The Good
Hetty Wainthropp always makes getting the job done something interesting to watch.
The Bad
I just wish there were better extras.
Hetty Wainthropp (Patricia Routledge) is a detective who never met a case that she couldn’t solve. In Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Collection, we are given 13 discs showcasing this master supersleuth at her level best. No matter who she is up against, or how different a villain is from her on the social stratosphere, this woman never shies away from any of the challenges that come up. She is quick on the draw, not given to fools easily, and doesn’t care if she has to fight against the mafia or murderers in order to make justice prevail.
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Joining Wainthropp in her quest is Geoffrey (Dominic Monaghan) who serves as an apprentice of sorts; also aiding her in her work is her husband (Derek Benfield). Packed with many episodes that often seem unsolvable, Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Collection is a detective, TV show lovers dream.
Features
Exclusive Interview with Patricia Routledge
Routledge sits back here and discusses the origins of the Wainthropp character. She explains what the casting process was like, how she read the book upon which this show was based and she really liked the writer, and how this show got on TV originally as a two hour movie. After being approached about doing Hetty Wainthropp Investigates as a series, she explains how that took 5 years to take shape. She then explains how the show eventually changed shape, what it was like working with Dominic Monaghan and how everyone working on the project strived to tell all the stories as cleverly as possible.
Production Notes, Photo Galleries and Cast Filmographies
Video
4:3 Full Screen. I would really like to find out what kind of video cameras they use to shoot these shows overseas. I bring this up because it is so sharp and clear that it cannot help but look like video. Considering how many discs are in this collection and how much content there is on each disc, I was really impressed at how clean and sharp the DVD compression was overall. Good work, Acorn!
Audio
Dolby Digital - Stereo. Close Captioned. I had to turn the audio on my set about halfway up, but once I did that the audio stayed the same pretty much over all the discs. There was a cleanliness to the audio that made the sound very sterile. I only really noticed this when the characters weren’t talking, but when I noticed the lack of sound it was certainly apparent. This didn’t make these discs bad, just noticeably quiet in parts.
Package
A very contrast laden image of Hetty Wainthropp takes over the front of this colorful slipcase cover. The back gives us a great background, a description of this show, one promotional image of Monaghan and Wainthropp, a Bonus Features listing and system specs. All 13 discs are stored in a book-like DVD holder that makes it very easy to access all of the discs.
Final Word
As usual Acorn Media knew what to send me in regards to piquing my interest. I love mystery shows and to get a complete collection which focuses on this character is really something that engaged me. While I wish that there were better extras in this set, I really did enjoy getting to see Routledge at work as this character. She is so good at her job and always looking where nobody else dares, that it makes seeing her get her man (or women) that much more entertaining. There was also a depth to all these episodes that made this 24+ hour set really work to good effect. Lastly, I very much bought the relationship between her and Geoffrey. There was an affection there but it was clear that these characters are from different worlds. However, this made their interactions all the more memorable.
Taking up 13 discs Hetty Wainthropp Investigates: The Complete Collection is good, late 1990s TV.
Hetty Wainthropp Investigates was released .
