Whenever it's time to rate a long-running series, it's difficult to know what to do. Having watched the entire 8 season program, I have to admit some of the episodes were wonderful, the overall concept is excellent, but there is also the tendency to wear out, due to frequent cast withdrawals, new cast members, and loss of inspiration for new material. These tendencies are common to many if not most series.
There's a peculiar phenomenon which I have termed "Downton Abbey Syndrome", that features a long drawn out romance between two leads which creates an agreeable state of suspense (at least for female viewers) as to when will these two actually get together. When this finally happens, there are a few happy moments of wedded life, then a complete tragedy which takes the life of one of the young newlyweds. Does the audience feel let down and completely cheated? you bet! Unfortunately for this series, Downton Abbey Syndrom occurs not once but several times. While I sympathize with the writers who have to pick up the pieces when cast members leave, I get pretty darn frustrated with a story that is so terribly gutted.
What I found most gripping about this series was actually the many details about the daily life and work of sheep & cattle ranching. I've no idea how realistic the story is, but the constant work of securing fences, watching out for feed issues such as watching out for potentially poisonous pasture plants, ensuring health for the animals, treating disease, assisting in birthing, etc, were new to me and interesting. If it is really this difficult, I'm surprised these animals haven't become extinct! The show, while lauding the efforts of those who farm, doesn't do a lot of romanticising about it either.
I enjoyed many of the characters, especially Claire, Tess, Nick, Becky, Grace, Regan, and Dave Brewer, the vet. Stevie's character was a bit tiresome for me, possibly due to the quirky speech patterns and body gestures of the actress playing her. The development of Becky and Grace was the most interesting for me, along with the unusual relationship between Phil and Moira. I was less impressed with the way Dave Brewer's character was written. The original character portrayed a rather unusual but refreshing local vet, but he is eventually written out as well, and the further development of that story line struck me as particularly weak. Grace's character is very nuanced and I was disappointed that we don't get to see her finally enabled to be successful in love. In fact, I thought there was much more chemistry between her and Marcus than there was between Marcus and Ingrid.
And finally, what increasingly ruined the last few seasons for me was the constant stream of disasters, ie fires, car accidents, chronic cattle theft, failed livestock sales, drought, disease, etc. There was just so much misery that befell the Drovers Run - Killarney crew that the show ultimately loses its credibility.
So my rating is just a pale average, due to some episodes being rated probably 9, while others might have earned a 4 or 5. It's mostly a show which I believe will appeal to women rather than men. Whether it's worth the time involved or not, is a matter of how much time you have on hand, and your individual taste.
There's a peculiar phenomenon which I have termed "Downton Abbey Syndrome", that features a long drawn out romance between two leads which creates an agreeable state of suspense (at least for female viewers) as to when will these two actually get together. When this finally happens, there are a few happy moments of wedded life, then a complete tragedy which takes the life of one of the young newlyweds. Does the audience feel let down and completely cheated? you bet! Unfortunately for this series, Downton Abbey Syndrom occurs not once but several times. While I sympathize with the writers who have to pick up the pieces when cast members leave, I get pretty darn frustrated with a story that is so terribly gutted.
What I found most gripping about this series was actually the many details about the daily life and work of sheep & cattle ranching. I've no idea how realistic the story is, but the constant work of securing fences, watching out for feed issues such as watching out for potentially poisonous pasture plants, ensuring health for the animals, treating disease, assisting in birthing, etc, were new to me and interesting. If it is really this difficult, I'm surprised these animals haven't become extinct! The show, while lauding the efforts of those who farm, doesn't do a lot of romanticising about it either.
I enjoyed many of the characters, especially Claire, Tess, Nick, Becky, Grace, Regan, and Dave Brewer, the vet. Stevie's character was a bit tiresome for me, possibly due to the quirky speech patterns and body gestures of the actress playing her. The development of Becky and Grace was the most interesting for me, along with the unusual relationship between Phil and Moira. I was less impressed with the way Dave Brewer's character was written. The original character portrayed a rather unusual but refreshing local vet, but he is eventually written out as well, and the further development of that story line struck me as particularly weak. Grace's character is very nuanced and I was disappointed that we don't get to see her finally enabled to be successful in love. In fact, I thought there was much more chemistry between her and Marcus than there was between Marcus and Ingrid.
And finally, what increasingly ruined the last few seasons for me was the constant stream of disasters, ie fires, car accidents, chronic cattle theft, failed livestock sales, drought, disease, etc. There was just so much misery that befell the Drovers Run - Killarney crew that the show ultimately loses its credibility.
So my rating is just a pale average, due to some episodes being rated probably 9, while others might have earned a 4 or 5. It's mostly a show which I believe will appeal to women rather than men. Whether it's worth the time involved or not, is a matter of how much time you have on hand, and your individual taste.