Lord Peter Wimsey, an aristocrat and amateur sleuth, meets with crime novelist Harriet Vane. They do not meet cute - on the contrary - and the harshness of these first encounters casts a very dark shadow over their relationship. Still, Wimsey is convinced that he has finally found his equal and soulmate. Will he succeed in winning the heart of his beloved, who has good reason to fear and distrust men ? And, while we're at it, will both our sleuths solve the various crimes Fate throws their way ?
The series is based on a number of mysteries featuring Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. It's an intelligent, careful adaptation, made with a great attention to (period) detail. Both Wimsey and Vane are given nicely human and humane faces : the viewer can believe in their existence, just as he can believe in their predicaments or their complex relationship.
Still, there are minor shortcomings here and there. "Have his carcase" (a wonderful title, that) is well-made, but lacks some of the underlying darkness and horror present in Sayers' novel. "Gaudy night", again, is well-made, but one gets a sense that it underwent some serious pruning and cutting. In the novel, the malignant soul plaguing a university for women is quite dangerous, threathening the life and sanity of innocent people ; here the culprit's activities are more of a poltergeist nature. The resulting episodes are more tame and monochromatic than the novel, which contains some memorable incidents and riveting set pieces.
But : overall a nice series, well worth your time and effort. And for those of you who are yet unfamiliar with the work of Dorothy L. Sayers : run, don't walk to the nearest bookshop !
The series is based on a number of mysteries featuring Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. It's an intelligent, careful adaptation, made with a great attention to (period) detail. Both Wimsey and Vane are given nicely human and humane faces : the viewer can believe in their existence, just as he can believe in their predicaments or their complex relationship.
Still, there are minor shortcomings here and there. "Have his carcase" (a wonderful title, that) is well-made, but lacks some of the underlying darkness and horror present in Sayers' novel. "Gaudy night", again, is well-made, but one gets a sense that it underwent some serious pruning and cutting. In the novel, the malignant soul plaguing a university for women is quite dangerous, threathening the life and sanity of innocent people ; here the culprit's activities are more of a poltergeist nature. The resulting episodes are more tame and monochromatic than the novel, which contains some memorable incidents and riveting set pieces.
But : overall a nice series, well worth your time and effort. And for those of you who are yet unfamiliar with the work of Dorothy L. Sayers : run, don't walk to the nearest bookshop !