Tales from Edendale, The Number 7 & The Comedy With A Thought Provoking Message!

Hello world! Welcome back to another blog. This time it’s another TV Reviews, which include a detective series which links to old tales and myths of Edendale, a miniseries by one of the most well known murder mystery novels with this one linking to the number 7, and a second series of a comedy which also shows awareness for funding for disabled people. So without further ado, here are my thoughts on these three shows!

Cooper & Fry:

The first show I’m going to talk about is Cooper & Fry, starring Rob James-Collier and Mandip Gill.

As stated on the Channel 5 website, the synopsis of the show goes as follows:

“A detective Constable is thrown together with a newbie to investigate unusual mysteries.”

Rob James-Collier took on the role of DC Ben Cooper. After listening to him on a recent Act On This podcast, I admired his journey from how it was his first proper leading role, and the challenges he had to face if the show itself was a success or not. But I think he did a really good job, and I can see why the casting director has chosen him for this role in particular. What I also got from Ben was that he also used the many myths and tales of Edendale linking to each crime, some of which people believed, others did not. I personally am an open minded person, so if Ben were to talk to me about one of the many tales, I wouldn’t be closed off to them. If anything I’d be more intrigued, as I’m learning about the towns history in the process. Throughout the series, Ben was also in an ongoing mystery on how his father Joe was killed 5 years before the series commenced. By episode 2, he gave up, but with the help of Diane (who I’ll get onto in a moment), the mystery was solved (and I’ll mention who in the next episode section) and let’s just say it left him with wanting more questions than answers. Mandip Gill took on the role of DC Diane Fry. Let’s just say they didn’t get off to the best of starts at the beginning of the series, and it was clear they had different ways of working after her previous work in Leeds. But once they settled in, they became the best of friends and used their different approaches to help solve the crimes in each episode. She also had her own battle, as she was actually moving to get away from her previous partner Dave Branagh (Vincent Jerome), who despite being a DCI, let’s just say was abit of a creep. I can understand why she was also mad at Ben for interfering, thinking it’ll make things worse. But I think she was secretly relieved to step in, knowing that dragging it on for too long would make things worse. Although a clue at the end of the series suggested otherwise… But I do love the chemistry between Rob and Mandip, they both did their homework, knew that it was a big step for both of them, and they did the roles of Cooper and Fry justice. At the station there was also fellow colleague DI Paul Hitchens (Lorcan Crabitch), who was their boss and had the final say as to making an arrest or going to search for evidence. What I like about this character was how he knew that Ben was a good detective, but knew that trying to be “the hero” as a way to cope with his dads death would land him in a lot of trouble. And let’s just say I wouldn’t want to be on his bad side, but he still showed that authority knowing his role is to let everyone know he is in charge. We also got to see glimpses of Bens mum Isobel Cooper (Charlotte Bradley). At first I thought she was an alcoholic, but let’s say that she’s a little bit of a free spirit, using her occupation as a tarot card reader to help with each mystery. Some would call her deluded, but with her grieving Joe, you’d have to be careful a round her, and also seeing the impact it’s had on Ben. 

We also saw many characters who supported Ben and Diane on their journey to solving the many cases of Edendale. These included Dr Julianna Taylor (Clara Simpson), who was your crime scene woman, and let’s just say she was the best of the best when it came to her job, giving a full description of the victim before sending the results to double check. There was also Intelligence Officer Tracey Garnett (Niamh McCann), who had that balance between working to find background checks on each of the suspects/people who are linked to the case, whilst also having a laugh. She also had a caring side, which was seen in episode 1 when she gave Diane a bowl of soup and some tablets for her cold. We also saw DS Todd Eland (Barry John O’Connor), who at first looked like a nice guy, but after doing research before the finale, I was shocked to find that he had abit of a dark side, getting linked in a horrid crime in episode 4, whilst also being linked to Joe Coopers death. Diane was quick to find out, and nearly got killed as a result of it, but thank god Ben was there, and I can only imagine what he was thinking when he found out the truth. Episode 1 took them to a farm, where Ben knew of Alex Barcroft (Conor Hackett), who revealed that his daughter Danielle Entwhistle (Emer Heatley) was working as a care assistant for resident Raymond Carlisle (Eamon Rohan), and as mentioned by short tempered pub owner Roy Palfreyman (Paul Tylak), revealed of Raymond’s brother Derek’s violent past, and using the myth of the “screaming Billy” to reveal that Raymond kept a unusual part of his brother as a way of coping with his death. Throughout that episode, farm worker Nikolai Dudzik (Sergii Dzialyk) was the obvious suspect after asking about his link with addict Cara Doyle (Grace Collender), but he was simply offering her kindness following the murder of her brother Tommy. But it turns out that Alex and Danielle set the whole thing up, with their involvement being revealed at the end of the episode. Episode 2 saw the tale of “The Black Dog”, with a man called Sam Beeley (Chris McHallem) being the killer of a woman called Laura Kirkhan. He explained why it happened, and clearly wasn’t intentional, but more about self defence. I could also tell he was grieving for his late wife, and was on the brink of doing the unthinkable. I’m just glad Ben and Diane were there to stop him so he could get the help he needed. Throughout this we met Sams friend Harry Dickinson (Philip Judge), and Ben meeting old friend Helen (Amy De Bhrún), who was encouraged by Diane to ask her out. But that relationship soon came to a halt when Harry was arrested for his part in Sam’s crime, which jeopardised his friendship with Helena. We also got a glimpse into the Laura’s parents Dominic and Charlotte Kirkham (Stephen Lord and Siobhán O’Kelly), who were key in this investigation, as they had tension linking with their worker Lee Bateman, (Patrick Martins), who had a saucy decret with Charlotte which resulted in a dreadful date by his fiancé Gemma Ward (Megan Cudack). Charlotte talking about her past hence why Dominic was leading extreme measures to “protect her”, and I can kind of see why Charlotte did what she did as a way to escape. Episode 3 saw a murder of Neil Goodwin, with a strong link to “Boarder Rats”. In this episode we saw Lucas Oxley (Michael Power), who didn’t commit the crime, but got caught for a case linking to his deceased his daughter in law Lily, and let’s just say I wouldn’t want to get on his bad side. We also saw company worker Michael Hebden (Andrew Bennett), who eventually revealedthe killer to Neil Goodwin, but was clearly not in the right frame of mind after talking about the “Boarder Rats”, so maybe it was implied that he did it either according or his mental health got to a point where it all got too much. During this case, we came across Vicar Derek Alton (Colin Campbell), who revealed to have a secret relationship with Neil, and was clearly scared of Lucas, and Emma Runshaw (Isabelle Harriet), which was linked to an old case. But after watching that episode, I can see why she fled from her controlling parents Howard and Sarah (Mark Hubernan and Mika Simmons), and Diane made it clear of her boundaries whilst Neil was simply offering her kindness after they accused him of abusing her. Episodes 4 saw a murder at a place called The Nine Virgins, with groundskeeper Ravi Patel (Ankur Vikal), clearly also not in the right frame of mind. During this case we saw divorce lawyer Maggie Crew (Natalie Britton) and Mark Scargill (Diarmuid Noyes), being put in the picture, with Maggie suffering from past trauma in events before the series began, and despite a bad background, mark was adamant he didn’t kill the victim (which Ben and Diane used to their advantage when they find a burnet body), who turned out to be an ex husband of hers, and him being the killer would’ve been too obvious. During this, we saw that not only did Warren Leach organise the whole thing, but he was the one who was linked to Bens dad Joe, and with a temper like that, I’m not surprised. But the secrets kept coming in that episode, as Warren’s scared wife Yvonne Leach (Sarah Moyle who if you’ve seen Doctors you’ll recognise her as Valerie), who explains her link to Joe and how he was only defending her. But Todd letting out another secret linking to Valerie and Joe got Diane surprised, but for Bens sake, kept it quiet. 

I think my only observation (not a downside) that with most mystery shows, there’s normally a recap of how the killer did the crime in question. For some people like myself it would’ve been great to see how it was done, as it always fascinates me about how they didn’t get caught, whilst in this case, maybe they wanted to viewer to work it out for themselves visually how it happened. That I fully respect, but they at least gave the killer a description of how they went about it. 

Overall I would give the show a 4.95. It was a slow burner as it was a show I’ve never seen before, but by the end I was definitely settled in and loving the working relationship between Ben and Diane. And after Rob mentioned on the recent Act On This podcast about the future of the show, I’m just looking forward to seeing what the two detectives get up to next… 

Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials:

This next show I’m going to talk about it’s Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, starring Mia McKenna Bruce, Henela Bonham Carter and Martin freeman.

As stated on IMDb, the plot of the show goes as follows:

“In 1925, a country house party prank turns deadly. Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent investigates the chilling murder plot. Lady Caterham and Superintendent Battle assist in solving the country house mystery that changes Bundle’s life.”

Mia McKenna-Bruce took on the role of Lady Eileen Brent, but being referred to as “Bundle” by everyone else. After previously watching her as a child actor in “Tracy Beaker Returns” and “The Dumping Ground”, she has really excelled when it came to the different roles of acting. What I liked about Bundle was that she was quirky, curious and won’t let anything go until it’s sorted. And as it’s set 7 years after the decision where women were allowed to vote, this made her even more empowered to find out who committed the crime, even if it puts her into a dangerous situation. Let’s just say she is one fearless woman, and i know that the legend that is Agatha would be looking down right now being so proud that Mia brought her fictional character of Bundle to life! Helena Bonham-Carter took on the role of Bundle’s mother Lady Caterham. What I got from her was that since her husband (Bundle’s father) died, she has been finding ways to grieve. She also mentioned that she was once a person who was interested in travelling, but stopped since that tragic incident. At first I didn’t suspect much of her, but it wasn’t until the end where she was revealed to be heavily linked to the crime of Gerry Wade, and emotionally stated why she did what she did after the death of her husband, thinking it’s for the good of the country. I could only imagine what Bundle was feeling at that moment, eventually seeing her pay for what she did, and also thinking about how the government was responsible for killing her son (Bundle’s brother) during World War 1, when in fact it’s not the case at all. Martin Freeman took on the role of Superintendent Battle. He is definitely the perfect example of versatility, as after being in many Hollywood films and in “The Responder”, he for the role of the 1920s perfectly. What I got from Battle was that he is a odd person, using unique methods to find out who committed the crime in question. But it’s so refreshing to see a detective like him take matters into his own hands, and was quite pleased with Bundles input despite telling her to stay out of it. When asking about Seven Dials, it wasn’t until the end where he revealed who he really was, and how his part in Seven Dials was linked to Bundle’s father. 

There were many supporting characters that impacted Bundle’s journey. These included the victim himself Gerry Wade (Cory Mylchreest who you may recognise as the young King George in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story). He may have only been seen in the beginning, but his murder had an impact on Bundle, feeling that he was going to as her to marry her. This also shows that maybe the death of Gerry was her way of grieving, and his presence was definitely felt by her and the others. There was also Ronny Deverux (Nanhaan Rizwan), a good friend of Gerry’s who wanted justice like Bundle, but he wanted to do it the right way. But his involvement got him to meet a deadly fate, and a clue about Jimmy and Seven Dials was key in this investigation. Without this information, the mystery wouldn’t have been solved. Hughie O’Donnell took on the role of Bill Eversleigh. He was a colleague of Gerry’s who with Ronny was abit of a joker, but was there for Bundle following their deaths. I also loved their friendship, particularly seen in episode 2, and was with Bundle when making a discovery on what Seven Dials actually is. We also saw the eccentric George Lomax (Alex Macqueen), who wanted to get to the highest of them all when it comes to making his mark. I did have my suspicions, but then again that would be the obvious choice, and I think even I would be uncomfortable if he proposed to me like he did to Bundle. Lady Maria Coote and Sir Oswald Coote (played by Dorothy Atkinson and Mark Lewis Jones), we’re two characters which again were obvious suspects for different reasons. For Lady Maria Coote, her curiosity peaked my interest, whereas for Oswald, a trip in the garden for when Jimmy Thesinger was attacked got him suspicious and all, resulting in Battle to carry out an experiment to prove that he was telling the truth. We also saw the appearance of Dr Cyril Maptip (Nyasha Hatendi), an inventor who in a flashback saw his sister meeting a deadly fate to get his work, and he had mixed opinions from everyone when staying at George’s house. But that was soon forgotten when he demonstrates his formula and how strong it is for even the sharpest of weapons. Without it, it would’ve been a deadly situation for Bill. Edward Bluemel took on the role of Jimmy Thesinger, a family friend and colleague of the foreign office. At first I could see that he wanted to be there for Bundle and who killed Gerry, but by the end of the series, it turned out he was part of the whole scheme, and faked his injuries to cause a distraction. This was planned with Gerry’s sister Loraine Wade (Ella-Rae Smith), who has me fooled by the grieving sister act. What I got from her was that after being revealed to be responsible for her own brothers death, all she cared about was money and herself. Some sister she was. And then there was former footman Alfred (Josef Jones), who gave a hidden clue as to why Lady Caterham asked him, which I thought wasn’t much, but it turned out that hidden clue changed the course of everything! 

I don’t think I haven’t any downsides per say, but more about how I wouldn’t normally watch an Agatha Christie series. But this one was really great. I couldn’t quite make out why but I just thought that the mixture of drama and mystery without it being too gory was a nice touch. I guess you could say that because it’s based on a novel, I know it’s going to be a one off, pretty much like novels from authors like Harlen Coben. 

Overall I would give the show a 4.50. It had mystery, surprises and a strong female lead, and if Agatha herself was here right now, she’d be proud of seeing her fictional story come to life! 

We Might Regret This.

This final show I’m going to talk about is We Might Regret This, starring Kyla Harris (who go created the show with Lee Getty), Elena Saurel and once again casted by Amy Jackson.

This show continues the adventures of tetraplegic artist Freya, who in this series goes into a mode of self discovery, and wondering what she wants in her life. 

Kyla Harris reprised the role of Freya. Throughout the series, she was still the same quirky woman who found the humour in a bad situation. But I could also see that she was willing to do anything to help promote her art, and so was willing to do a promotional work that advocates disabled people. But there were subtle hints about if getting married like this was something she actually wants, particularly when it comes to the reality of her benefits possibly being cut should she choose to do so. She was also great at showing the reality of being disabled, talking about how her accident resulted in her being a wheelchair. And that was linking to the departure of her best friend Jo (Elena Saurel) in the last series, who took up a unique role which required language translation. I must say, I was impressed by elenas skills, showing that a language added to your CV can open up a lot of opportunities for her. But seeing Freya and hearing the code word as a sign for help (which I’ll get onto in a moment), got the two talking, still resolving around the tension that happened at the end of the last series. But ultimately it became the key to help grow their friendship, and I loved Kyla and Elena’s on screen chemistry throughout it. Jo was also facing her feelings of her own, and her transformation from the start of the series to the end was a big one, particularly when it came to self discovery. She also encouraged her to express her feelings for Levi (who I’ll mention in the next section), where despite a failed attempt in episode 3, a wake up call from him whilst applying for something got her realising her true feelings. We also saw Freya’s partner turned fiancé Abe (Darren Boyd), still being his usual stuck up self, particularly when it comes to family, and thinking he knows what’s best for Freya. I was unsure whether he still had feelings for his ex wife Jane (who I’ll mention in the next section), after “secrets” were revealed in episode 3, but by the end he definitely matured when they talked things out properly, still grieving for their deceased son. I also loved how surprisingly understanding he was when Freya made a decision at the end of the series, which was not what he wanted to hear, but because he loved her, he knew he had to do what was right for both of them. We also got to see how Freya and Abe first met, and why Jo clearly showed a dislike to him and what the code word was to get out of a bad situation, which definitely impacted the present day. The past also showed a moment in Jo’s personal life when she lost her grandma after Freya declined going with her (with my guess being due to having to use up her energy just to get out of the house). This in tur affected her friendship with Freya and her current feelings for Levi, hence why at the end of season 1 she left. 

There were also the return of the supporting roles in the show. One of them included Abes son Levi (Edward Bluemel), who was his usual quirky self, putting a comedic spin on his “issues”. He was with team Freya when asking about if using social media to promote the wedding is a good idea, but got roped into it anyway. He was also heartbroken by Jos departure, and was adamant that she was no good for him. But some advice soon changed his mind, and in this own Levi way revealed that they are good for each other. It’s moments like this where I do enjoy Elena’s and Edward’s on screen connection, and I do wonder if it’s moments like this where they tried not to laugh. We also saw Jane (Sally Phillips) develop a career as an author, putting a spin on her marriage with Abe as inspiration. I thought it was quite entertaining after Abe realised what she said from a section in episode 3 linking to their marriage, but it turned out it happened in a unique way. I also liked how she was still happy for him about Freya, and also about Abe selling the house he’s been holding onto for so long, knowing that it’s what their late son Sam would’ve wanted. There was also the return of The Olivias, which were Olivia and Olyvya (Emma Siri and Hanako Footman), who were still your typical social media gurus wanting to boost their business and help Freya with promoting her art. What I liked about them was that they used some terminology which if not careful it could be offensive, but the way it was written in the script made it funny to the point where it was okay if they massed up ever so slightly, given that the show itself is a comedy. And whilst they we’re concerned by the end of the episode, I liked how they got helped Freya into filling one of her wishes, showing that deep down they do care for her and her needs. We also saw Freya’s PA Ty (Aasiya Shah), who I could see why she was hesitant about her, despite Abes lack of her unease. But like the last series, I relate to her on so many levels because of her quirky personality, which included a mediation between freya and  Jo in episode 2, “cleansing negative energy” in episode 3, and being excited by a stripper in episode 4 (which by the way shoutout to Kris Saunders for his role of Crip Tease Dan for showing that disability can be sexy). But beneath this quirky exterior, deep down she does care for Freya, and is actually quite good at her job. We also saw the return of Susan (played by Lolly Adefope), who was in charge of Freya’s assessment, asking some unusual questions. She was also the one to be given the news about the reality of her benefits of Freya did decide to get married, which turned into a nice warm and thought provoking moment. But it soon ended when she gave a unique story of her love life, which broke the dark mood unexpectedly but her cleverly. And then there was the eccentric Bean (Sophie Thompson), a dress fitter who had a unique process of knowing when a dress is right for a bride to be, with some very interesting results. Yes she had her unusual theories, but little did they know that those theories resulted in great making the decision she didn’t want to make. So I guess without Bean, Freya wouldn’t have been honest about herself and her relationship with Abe. 

I don’t think I have any downsides per say, but like the last series, I didn’t laugh as much as I thought I would. However, whatever I didn’t laugh at made up for in thought provoking moments. These included Susan giving out the drawbacks of assisted funding if Freya were to marry a none disabled person. As an autistic person, this hit me most, as I shouldn’t have to choose between love and money when it comes to things like this. But I do hope this fact in the show shows that yes disabled people like myself and people like Freya need support, but we shouldn’t have to sacrifice our own needs for it to happen. I also noticed how there was a full circle moment from the start of the series to the beginning, linking to what Freya said she wanted to do. I’ll let anyone reading this guess what it is if you’ve seen it, and it you haven’t, pay close attention and let me know if you’ve managed to spot it. 

Overall I would give the show a 4.95. It was warm, entertaining, and also eye opening about once again, showing the challenges of a disabled person. I don’t know if there is going to be a series 3 of the show, but after listening to casting Amy Jackson (who casted the show) on an Act On This podcast, I think there’s definitely room for more stories for Freya if there was going to be another series. For me, if there was I would like to see Freya embracing the single life whilst we also see Jo and Levi’s relationship and Jo following Jane’s footsteps by pursuing a career in creative writing whilst also being close to Freya. 

And that is it for my latest instalment of TV Reviews. Let me know which shoe you watched and your thoughts on them.

See you soon for another blog. Until next time…

This is The Autistic Actress signing off :)