Bletchley Circle: San Francisco (DVD)

My wife and I agreed after the first episode, THIS IS GOOD STUFF. Very clever transition into this sequel to the outstanding series of “The Bletchley Circle.” “The Bletchley Circle San Francisco” is equally brilliant; 1950’s post-war era with former code breaker women reuniting in San Fran in search of a serial killer that began with their coworker during wartime. The Brit gals are comical as they adapt to American ways. 2 Brits and 2 Cisconians make up the team unstoppable in their killer quest.After a year both Brits remain and a new death catches the quartet’s eye. The old code training again aids in the sleuthing. Another case literally falls into their threshold.The British pair, Julie Graham (Shetland) and Rachel Stirling (Young Victoria), continue roles from the former series. Chanelle Peloso plays an invigorating and charmingly comic role of Hailey. It certainly is an entertaining series for all who enjoy WW2 era stories, crime fighting, and post-war 50s’ escapism. The wonderful San Francisco scenes are a plus.SDH SUBTITLES for all 8 episodes, each about 45 min.1- PRESIDIO2- WAKE3- CHARLOTTE’S WEB4- MADHOUSE5- NOT CRICKET6- IRON IN WAR7-FOG OF WAR8-IN FOR A POUND

This is the 3rd Bletchley Circle series, though in Britain it is considered a spin-off of its own. The shows all take place after WWII, but involve women who worked at the famous (though secret at the time) Bletchley Park decoding headquarters in England. Two of the original Circle make the transfer to the San Francisco show. The series consists of four stories, of two episodes each. There is some great music, including 1950s San Francisco jazz sung live.A special treat for the actors was when two woman who had actually worked at Bletchley Park visited the set in British Columbia. Margaret Buchanan, age 92, and Eileen Glavin, 97, talked with the actors and shared stories. Oh, yes, the series' locations shots were filmed in British Columbia, and it does a marvelous job of filling in for San Francisco, including its Queen's Park, which became the Presidio woods.EPISODES 1..."Presidio" and 2..."Wake": It's now 1956. In England, Jean McBrian is a librarian. Millie Harcourt is a governess for a rich family. Both are in jobs that don't use the magnificent mathematical brains England put to work in WWII. Post-war England is not yet kind to the emancipated women. And then, it's the oddest thing. Millie is trying to drill current events into the head of Frederick, her young charge, using newspapers from England and America. One of the newspaper is the San Francisco Chronicle (estab. 1865) and an inside page details the murder of one Ruby Anderson. She was strangled, her tongue cut out, and a strange mark made on her hand.Millie rushes out the door to find Jean. In May, 1942, a fellow codebreaker had been killed in exactly the same way, and her murder was never solved. If it's the same killer, and he's now in San Francisco, it means he was probably one of the Yanks who served in Britain during the war. Well, that's a start.And the pair head to San Francisco, where one of America's counterparts to Bletchley Park was The Presidio: "To be honest, after all these years of being made to forget what it is we're capable of, it is just something, just using our minds again."EPISODES 3..."Charlotte's Web" and 4..."Madhouse". Jean and Millie now have two partners in crime, so to speak; Iris Bearden, who worked as an American codebreaker, and Hailey, a mechanical genius. Iris and Hailey are invited to a soiree at the house of Lydia, who had worked with them during the war. She is acting like a Stepford Wife and another guest, Charlotte, is drinking too much. When later, Charlotte is found dead in the middle of a road, still in the frock she wore to the party, Iris and Hailey go to the police with their suspicions about Charlotte's husband, Howard. The police are not impressed. Howard was "a right-minded husband reining in a wife gone out-of-hand" and he nothing to do with a hit-and-run. It looks like they'll have to solve this themselves.EPISODES 5..."Not Cricket" and 6..."Iron in War". Millie has a cousin in San Francisco, Edward Harcourt, who is letting them stay in one of his apartment buildings. Edward is one of two men waiting for someone to join them at a restaurant dinner table. The third man never shows and we know why. We see him running desperately through alleyways. He slips, and his pursuer, wearing a long coat and fedora, catches up and beats him. The ladies didn't plan to get involved in another mystery, but they're tugged in.EPISODES 7..."Fog of War" and 8..."In For a Pound". Hailey and Iris are invited to the grand mansion owned by a former Ambassador to Russia. The special occasion is a recital by the famed Russian cellist, Iliya Sikolov and the guest of honor is the Soviet Consul General, Alexei Orlov. Iris accidentally hears Orlov on the phone begging for help. And then he collapses in front of her, his last act to show her a tattoo on his arm. This is a story of kidnapping, cold war tactics, and, as always with the ladies, secret codes."The Bletchley Circle: San Francisco" originally aired July through September, 2018. The eight episodes total 350 minutes of enjoyable mystery viewing. The original "Bletchley Circle" is still the best, but I think this San Francisco series is better than the 2nd Circle.If you buy the show on disc, it is shown in 16:9 animorphic, with 5.1 Surround Sound, and Englsih SDH subtitles available. There are no bonus features on the discs.As a mystery show, "BC: San Fran" is better than OK, but not great. It spends a lot of time on social issues, which makes it interesting in general, but not a tightly drawn mystery series. I liked it a lot, because I don't object to history and, boy, the post-war decades were gripping in the social changes being sought. I am just not as fond of cold war stories as mysteries in general.4.5 stars, rounded up to 5. There is some great acting and, I must mention again, some great music!Happy Reader

I lived in San Francisco in the '50s and was impressed with the latest Bletchley Circle's FX, costuming, and old cars taking us back there. The mysteries as a vehicle catch the post-WWII idea that women need to go back to their old roles and shouldn't "worry their pretty little heads." Some other of the era's taboos and intolerances were exposed as the circle of women who did their bit in the bygone war waged different wars.We thoroughly enjoyed the continuation of the Bletchley Circle series.

This series is just as good as the original, and my family and I are anxiously awaiting for the next episodes to air sometime in 2019. The writers made an excellent transition to America with two of the original actors from the British Bletchley Circle. The social history of women and other groups is brilliantly explored during the telling of the crime solving stories. The character development is great and the action taught. So glad more episodes are coming!

Poor scripts, plots and acting.I hope the actual Bletchley women's families do not see this DVD ; as it is an ILL use of the name of the intelligent code breakers from the war. I realize the story line is set in the '50's , but the acting is so dated and just poor.The only part of the DVD that entertained ,were the shots of San Francisco scenery and the wonderful music from the 1950's...not the original artists, but delightful in the reminiscing.

Not my favorite of series but better than many I've watched. It's really pretty implausible that this rag-tag collection of women are brilliant enough to solve some pretty complicated cases that experienced detectives are completely lost on. Of course, we have to check the political boxes by getting the homosexual in there; cover the race card, etc. etc. Wish for the old days when I could just watch a movie for entertainment without being force-fed somebody's political agenda and propaganda. Whether I agree or disagree, is beside the point. Sometimes I just want to be entertained and escape all the garbage out there. I don't really care what anybody else believes and wish they'd just keep it to themselves; it usually just solidifies me in my own belief , whatever that may be. These "causes" definitely affect my rating of a movie.