Posted on: March 23, 2008 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Rosemary & Thyme: The Complete Collection / 2008 Acorn / 1100 Minutes / http://www.acornonline.com /

Rosemary & Thyme was a show that ran on ITV for three series, finally closing up shop in August 2007. The show has an interesting premise: while the places in which they are in are typically idyllic, Laura Thyme and Rosemary Boxer eventually find themselves in the middle of a crime scene. The two are partners in a gardening business, coming into the business differently. Laura was originally a policewoman, made single after eir husband moved on to a younger individual. Rosemary was an individual that was present in academia for a few years before moving out of that field. Unlike a number of mystery shows that would tend to keep individuals on the edge of their seats for a half hour before prematurely coming to a close, Rosemary & Thyme’s episodes were at least 60 minutes a piece (2 episodes lasted for a full 2 hours).

The first episode details the coming together of the two titular characters, finding that there is a complicated plot to hurt Rosemary’s sickly friend. Other episodes would detail the dead/not-dead character of Jim, the owner of a garden in a manor in which the two were restoring. The 9-disc set provides individuals with all 22 episodes of the show; where viewers will be watching these episodes for a good half-day (if shown in order), there are a number of different bonus features to delve into. These features include an interview that is conducted with Pam Ferris and Felicity Kendal, which gives viewers the information that they need to more fully experience each episode of Rosemary & Thyme. Also present in the bonuses include production and location notes, and (most fun of all), a quiz that viewers can access to see if they’ve paid enough attention to the show.

Where $100 seems a little high for this set, one has to consider that a single season of a show usually retails for $40-50, and this show ran for three series. The vibrancy of the locales and the talent in the storytelling present in each episode of Rosemary & Thyme will ensure that individuals will fall in love with the series. If individuals were not convinced by this, one should also consider that the legendary composer John Williams (Star Wars) was tapped to provide the score to this show. Give this DVD set a go if you consider yourself to be a fan of mysteries in the slightest.

Rating: 7.8/10

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