Vera, Set 6

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

I have seen all 6 seasons of Vera and this one, in many respects, may be the best yet. Aside from the brain twisting murder mysteries (4 of them listed below), all of the production values have been upgraded and enhanced. Additionally, Vera herself looks as though she has shed some poundage, gotten a new do, appears a bit less rumpled, and is now prone to being more emotionally reactive to the crimes that she has to investigate as well as to her fellow colleagues in the Detective Bureau. But what still stands out is Vera’s relentless bulldog pursuit of the guilty party; and, in the end, she always gets her man or woman. Her new sidekick Aiden (played by the always dependable Kenny Doughty in his second season, replacing David Leon also an excellent actor) is her number two man on the force and reliable leg man – though Vera is no slouch in the physical department when it comes to chasing after the “bad guys”.

In this season, even though the setting and action still takes place in the Northumberland area, we no longer have to endure what always came across as a rural wintry scene with sparsely any habitation. The general landscape is now highly colorful and investigations take place in more urban districts showing multiple residences, avenues, and autos. Even a park scene is utilized. DCI Vera (who I like to think of as a kind of female Columbo) drives her subordinates onward seeking answers. From her medical examiner on up, Vera is determined to catch whoever is guilty. She never gives up. The types of crimes and various characters are based upon the original creations of “renowned crime writer Ann Cleeves”. The fun (if you can call it that) of watching these mystery episodes is the twists and turns that they take. “Learn to expect the unexpected.” It’s like having the pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle dumped in front of you with no guiding picture and then forced to properly connect all the pieces in order to see that picture and solve the crime. What is always a plus is the fact that Vera & Co. always get plenty of HARD EVIDENCE in the end to make their case and make it stick. This is not Perry Mason or Hercule Poirot (with all due respect to Raymond Burr and Agatha Christie) where a criminal breaks down in the face of what should be properly considered to be only circumstantial evidence and theory, and then confesses all. These are challenging episodes, fully explained throughout and in the conclusion with not a single loophole. The viewer is not cheated and the murderer is invariably quite a surprise. BE SURE AND USE THE SUB-TITLES!

-Critical Mass

DVD Wholesale Main Features:

Actors: Brenda Blethyn
Directors: Marek Losey, Jill Robertson, Jamie Childs, Paul Gay
Format: Box set, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Language: English
Subtitles: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Number of discs: 4
Rated: NR-Not Rated
Studio: ACORN MEDIA
DVD Release Date: June 28, 2016
Run Time: 370 minutes
ASIN: B01CIXVX84