Vera - A Very Special Case - Season 1 - DVD

Content: DCI Vera Stanhope (Brenda Blethyn) of the Northumberland & City Police is not necessarily an affable person. She meets her environment sometimes extremely gruff, then again with biting sarcasm. It is true that she also bumps her colleague DS Joe Ashworth (David Leon) in the head again and again. But the young family man knows how to take his headstrong colleague. In the course of time, a deep relationship of trust has developed between the two, which does not always make their cooperation easier, but makes it extremely successful. Supported by her team, which also includes young DC Holly Lawson (Wunmi Mosaku), Vera confronts crime in her own special way - and thus not only ensures law and order, but also delights British TV viewers. More than seven million crime fans in the UK are tuned in when Vera - A Very Special Case goes to air. Now the series based on the novels by Ann Cleeves is finally coming to Germany.

The first episode doesn't exactly make it easy for viewers to warm up to the series, at least at the beginning. This is not only due to the fact that Vera Stanhope is a rather difficult and inaccessible character at first sight. The production is also similarly unwieldy, with a very tiring shaky-cam look, drab colors and a musical background to match, just like the title character. But it's worth giving this investigator, who is extremely successful in her home country, a chance and fighting through the somewhat difficult beginning. Because Vera - A very special case turns out to be a very exciting, extremely atmospheric crime series, which can score with an outstanding leading actress and cleverly constructed stories.

Brenda Blethyn (Pride and Prejudice, Abbitte) gives the character especially from the second episode more and more corners and edges and thus makes from an initially just quirky woman a multi-layered, interesting and above all sympathetic character. David Leon as her young colleague is the perfect counterweight to the very dominant Vera. The relationship between the two very dissimilar investigators also becomes steadily deeper and ensures that the series works really well not only on the crime level, but also in interpersonal terms. A pinch of dry humor also loosens up the basically gloomy atmosphere a little bit every now and then, which also increases the entertainment value.

Who appreciates British crime fare of a slightly more serious kind and wants to watch a really excellent investigator at work, should not miss this first DVD box. And this is what the first season is all about:

DVD 1: Hidden Abysses

At the heart of this new crime series based on the novels of British author Ann Cleeves is investigator DCI Vera Stanhope. Obsessed with her work, she solves crimes with sarcastic wit, courage and cunning. Along the way, Vera is aided by her confidant and long-time colleague DS Joe Ashworth, played by David Leon, as her right-hand man. She trusts Joe blindly, and he supports her in her unconventional investigative methods. Together they solve difficult cases with great enthusiasm and unparalleled professionalism in four gripping crime stories. Vera, who is very much into her cases, grew up with her father who had little time for her. So she had to prove herself at an early age, developing her own sense of justice along the way. Vera's team includes Julie Armstrong, Richard Short and pathologist Billy Catwright, as well as DC Holly Lawson, the youngest on the team. Holly often feels badly treated by Vera. But Vera just wants Holly to try harder, because she sees a real talent lying dormant in her. In their first case, Vera and her team are dealing with a particularly macabre crime: When Julie Armstrong returns home after one of her rare nights out with boyfriend Gary Wright in Newcastle, she finds her 15-year-old son murdered. Luke was strangled and placed in a bathtub filled with water and strewn with wildflowers while his sister Laura slept peacefully in the next room. Detective Chief Inspector Vera Stanhope and Sergeant Joe Ashworth quickly discover in the course of their investigation that there is a link to another death. Some time ago, Thomas Sharp, Luke's best friend, drowned while playing in the sea. It was an accidental drowning, as it turned out at the time. Shortly after, a second body, that of the beautiful young schoolteacher Lily Marsh, is discovered in a tide pool on the beach, with flowers also strewn on its waters. Lily's body was discovered by a group of birdwatchers, including university lecturer Peter Calvert and his wife Felicity. DCI Vera Stanhope and her assistant Joe Ashworth suspect a connection between Lily Marsh and the birdwatchers. However, during her investigation, Vera then makes a crucial discovery that takes the investigation in a different direction. (Text: ZDF)

DVD 2: Shadows of the Past

Jeanie Long claims to be wrongly convicted and serving time in a prison on the Northumberland coast. She is accused of murdering her former partner's daughter, Abigail Mantel called Abby. She had been found strangled in a field near her home. When Jeanie is to be taken to a hospital for a routine check-up, she flees and seeks out her father Michael, but he wants nothing more to do with her. Devastated, Jeanie walks in front of a bus with suicidal intent. By chance, DCI Vera Stanhope gets caught up in the investigation at the scene. She finds herself wondering if it really was just a suicide or if there was more to it. As Jeanie Long's suicide hits the headlines, new evidence emerges that exonerates her regarding the murder of 15-year-old Abigail. Throughout her 11 years in prison, Jeanie always maintained her innocence, especially to her parole officer, Robert Winter. When an exculpatory witness for Jeanie turns up and is murdered shortly after, the case takes a surprising turn. In her inimitable style, DCI Vera Stanhope and her team fathom secrets and uncover lies from a small community until the terrible truth is finally revealed. (Text: ZDF)

DVD 3: Sacred Ground

The discovery of the murder of Bella Furness by environmentalist Anne Preece at the secluded Baikie's Cottage leads DCI Vera Stanhope into the unspoilt Black Law countryside. She is also confronted with an unsolved case from her past that continues to give her no peace. Delving into local politics and the controversial plan by entrepreneur Godfrey Waugh to build a quarry in the nature reserve, DCI Vera Stanhope discovers something crucial: Bella Furness and her bed-ridden husband Dougie owned the right of way to the building plot needed to construct the proposed quarry. Bella had another ally in her fierce opposition to the quarry: Edmund Fulwell, a fanatical environmentalist and former landowner who is now forced to live in a remote woodland cabin. In the course of the investigation, Vera and her team discover that Grace Bishop, Edmund's daughter, is employed by Godfrey Waugh. The latter, in turn, is having an affair with environmentalist Anne Preece. Anne remembers seeing a woman whose description matches Bev MacDonald shortly before Bella's death. DCI Vera Stanhope must now confront her past and the mysterious disappearance of Bev's son Lee. More and more Vera encounters the term "Holy Ground". Then a second murder occurs that seems to throw Vera's previous theories out of kilter. (Text: ZDF)

DVD 4: Life Lies

Margaret Wilde is on her way to the airport with her 11-year-old son Adam when she is suddenly run off the road by another car. The driver hits her in the head. Adam manages to escape the brutal attack but falls into a freezing river in the process. DCI Vera Stanhope, who happens to be driving past the scene, is able to pull the boy from the water and resuscitate him. Against all predictions, Adam survives and becomes a key witness to his mother's murder. In the course of her investigation, DCI Vera Stanhope discovers that Margaret and her son had no fixed abode and have been on the run for many years. Margaret's neighbour Singh has been looking after them but is unable to help Vera. It turns out that Margaret's plane tickets were paid for with the credit card of one Bobby Salter. Salter is tracked down. Apparently, the family man was having an affair with Margaret. He has no alibi for the night of the murder. In a psychological test, Adam hints about his past. He mentions peacocks and the "shiny man". Also, the research leads to Patricia Carmichael, an "honorable" judge who Margaret apparently knew. What role does the judge play in Margaret's murder? (Text: ZDF)

Picture + Sound: The picture reproduces the dreary, rather gloomy atmosphere of the crime thrillers well through a coherent, somewhat reduced and undercooled color scheme. The image sharpness is especially in the brighter scenes at a good TV level, in the darker scenes, on the other hand, here and there some minor blurring and minimal image noise can be detected. The sound, which is available in stereo, lets the dialogues sound clear and well understandable from the home theater boxes and also the rather restrained soundtrack provides a very coherent atmosphere. Good!

Extras: Unfortunately, there is no bonus material.

Conclusion:Vera - A very special case seems at first to be just as brittle as the title character of the series. But quickly you are drawn as a viewer into the exciting cases and convinced by the strong play of Brenda Blethyn and her co-stars of the high entertainment value of the series. Even if the last of the four episodes of this first season is a little weaker than the other parts, but in the end the very positive overall impression prevails, which makes this first DVD box absolutely recommendable despite the lack of extras for lovers of British crime fare!

Source: Sebastian Betzold, synopsis: ZDF