"Rosemary & Thyme" They Understand Me in Paris (TV Episode 2004) Poster

User Reviews

Review this title
4 Reviews
Sort by:
Filter by Rating:
9/10
Secrets and murder on the French Riviera
TheLittleSongbird11 June 2018
Have always adored detective dramas/mystery series. This has been apparent from an early age, half my life even, when getting into Agatha Christie through Joan Hickson's Miss Marple and David Suchet's Poirot and into 'Inspector Morse'.

Whether it's the more complex ones like 'Inspector Morse' (and its prequel series 'Endeavour') and anything Agatha Christie. Whether it's the grittier ones like 'A Touch of Frost' (though that is balanced brilliantly with comedy too) and particularly 'Taggart'. And whether it's the light-hearted ones like 'Murder She Wrote'. 'Rosemary and Thyme' is an example of a light-hearted detective mystery series and always gives me a lot of pleasures and banishes the blues when watching. It is a shame that it didn't last longer because it deserved to.

"They Understand Me in Paris" for me is one of my favourite 'Rosemary and Thyme' episodes, there is an air of familiarity formula-wise and didn't care for the character of James Pretty but there is a huge amount to like here as with any 'Rosemary and Thyme' episode. At no point does it feel dull, it's full of surprises and is not a case of not being enough suspects.

Visually, "They Understand Me in Paris" looks wonderful, beautifully photographed, vibrant in colour and as always with the show with a stunning setting, have always been envious of the gardens seen on the show. The music has a lot of charm with a main theme tune that is soothingly folksy that matches the whimsy of the setting appropriately.

The writing is engaging and suitably light-hearted without being frothy. Some of the dialogue for Laura and especially Rosemary is very funny. The story is suitably twisty, with an ending that left me shocked, without being too convoluted, and is entertaining and with a relaxing vibe without being simplistic.

Similarly the characters engage, with Rosemary and Laura already being interesting and distinct in personality, and the chemistry between the two sparkles. Felicity Kendal and Pam Ferris are simply great, individually and as a sparkling double act, love Kendal's fire and feistiness and Ferris' more restrained and thoughtful approach. The supporting cast are hard to find fault with too.

Essentially though, it is agreed that the settings/scenery and photography are the stars here. Easily one of the best-looking 'Rosemary and Thyme' episodes.

Overall, another fine episode. 9/10 Bethany Cox
4 out of 6 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
7/10
They understand me in Paris
coltras3515 February 2023
At Villa Glavany, in the French Riviera, Rosemary and Laura are helping their friend Dorothy prepare the villa's 150-year-old gardens for a public opening, despite opposition from her neighbour, James Pretty, who will stop at nothing to ensure that this will not happen. The pair find themselves wondering if murder might be something he would do, when Dorothy's husband is discovered dead in the villa's living room...

Above average episode with a picturesque setting of the French Riviera and the lavish villas - a formulaic plot, some good twist and turns and a quite surprising twist. Laura Thyme is also mission find her beloved cake, but it looks likely they'll find the murder first.
1 out of 1 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
10/10
We'll always have Paris
safenoe18 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
I am a huge fan of Rosemary and Thyme, and to be honest I'm not sure where I first read about this fine series from the United Kingdom.

Felicity Kendal plays Rosemary Boxer and Pam "Darling Buds of May" Ferris plays former police officer Laura Thyme. Together they repair gardens with their commitment and care, and of course solve crimes along the way. In a way, it's kind of a Murder, She Wrote where crime is always there, but I prefer Rosemary and Thyme far more than the tame and safe Murder, She Wrote. Anyway, I love how Rosemary and Thyme travel to France and elsewhere around Europe. I would have loved for them to travel to Norway.
0 out of 0 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink
6/10
French Riviera scenery and lavish villa settings steal the show...
Doylenf14 July 2009
This is one of the better ROSEMARY AND THYME episodes, although the basic outline of the story remains similar to all their other escapades.

Once again, they're summoned to a French countryside estate to work on the formal gardens but encounter a couple of nasty murders along with other family secrets along the way.

There are the usual amount of suspects, but the ending may still come as somewhat of a surprise when the full story is known. Nice plotting for the development of characters, but the settings are sumptuous and the color photography of the French countryside really steals the show from Felicity Kendal, Pam Ferris and the rest of the cast.

Worth watching.
15 out of 15 found this helpful. Was this review helpful? Sign in to vote.
Permalink

See also

Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews


Recently Viewed