The Brokenwood Mysteries - General Discussion

[dgpolo]

12 hours ago, roseha said:

I didn't love this episode but I did like seeing Dennis Buchanan

Last week when we saw Miranda as someones lawyer my daughter and I wondered where Dennis was, so we were glad to see him. Jools has been in 6 episodes and her relationships with men have been fraught, to say the least!

Some characters I recognize right away, and of course it helps when they are recurring and show up more than twice. Some I've probably missed, and some I recognize but have to look up on IMDB, like the guy with the dog in the dinosaur ep. He looked familiar so I looked him up and he was in the ep with the dogs in the park, the one where Frodo had a tortoise.

[Prevailing Wind]

I have forgotten so much, I've started a re-watch starting from the very beginning.

[Prevailing Wind]

On 5/15/2024 at 7:22 PM, Mittengirl said:

What are the names of Ray & Trudy’s pubs?  The Snake & Tiger and …. Something & Leopard? Croc & Cheetah?

In my re-watch, I'm up to season 7 and so far:

Frog & Cheetah
Toad & Lion
Croc & Panther
Snake & Tiger

And, of course, Ray's Porky Pigeon Pizzeria

[TeslaNewton]

3 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

In my re-watch, I'm up to season 7 and so far:

Frog & Cheetah
Toad & Lion
Croc & Panther
Snake & Tiger

And, of course, Ray's Porky Pigeon Pizzeria

And they are all "aspirational." 

[Prevailing Wind]

On 5/17/2024 at 1:32 AM, roseha said:

I enjoyed both episode 2 and 3 although I may rewatch them with captions, sometimes the accents of the guest actors throw me off when they are speaking quickly. 

I tried watching the "bonus" features at the end of some seasons. The earlier ones didn't have captioning and I couldn't understand a THING they were saying! LOL

[Prevailing Wind]

On 5/27/2024 at 8:04 PM, Prevailing Wind said:

In my re-watch, I'm up to season 7 and so far:

Frog & Cheetah
Toad & Lion
Croc & Panther
Snake & Tiger

And, of course, Ray's Porky Pigeon Pizzeria

It stayed the Snake & Tiger until the Dinosaur season 10 opener, when it because Dinosaur & Panther and then reverted back to Croc & Panther.

Trudy's hair keeps getting longer.

Does Sims get a new car every year?

ETA: I was totally unaware of how often Dr. Carlton at the hospital shows up in episodes.

Edited June 1, 2024 by Prevailing Wind

[dgpolo]

1 minute ago, Prevailing Wind said:

It stayed the Snake & Tiger until the Dinosaur season 10 opener, when it because Dinosaur & Panther and then reverted back to Croc & Panther.

Trudy's hair keeps getting longer.

Does Sims get a new car every year?

-It- is not always the same building and I think at one point he owned two. At the beginning of the dinosaur episode Ray says that he just bought -the old mill- I think? and refurbished it as the Dinosaur and Panther.

I also noticed Sims' car? like is she leasing? does she get a new one every 6 mo. ? (because I swear I saw them change from episode to episode sometimes) are they actually not hers but a part of some pool of cars for use by the police? though I'd think those would be older cars. It's just a bit strange she can afford that.

[LisaM]

Just finished Episode 4 with Harper and Jools. My favorite part was when Harper referred to Mrs. Marlowe on the phone! I noticed that Todd seems to be appearing in every episode - even more than Frodo. 

I do not remember seeing Harper previously but really liked her in this episode. Particularly liked her scene with Trudy. 

Just read that they are filming Season 11 now. 

[Prevailing Wind]

10 hours ago, LisaM said:

I do not remember seeing Harper previously but really liked her in this episode.

I don't either, but she was in S5.1 - the one about the Ghost Train. Even knowing that, I don't remember the character; I may re-watch that one again just to see where she fits in.

[dgpolo]

2 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I don't either, but she was in S5.1 - the one about the Ghost Train. Even knowing that, I don't remember the character; I may re-watch that one again just to see where she fits in

I just completed a re-watch. She was the fortune tellers daughter and had been sexually harassed/assaulted by the owner. Her name was Henna or something?

Have you all noticed that Nic Sampson (Breen) has written four episodes? during my re-watch I noticed his name in the credits but not as an actor so I looked it up. He has written: Power of Steam (the steampunk one); Dog Day Morning (the bank robbery one); Four Fires and a Funeral (the Fire Dept one, duh) and House of Screams (the haunted house one)

[Prevailing Wind]

On 6/2/2024 at 10:19 AM, dgpolo said:

Her name was Henna or something?

Imdb says "Hine" and Sims pronounces it "Hee-neh" (watching it again right now.)

I am amazed that I don't seem to connect the characters when they show up multiple times. Johnny Oades is in so many episodes, yet I never seemed to remember him from one to the next.  Watching them as a binge really helps to identify the recurring characters for me...like Mrs. Baker, the cake baker/wedding consultant.  I guess old age is catching up to me. Although, as Mrs. Marlowe says, there's no such thing as old age, just aging attitude. LOL.

This latest Jesus episode was creepy.

[MMEButterfly]

This weekend I gave myself a Jools Festival. Such a good time watching straight through Jools' (Ingrid Park) story thread. If you are interested it is:

S 3 E 3 Catch of the Day

S 4 E 4 As if Nothing Had Happened

S 5 E 3 Tontine

S 7 E 1 The Garotte and the Vinkelbraun

S 9  E 2 Old Blood Money

S 10 E 4 Love You to Death

[dgpolo]

What the hell was wrong with Sims in this last episode! Snooping in Mike's office, running her mouth off to all and sundry about Mike's private business, she doesn't deserve a promotion, she should be demoted!

Sorry, needed to get that out.

I've been watching London Kills and noticed that they do something right that Sims hardly ever does. I have read/seen/heard somewhere that when you are telling a family member about a loved one's death, you should always be blunt. X is dead. No questions about being attacked, finding a body, even deceased or passed away. X is dead. They do this on London Kills but Sims usually seems to faff around before stating it. That's just another thing I find annoying. Mind it's not a serious annoyance, more like batting a fly away. Just something that pings when it happens.

[laredhead]

I love the season ending with Tami Nelson singing.  The music in the first couple of seasons was one of the things that drew me into the show.  That's been missing in the last couple of seasons, IMO.  Looked like the cast was genuinely having fun.

[MMEButterfly]

30 minutes ago, laredhead said:

I love the season ending with Tami Nelson singing.  The music in the first couple of seasons was one of the things that drew me into the show.  That's been missing in the last couple of seasons, IMO.  Looked like the cast was genuinely having fun.

Oh, yes, it was fun. 

[WildPlum]

It felt like the writers were really pushing the Sims/Chalmers 'ship this season (and there was a lot of touching going on between them in the 5th episode).

But, yeah, Sims snooping in Mike's office and telling Gina before she actually really knew anything seemed like something an office of her rank (or her character) would never do.

Bringing Tami Nielsen back and watching all the characters dancing had an ominous "this is the end of the series" feeling, though. And we lasted how many ever seasons without Mike adding to his wife collection. Amazing.

[TeslaNewton]

I hope we see more Todd, Frodo, and Maddie. I was happy to see Hughes. I wondered where he had gone. 

[badgerwoman]

On 6/4/2024 at 10:23 AM, WildPlum said:

 

Bringing Tami Nielsen back and watching all the characters dancing had an ominous "this is the end of the series" feeling, though. And we lasted how many ever seasons without Mike adding to his wife collection. Amazing.

I believe they are already filming season 11.  

[Prevailing Wind]

I didn't realize this golden leaves of Jesus story was the last episode of the season. Now I'm bummed.

[roseha]

On 6/5/2024 at 6:04 PM, badgerwoman said:

I believe they are already filming season 11.  

Good to know, thanks

While I was watching the latest episode I thought that the only way Mike would be leaving would be if this was the series finale.  But the more the episode went on the less likely that seemed, fortunately.

[ForReal]

I just finished the last episode last night, and I agree with so much that was said above. I thought it was wrong of Sims to snoop and blab and a little out of character, actually. I loved seeing Tami Nielsen perform and watching everyone dance. I had already heard that the next season was filming so I wasn't worried about it being the end, but I did feel that vibe. I think it's time for me to do a rewatch!

 

[wanderingstar]

I started getting into this show over the summer while I was on medical leave. One of the things I delight in on this show is trying to figure out what inventive way the writers are going to integrate Frodo and Mrs. Marlowe into the mystery of each episode. Mrs. Marlowe in particular seems to have a finger in every pie! 😆

[wanderingstar]

Me every time Trudy Neilson says, "I'm no narc," and then proceeds to narc.

[WildPlum]

Woo ho, new season of Brokenwood starts on Acorn on April 21st, 2025! Hope it's at least a 6 episode season....

[mledawn]

New season preview courtesy of Acorn's IG account:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIKBYsbtqm-/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

[wanderingstar]

I am SO READY!

[wanderingstar]

Solid season opener. Great to see everyone again, including Trudy "I'm No Narc" Nielsen. She and Ray remain ridiculous and hilarious.

Good mystery, too. Kept me guessing on the culprit. Poor Peggy. She went through so much and was so happy to see her child again, only for that child to murder her. That poor woman could not catch a break.

[Prevailing Wind]

I don't care for Mrs. Baker. She'll never be as good as Mrs. (Please Call Me Jean) Marlowe.

But i am SO glad they're back. I was giggling at Frodo having his dream come true with the "girl bass player."

[AZChristian]

Two scenes had me in stitches.  Mike and the two other cops talking about how "Gina wants you" to Mike.  He denies it.  His phone rings.  It's Gina.  "Mike, I want you . . . now."

Then Mike and Gina's "allude" conversation in the morgue had me in stitches.  The look on Mike's face when he finally realized that they were talking about the body.

[call me ishmael]

I was so happy to see this back!  I think that I’ve watched too many midsommer murders because the moment Peggy looked at Xanthe I said “she’s her daughter and we have an incest plot 🫣”. But the whole thing was so well done and no one else had to get murdered like on MM.

[Prevailing Wind]

I was mildly disturbed by the NZ accent making "Peggy" sound more like 'Piggy."

[AZChristian]

21 hours ago, Prevailing Wind said:

I was mildly disturbed by the NZ accent making "Peggy" sound more like 'Piggy."

Kind of like the lead character's name being pronounced "Shipherd" instead of "Shepherd."  Once my brain made that recognition of the accent, didn't distract me any longer.

[mledawn]

On 4/21/2025 at 10:01 PM, wanderingstar said:

Solid season opener. Great to see everyone again, including Trudy "I'm No Narc" Nielsen. She and Ray remain ridiculous and hilarious.

I immediately laughed when Trudy asked Sims if she wanted her to narc and Sims (off camera?) says "or...just tell us?" 

[LisaM]

As soon as it was mentioned that Xanthe was 39 - and Peggy had been in psychiatric care for 40 years - I knew she was the daughter and had been sleeping with her dad. 

Mrs. Marlowe - oh, how I miss her. 

[wanderingstar]

That's 2 weeks in a row that Ray and Trudy Nielsen have been at the scene of the crime. I know Brokenwood is a small community, but still.

 

[Seelouis]

4 hours ago, wanderingstar said:

That's 2 weeks in a row that Ray and Trudy Nielsen have been at the scene of the crime. I know Brokenwood is a small community, but still.

 

Yes I was surprised they didn’t comment on that!

[LisaM]

10 hours ago, wanderingstar said:

That's 2 weeks in a row that Ray and Trudy Nielsen have been at the scene of the crime. I know Brokenwood is a small community, but still.

 

Also second week that Dr. Plummer interacted with the victim. 

[badgerwoman]

 

episode 3s ending was certainly interesting.  I did like the call back to earlier seasons, and seeing the donkey again. And the actor playing the clairvoyant was great.

I am wondering why they did not touch on Gina living at Sims house at the end of the previous season.  I thought Gina would keep trying to stay there.

[mledawn]

Acorn is having Fern Sutherland (aka Detective Sims) takeover their Intagram account stories on Tuesday, May 13. Apparently some behind the scenes of filming.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DJfTHhqgjk7/

Edited May 10 by mledawn

[roseha]

I've only watched the first two so won't comment yet on the third.  I did like the first episode a lot in terms of the characters though I also felt so bad for poor Peggy.   I suspected a secret baby almost immediately also, but had thought it would turn out to be Anton since he was young and I thought he looked a lot like James.  When they said she had a daughter that threw me but it became pretty obvious.  Such a dark ending.  But good characters in that one.

I watched the one about the Quiz Night at the school which was okay but didn't grab me quite as much.  I think part of it was that there were so many characters as suspects that I got kind of confused by them all.  I might want to re-watch, maybe with captions as sometimes I have trouble following the guest stars' accents.

I do miss Mrs. Marlowe a lot, but also miss the wonderfully sleazy lawyer Dennis Buchanan.  I hope they have the actor back on, he's hilarious.   I do feel this season is an improvement over the last couple, at least we aren't being sidetracked by Mike's ex-wife or -wives showing up.  I'd like to see them bring back Missy though, she really had a nice chemistry with Chalmers.

[Prevailing Wind]

The actress who played Missy played a cop in "A Remarkable Place to Die" on Acorn.

[LisaM]

I also think they toned down Frodo a bit in this season. They gave some of his ridiculousness to Dr. Plummer. 

I miss the Mayor/Pharmacist. Agree about Dennis Buchanan; the female attorney with the short blonde hair seems to be the attorney du jour. 

Love Trudy. 

[wanderingstar]

21 hours ago, roseha said:

I'd like to see them bring back Missy though, she really had a nice chemistry with Chalmers.

I liked them too. I know this show doesn't spend too much time on the characters' personal lives, but I liked Daniel having someone, and they were good together.

 

[sharifa70]

I just finished the current season’s 4th episode (“How the Other Half Dies”) and found it too frustrating. I wanted to punch literally all of the victims/suspects of the week. An hour in I stopped caring about the who or why; I just wanted them all to get thrown into a pit somewhere where they’d be left to rot, safely off my television.

I can’t remember the last time I had such a visceral reaction to an entire cast & plot.

[mledawn]

Agreed! Those two young adults were intolerable.

Also, why didn't Trudy just let Ray tell Mike?! No one would think those two were the actual culprits. Just a made-up conflict.

Edited May 13 by mledawn
I say, two but obviously the third was the worst

[sharifa70]

30 minutes ago, mledawn said:

Also, why didn't Trudy just let Ray tell Mike?! No one would think those two were the actual culprits. Just a made-up conflict.

This drove me crazy too. There is no way the detectives would actually believe either of them was responsible.

[LisaM]

I noticed that Gina was very toned down in her pursuit of Mike in this episode. 

Trying to recall the backstory for Lena, the bartender. She mentioned "Chad" and I seem to remember his name but do not recall their story. 

[Seelouis]

2 hours ago, LisaM said:

I noticed that Gina was very toned down in her pursuit of Mike in this episode. 

Trying to recall the backstory for Lena, the bartender. She mentioned "Chad" and I seem to remember his name but do not recall their story. 

It was the haunted house episode. 

[roseha]

I still can't remember which episode the haunted house was!  I'm kind of meh on them bringing back supporting characters from a single episode, they weren't always that memorable to begin with.

I did like seeing Gina go to the seance room to figure out how the crime was committed in the third episode, and that she guessed correctly - even though I doubt her discovery of a no longer existing weapon would have held up in court somehow, good thing they got the confession.

It seems to me that they didn't make much of an effort to test for fingerprints or DNA in Episode 4 at least.  They might have figured out the killer a lot sooner.

[LisaM]

I did not love the most recent episode - the one where the teacher was killed during the school retreat. This is the second episode where they have had characters return who were originally in earlier episodes. I tend to forget the earlier plots quickly so it is hard for me to then place these characters. I'd prefer if they limit recurring characters to the usual ones - Frodo, Dr. Plummer, etc.... I also did not love the story line.