three crime mysteries are great fun also the first involving the discovery of skeletons at a blitz bomb site , are they all due to the war ?

The second deals with a film crew filming in Archangel Lane when an extra drops dead after eating poisoned chocolates meant for one of the cast . Joely Richardson ,daughter of Vanessa Redgrave is delightful as movie actress Sandra Dare.

The third mystery features two sisters both European Princesses in more ways than one who after a failed poisoning attempt continue to receive life threatening letters .

The three stories are in 2 parts beautifully produced and a joy to watch the director Carolina Giammetta , who was a director on the Vera series has done a superb job of bringing Mark Gatiss and a host of interesting characters to the screen.

Mark Gatiss gives a superb characterisation of the shrewd quick witted but slightly whimsical Gabriel Book.

My Take – Worth a watch!

 

Buried in the Backyard – Running since 2018. Examines true-crime stories of victims found buried in the least suspicious places.

A review from IMDB...

It's obvious these are slightly smaller budgeted shows, but the interviews are well done and the editing is high level. My biggest gripes are the robotic, canned female narrator and the cheesy music over the "happy times" segments. Seems like the producers at Oxygen think their audience can't stomach darker music and darker imagery. But the true crime fans are much savvier now and used to dark content on HBO, Netflix etc. The reenactments are poorly directed, but they're well edited. The stories are generally good, but you can tell they're really pushing the "buried in the backyard" theme to crimes where nobody was buried in the backyard at all. The series has potential. Some episodes are better than others, definitely a much watch for true crime fans.

My Take – Saw the first season. An ok watch!

 

Cra – Came in 2024. In an isolated village in the north west of Ireland, a murder investigation begins when Garda Barry Roche finds a body buried in the bog. In the most personal of cases, Garda Conall Ó Súilleabháin discovers it is his mother, Sabine, who has been missing for 15 years. Conall is forbidden from working on the case, but is drawn into the investigation by a determined young journalist Ciara-Kate, who is using her true-crime podcast to expose the village's deepest secrets. As they unravel the truth, they must confront a community bound by silence and its own moral codes.

A review from IMDB...

I want to give it a higher rating, because I liked that it's in Irish and in Donegal. It had an interesting setting, and I really would like to see more of this (I'm from Scotland). I thought the main male actor was quite good, so was his other half in it. The character of the journalist/podcaster was just really bad, quite cringe worthy and not well written. Nothing against the actress, she worked with what she had.

Some of the acting wasn't that great, but I think the writing is what let it down the most. I really wanted to give it a higher rating, but it's just not that well written. Lots of things don't make much sense, the dialogue between the characters is a bit bland, there's too many cringe worthy moments that feel out of place with the nonsense plotline of the true crime podcaster getting away with/doing stuff that just wouldn't happen. It could honestly be a lot better.

I see the potential in it though, and I hope this starts more series funded that are in Irish with this kind of theme. I think they just need some extra help with the writing. So I'm giving it a 7, cause I still enjoyed it when I shut my brain off for a bit, and it is quite unique.

I would still recommend people watch this series, just shut your brain off a bit if some things seem a bit far fetched and you'll probably enjoy it. If we support it, hopefully more stuff like this will come out in the future!

My Take – An ok series!

Adios till next time😊!!