Plot: What’s it about?
Brokenwood Mysteries introduces us to Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea), who is assigned to a small town to look into the current Senior Sergeant at that locale. His predecessor was involved in a suspicious and ultimately botched murder investigation, so in addition to the usual duties in the post, Shepherd has to be aware of any other potential misdeeds. He works alongside Detective Kristin Sims (Fern Sutherland), who isn’t pleased about Shepherd’s arrival, especially since he is looking into her former boss’ actions. Not to mention Sims’ distaste for Shepherd’s taste in music and his odd habits, such as holding one sided conversations with murder victims. At the same time, Shepherd has his own trials and tribulations as he acclimates to life in a smaller, slower town than he is used to. But when Shepherd is moved to Brokenwood permanently, can the two somehow put aside their differences and make sure justice is served?
The world can’t seem to get enough detective shows, but does The Brokenwood Mysteries manage to make itself stand out from the pack? The concept blends a fish out water tale with the reluctant opposites story, but it all somehow works out quite well. The strength of the leads is a prime reason, as Neill Rea and Fern Sutherland are terrific in these roles. Rea brings the quirks of Shepherd to life without making him annoying or forced, while Sutherland is able to play off Rea’s base well. The two have good chemistry and the writing allows them to butt heads to great effect, while also believably working as a cohesive pair. Not an easy feat, but The Brokenwood Mysteries manages to pull it off. The series presents each episode as a feature length story, so its like a movie more than a standard show. This first series has four feature length mysteries on tap, each with solid depth and a well crafted investigation. These first episodes include the arrival of Shepherd and the start of his partnership with Sims, so there’s a good amount of character development and exposition about their pasts. But the mysteries get still ample time to unfold properly, so overall this is a great start to The Brokenwood Mysteries.
Video: How’s it look?
The episodes are presented in 1.78:1 widescreen. This is a very recent show and as expected, it looks excellent here. Acorn has a fantastic track record with making these detective shows look great and this one is no exception. The image is bright and natural, with the kind of detail you’d expect from a high definition presentation. No issues with color, compression, or other visual elements, just a terrific looking effort top to bottom.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The show’s DTS HD 2.0 soundtrack is also rock solid. This series isn’t about action, so the track i by no means aggressive, but it has all the show’s needs covered. The dialogue is clear, even with the accents, so none of the sharp writing is lost in the mix here. The music sounds good as well and overall, I have no complaints to lodge with this soundtrack. This release also includes SDH subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Interviews — About ten minutes of promotional interviews with some of the stars and the head writer.
The Bottom Line
The Brokenwood Mysteries: Series 1 kicks off this show in good form, with memorable characters and sharp, consistent writing. Acorn has delivered up a set light on extras, but with a great looking transfer, so detective show fans should give it a look.
