The Doctor Blake Mysteries Season 2

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

One of the advantages of having a multi-region DVD player is being able to watch programs from all over the world; hence, I get to watch Dr. Blake (Craig McLachian). The series is set in 1950’s Australia in the town of Ballarat. Having served his turn in the army as a doctor assigned to the British hospital in Singapore, Blake was witness to atrocities, served time in a POW camp, and lost both his Asian wife (died) and daughter (orphanage). There are hints he also worked for British Intelligence; but now he has returned home, taken up his father’s practice, and serves as the police surgeon (medical examiner). With his curious nature, he quickly finds himself working as amateur detective. While he has a somewhat combative relationship with boyhood friend. now Chief Supt,. Matthew Lawson (Joel Tobeck), they generally find themselves working together to sort out the crimes and catch the criminal.

During the first season, Blake had an ally in Constable Daniel Parks (Rick Donald); in the second season that position is taken by Senior Constable Charlie Davis (Charlie Cousins). Then there is additional support from his insightful housekeeper Jean Beazley (Nadine Garner) ; lodger and district nurse Mattie O’Brien (Cate Wolfe) ; and assist. ME Alice Harvey (Belinda McClory).

Ballarat seems to be the Australian equivalent of Cabot Cove, Maine in that it has a pretty murderous population. One of the things I enjoy about the series is the development and growth of the principal cast members. We learn a little more about each with every new episode. The mysteries are pretty good but the setting is somewhat limited to the obviously historical buildings available. This is not any real distraction but rather gives the series a feeling of reality.

Dr. Blake is somewhat a character of flaws which we are given to understand are a result of his war years. He drinks too much, jumps to the occasional wrong conclusion too quickly, and can rub the town’s important people the wrong way which can have consequences for both himself and his friends. Indeed at the end of season two Chief Supt. Matthew Lawson is sent off for “political” reasons and is replaced by Acting Supt. Doug Ashby, who clearly has no admiration or respect for his Medical Examiner.

There is a lot to like with this series and I look forward to watching series three which I have ordered from Australia, and I understand a fourth series has been commissioned.

– Hrothgar

A fabulous Series 2 for Doctor Blake. In Series 1, we learned that the Australian Lucien Blake is troubled. After getting his medical degree in Scotland, he was in the British Army during WWII. Posted to Singapore, he married a Chinese woman and had a little girl. The child was only a toddler when the Japanese occupied Singapore in 1942. The Doctor spent horrible years in a Japanese POW camp in Thailand, and has not seen or heard from his wife or daughter since they were separated during the war.

After 33 years away from the Land Down Under, Lucien returned to Ballaret, Australia, in 1959, where he spent his childhood. He took over his recently deceased father’s private medical practice. He is also the police surgeon and he loves this because he gets to solve all kinds of murders.

In Series 2, the relationships between the series’ characters are more fully drawn. Most of them have returned from Series 1, including Jean Beazley, the Doctor’s widowed resident receptionist/housekeeper, who also worked for his father. She’s a little sharp around the edges, but one of the reasons is that the gossips in town are having a field day speculating about her and the Doctor.

There is some comedy in “Doctor Blake”, but overall there is more drama, and even social commentary.

In Series 2 you get 10 episodes totaling 550 minutes of very good mystery viewing. English SDH subtitles are available on the episodes. There are no DVD bonus extras. Only Series 1 and 2 are currently available in Region 1 DVDs. That’s too bad, because they’re currently producing Series 5 in Australia, to be aired in 2017.

Episodes:
….1. “The Heart of the Matter” The Ballaret City Council is voting for which one of them will be mayor for the next term. Contendees are Graham Trevorrow, incumbent, and Bruce Beattie. Beattie is expecting the Honorable Adeline Campbell to vote for him, but at the last moment she switches and Trevorrow wins 5 to 4. This makes me think Adeline is going to be the first body.
….2. “The Food of Love” Mattie O’Brien, who boards at Doctor Blake’s house, goes with a friend to a concert by Bobby Lee and the Rhythm Kings. It’s Elvis style Rock n Roll and they’re in the alley behind the theater to greet Bobby Lee when he leaves. Just one problem, he comes out and falls down dead.
….3. “A Foreign Field” Elsie and Martha walk home through the park after a movie. Elsie notes a man laying against a tree and pauses, “That man?”
Martha: “What about him?”
Elsie: “He was here yesterday.”
Martha: “So?”
Elsie: “He hasn’t moved at all.”
He wouldn’t, if he was dead.
….4. “Smoke and Mirrors” It’s 9:30 pm and Cecil, major domo, is the last to leave the Colonists Club for the night. His thoughts are interrupted by a body falling onto a parked car in front of him.
….5. “Crossing the Line” Mrs. Beazley attends the theater to see James Stewart and Kim Novak in “Vertigo”. It’s hardly started when something goes wrong with the projector and the show flickers to a stop. Jean is on the scene when they pull the dead projectionist out of the room. It’s murder, and, in a lovely turn, a romantic interest for Jean.
….6. “Mortal Coil” Six pallbearers stagger under the weight of the coffin they’re carrying to the graveside. How could one little old lady weigh so much? Finally, someone slips and they drop the coffin. The lid pops open and there she is – along with the second body of a scraggly man.
….7. “The Silence” At Ballaret West high school, headmaster Joseph Lennox is working late. He looks up to ask “What do you want?”, and that’s the last thing he says. Ever.
….8. “The Ties of the Past” At the College of the Arts, instructor Geoffrey Ledwith unlocks the door to classroom and tells his students what colors to pull out. Then he asks, “Are we ready?” He pulls back the screen to show the live model for the day. Except she’s not alive.
….9. “The Sky is Empty” At the Anglican Church of the Sacred Heart, the priest is giving a very pointed sermon: “I say to [the adulterous woman], as to you all, don’t for a moment think that your sin is a private thing…. Your infidelities need to be brought to the light. And I have been given that responsibility.” Later, Jean Beazley tries to give confession but gets no response from the priest. That’s because he’s sitting in his side of the confessional quite dead. Someone didn’t like his sermon.
..10. “An Invincible Summer” A handy man arrives at the Dennison family home to clean their windows. He’s puzzled to find a dining room window open. When he looks inside, he’s horrified to see three family members dead. But where’s the fourth?

If you missed Series 1, you missed some good mysteries, as well as Lucien’s first forays as a trouble-maker, Doctor Blake Mysteries: Season One

“You leave Tyneman to me.”
How often does Superintendent Matthew Lawson need to remind Lucien of this?

I love this mystery series. It is certainly never boring. Will Doctor Blake ever see his daughter again?

-Happy Reader

My wife and I enjoy British mysteries (this one actually takes place in Australia, but has that Brit feel to it), and this is one of our favorites. Lucien Blake is an interesting character, and watching him work while dealing with the different chief superintendents that come into the show is both frustrating and fascinating, as the personalities he has to contend with are all over the spectrum. I think most of all, we like the series for the well written stories that don’t rely on callous language, over the top violence, or issues that we see in our daily lives that create stress, and prefer to do without when we’re watching this show, or any other. Definitely recommend this.

-Stan Watson

DVD Wholesale Main Features :   

Actors: Craig Mclachlan, Nadine Garner
Directors: Declan Eames, Ian Barry, Fiona Banks, Various
Format: NTSC
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Number of discs: 3
Studio: BBC WARNER
DVD Release Date: September 13, 2016
Run Time: 570 minutes
ASIN: B01EKMKESQ