I have seen all episodes up to this point, and with mixed impressions. However, they have all been a 6 or above on a 10-scale. And this last episode transcends all others. Who is John, and why was he killed? Not an unusual starting point for a crime-episode on television. The reason this Vera episode is apart from most others, is the emotional dept. Vera's somewhat slow and basic albeit intuitive technique, eventually backed by physical evidence by the laconic pathologist or sheer admittance by killer, is for once well paralleled by the depth of the tragedy of the family concerned. Cunningham is alway good, and here better than ever as the man with multiple-layered secrets, and Stuckey as his daughter emits emotional depth well aligned with the tragedy unfolded.
5 Reviews
An excellent mystery.
Sleepin_Dragon3 April 2020
Prodigal Son is one of the best episodes of Vera, particularly from the earlier years. One of the most poignant and memorable opening sequences to date, the crime itself is almost surreal and inexplicable, why on Earth would anyone want to kill him, and how on Earth could it have been done in such a short space of time, without anyone witnessing anything.
This one is like an onion, you get to see Vera strip away each layer, as she learns exactly what happened. It's a multi layered story, but it isn't complex or hard to follow, it's a very straightforward mystery.
One minor criticism, the lack of time for some of the secondary characters, Kenny in particular.
A very experienced and well known cast here, notable performances from Liam Cunningham and Jill Halfpenny.
Excellent, 9/10.
This one is like an onion, you get to see Vera strip away each layer, as she learns exactly what happened. It's a multi layered story, but it isn't complex or hard to follow, it's a very straightforward mystery.
One minor criticism, the lack of time for some of the secondary characters, Kenny in particular.
A very experienced and well known cast here, notable performances from Liam Cunningham and Jill Halfpenny.
Excellent, 9/10.
Very good, agreed
winopaul23 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I agree with the other reviewer, all the Vera episodes are great, and this one is very interesting. Now the criticism.
You press me for an anecdote? OK, remember the season 2 review where I lamented that they replaced the incomparable pitch-black Holly with the totally nondescript Shep? And remember when I said Shep could walk into my living room and pump 18 rounds from her 9mm into my 70-inch TV, and I would not be able to pick her out from a line-up 20 minutes later? Remember? Well get this, I did not watch the seasons in order. I saw the season 3 first since that is what a kindly librarian set out on the end-cap of the DVD shelves. So I watched all of Season 3 first, and then went and loaned out Season 1, then Season 2. So I had already seen Shep, in this episode, and the previous, and by the time I watched her introduction in Season 2, I did not recognize that I had already seen her. At least in that Season 2 episode she wore a bright red beret, which made her a little less nondescript. Then the next time she magically transferred out of the military and appeared in civilian clothes. Quite the casting coup. I sure miss Holly. Maybe Holly should hire Shep's agent.
This is a great episode, not too complex and fairly easy to tell the cadres of similar-looking white people apart. It would be a good one to watch first, before suffering with the poor production values of S1E1 or the insane complexity of S1E2. I feel blessed with a perfect introduction, season 3 first, and then all the others in sequence.
To my everlasting delight, PBS is broadcasting Season 6 here. Not to spoil things, but they actually do have a black character again, but they "solve" that problem early on and replace her with a suitable Anglo-Saxon ITV-approved alternative. Also the sidekick with the 3-day growth is gone, not that I care about him, but his wife is really something, I will sure miss her. I guess there is some karma of continuity headaches, since Billy the CSI guy gets replaced with (gasp) a black guy, and now he is the one with a 3-day growth to drive the director crazy with continuity problems.
Anyway, don't let my quibbles dissuade you, this is a really great show. I took a chance watching the pilot of the MacGyver remake on network TV tonight, and I could only take 23 minutes of that drivel before I retreated to the joy of re-watching this episode of Vera. I do recommend getting the DVD, if my library has it, so should yours. You will want to watch things a few times and re-wind to keep all the characters straight.
Sorry, no character roundup to help your little girl fill out the 4'x8' whiteboard wheeled up next to your recliner. I am too anxious to watch the season 4 DVD I just got from the library. The show just gets better and better, season 6 is really looking good on PBS.
You press me for an anecdote? OK, remember the season 2 review where I lamented that they replaced the incomparable pitch-black Holly with the totally nondescript Shep? And remember when I said Shep could walk into my living room and pump 18 rounds from her 9mm into my 70-inch TV, and I would not be able to pick her out from a line-up 20 minutes later? Remember? Well get this, I did not watch the seasons in order. I saw the season 3 first since that is what a kindly librarian set out on the end-cap of the DVD shelves. So I watched all of Season 3 first, and then went and loaned out Season 1, then Season 2. So I had already seen Shep, in this episode, and the previous, and by the time I watched her introduction in Season 2, I did not recognize that I had already seen her. At least in that Season 2 episode she wore a bright red beret, which made her a little less nondescript. Then the next time she magically transferred out of the military and appeared in civilian clothes. Quite the casting coup. I sure miss Holly. Maybe Holly should hire Shep's agent.
This is a great episode, not too complex and fairly easy to tell the cadres of similar-looking white people apart. It would be a good one to watch first, before suffering with the poor production values of S1E1 or the insane complexity of S1E2. I feel blessed with a perfect introduction, season 3 first, and then all the others in sequence.
To my everlasting delight, PBS is broadcasting Season 6 here. Not to spoil things, but they actually do have a black character again, but they "solve" that problem early on and replace her with a suitable Anglo-Saxon ITV-approved alternative. Also the sidekick with the 3-day growth is gone, not that I care about him, but his wife is really something, I will sure miss her. I guess there is some karma of continuity headaches, since Billy the CSI guy gets replaced with (gasp) a black guy, and now he is the one with a 3-day growth to drive the director crazy with continuity problems.
Anyway, don't let my quibbles dissuade you, this is a really great show. I took a chance watching the pilot of the MacGyver remake on network TV tonight, and I could only take 23 minutes of that drivel before I retreated to the joy of re-watching this episode of Vera. I do recommend getting the DVD, if my library has it, so should yours. You will want to watch things a few times and re-wind to keep all the characters straight.
Sorry, no character roundup to help your little girl fill out the 4'x8' whiteboard wheeled up next to your recliner. I am too anxious to watch the season 4 DVD I just got from the library. The show just gets better and better, season 6 is really looking good on PBS.
Beautifully done, as usual... but ultimately unsatisfying
210west8 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
More than most long-running detective shows, "Vera" seems to have a remarkably consistent tone -- bleak!
This episode is no exception; it has all the usual dramatic strengths we expect from this series -- terrific acting, intelligent dialogue, vivid local atmosphere, abundant red herrings, and an intriguingly intricate plot involving a long-buried crime of the past as well as a current one. But in the end, like most "Vera" episodes, it's just another beautifully made downer.
I've never seen a detective show in which the "villains," when they're ultimately unmasked, so consistently turn out to be tragic and sympathetic and not villainous at all. I always end up feeling sorry for the killer!
I suppose that can be regarded as a good thing -- it's a reminder, maybe, that few people are thoroughly evil, that even good people may, in the right circumstances, turn to murder -- but it means that I invariably end up saddened rather than cheered when at last Vera solves the case. I certainly felt that here. The ending was utterly joyless.
Worse, it was also rather ridiculous, wrapping things up way too quickly, thanks to a convenient last-minute revelation. We learn just a few minutes before the closing credits, completely out of the blue, that the Liam Cunningham character is wanted for having murdered his abusive father 30 years ago. The revelation of this long-buried crime is slipped into the plot so hastily, without any proper hint or preparation, that it's practically a joke. And after an hour and a half of fairly pleasurable suspense, it leaves one -- it certainly left me --feeling a bit cheated.
This episode is no exception; it has all the usual dramatic strengths we expect from this series -- terrific acting, intelligent dialogue, vivid local atmosphere, abundant red herrings, and an intriguingly intricate plot involving a long-buried crime of the past as well as a current one. But in the end, like most "Vera" episodes, it's just another beautifully made downer.
I've never seen a detective show in which the "villains," when they're ultimately unmasked, so consistently turn out to be tragic and sympathetic and not villainous at all. I always end up feeling sorry for the killer!
I suppose that can be regarded as a good thing -- it's a reminder, maybe, that few people are thoroughly evil, that even good people may, in the right circumstances, turn to murder -- but it means that I invariably end up saddened rather than cheered when at last Vera solves the case. I certainly felt that here. The ending was utterly joyless.
Worse, it was also rather ridiculous, wrapping things up way too quickly, thanks to a convenient last-minute revelation. We learn just a few minutes before the closing credits, completely out of the blue, that the Liam Cunningham character is wanted for having murdered his abusive father 30 years ago. The revelation of this long-buried crime is slipped into the plot so hastily, without any proper hint or preparation, that it's practically a joke. And after an hour and a half of fairly pleasurable suspense, it leaves one -- it certainly left me --feeling a bit cheated.
well acted garbage with major plot holes
mgl-9203713 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I've been watching some Vera episodes for the second time, and I find it a real chore. I loved the scenery and found the character of Vera an interesting change from the usual police detective. But boy are the plots terrible--- so elaborate and convoluted, usually with a surfeit of suspects. Finally, at the end we find the sister murdered her brother, in order to keep the secret that her fiancee was a murderer. Give me a break!! It's so preposterous and implausible.
And there seems to be an enormous plot hole. The sister was standing in view of the CCTV camera right before the murder, and yet when they viewed the tapes at the station she was not visible.
And there seems to be an enormous plot hole. The sister was standing in view of the CCTV camera right before the murder, and yet when they viewed the tapes at the station she was not visible.
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