Brother Cadfael, Set 2 (The Virgin in the Ice, The Devil's Novice, St. Peter's Fair)

Rating:
Summary: Fun, but some bad decisions here
Review: This set has gone a bit downhill from the first series. These are still enjoyable, but not nearly as close to the world of the books. The first big problem is the very unfortunate decision to merge the characters of the two sheriffs. The actor in the first series was a great Hugh Berringer and this one is a great Sheriff Prestcote, but the two were such totally different personalities that their lines can't be combined into a coherent role. Which raises the question, why weren't the books done in the order they were written so that the two characters could be handled properly? Secondly, Cadfael loves the world and its creatures, but has a certain detachment, befitting a monk, viewing worldly folly more with sorrow than anger. He seems here to be sliding more towards the Last Angry Man with a contempt for the fools around him. He isn't set so far apart from the rest of the cast in the books. The quality of costuming varies wildly, with some of the women looking more like attendees at a late 20th century prom than medieval women. Some of the other supporting characters, notably Brother Jerome and Prior Roberts and the two abbotts are great!

Rating:
Summary: Amusing and well done, but I liked Series 1 better
Review: While this series has its moments, I think that overall it's not nearly as good as the first one. To me, the crucial difference was the change in the actor who plays Hugh: the first was, I felt, an excellent embodiment of Peters' complex, ironic character, while this chap was a one-dimensional Boy Scout. Also, his rapport with Cadfael was unconvincing (this may be off the wall, but I sensed that Derek Jacobi wasn't happy with the change either!). Fortunately, most of the excellent supporting cast from Series 1 reappears here, and Cadfael himself came across in all of his paradoxical complexity.
Of the three episodes, I thought "The Devil's Novice" was the best: it adhered fairly closely to Peters' well-constructed story line, the cast was generally solid (although the elder brother's fiancee was played too unsubtly: she's a flirt, not a blatant seductress!), and the various settings in which the story takes place (the rural manor house, the monastery) were vividly depicted. "St. Peter's Fair" likewise did a great job with the fair atmosphere. For about 3/4 of the way through, I thought it was a good rendition of Peters' story; but the ending was converted from a complex moral dilemma into a mere issue of partisan politics.
As for "The Virgin in the Ice," although it has memorable scenes and tells a rousing story, the writers couldn't resist "improving on" some aspects of the original story -- and blowing every one of them. (For example, why does a Syrian formulate his potions out of English herbs?) The production is generally excellent and the characters are well cast, although I felt that the actor who plays Olivier (while certainly handsome and athletic enough) lacked some of the exotic glamour of Peters' original. In general, these three episodes were entertaining and competently done, but I still prefer Series 1 in many ways.