Father Brown Set 2 contains six episodes, each approximately an hour long, all of which put Father Brown into new and different situations. One of the funniest of these is the first, "The Actor and the Alibi" which has Father Brown backstage at a theatre troupe. The discussion of actors, actresses, and entertainment in general provides the opportunity for more than a few knowing winks to the audience.
And truly, that is what Father Brown is all about — knowing winks. The series, like the character, is at turns smart, funny, and moderately exasperating in its desire to not reveal the solution. It is often impossible to figure out the answers ahead of time, which for armchair sleuths may be upsetting. However, the character of Father Brown, as well as the supporting cast, is often more than enough to hold the audience's attention, even if the mystery does not.
The video quality of the episodes tends to be quite good, though it is moderately disconcerting when the medium the episode was filmed on changes. For instance, in "The Actor and the Alibi" the scenes filmed on stage look completely different than those filmed backstage (it may be that backstage used video and on stage film). While both look fine separately, their juxtaposition can be quite jarring.
Despite any small concerns about the video quality, which are understandable in a 30-year-old television show, Father Brown Set 2 delivers everything expected of Chesterton's inimitable detective and is a good deal of fun to watch.






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