I got hold of this mini series after reading the outstanding novel by Julian Barnes on which it is based. The book is very deep and I didn't expect the series to follow it faithfully. Even so, the series is disappointing. It starts well, cutting quickly to Doyle's involvement in the miscarriage of justice and the way it freed him from the debilitating grief and guilt occasioned by his first wife's death. There was good period atmosphere, and some excellent location filming. But the second and third episodes went adrift. The complexity of the case seemed to defeat the scriptwriter who sought refuge in melodrama and to that end introduced some unhelpful and implausible additional plot lines. These included a murder, which made the case much more serious than the animal mutilations and anonymous letters which comprised the original crimes. The best I can say about it is that it occupies an evening in a reasonably entertaining way. But the novel is infinitely superior.
Review of Arthur & George
