The Witchfinder

[Twilkes]

Up to episode 4, it's falling between a lot of stools for me - some bits are amusing, the only genuine big laugh it got out of us was the 'Ch' sequence with Daniel Rigby and Jessica Hynes. It's not plot-focused enough to be a compelling story across the six episodes, nor is each episode funny or complex enough to be a standalone thing. Events just kind of come along and they deal with them, and there's a lot of chit-chat that could be cut out without harming the thin stories. And DMC's character has no agency in what's going on, she's just being carried along and commenting on what's happening, occasionally doing something off her own back, you could just as easily have Tim Key walking along on his own talking to himself and not much would change.

Will still finish it though.

[Tony Tony Tony]

Up to episode 4, it's falling between a lot of stools for me - some bits are amusing, the only genuine big laugh it got out of us was the 'Ch' sequence with Daniel Rigby and Jessica Hynes. It's not plot-focused enough to be a compelling story across the six episodes, nor is each episode funny or complex enough to be a standalone thing. Events just kind of come along and they deal with them, and there's a lot of chit-chat that could be cut out without harming the thin stories. And DMC's character has no agency in what's going on, she's just being carried along and commenting on what's happening, occasionally doing something off her own back, you could just as easily have Tim Key walking along on his own talking to himself and not much would change.

Will still finish it though.

Without wanting to seem like too much of a cheerleader for the show I think your comment about the DMC character is actually the point of her and was likely written that way deliberately. Not too much of a spoiler but the character does gain added dimensions later on.

Like you say you will be sticking with it. Be interesting to see how you feel after the sixth ep. As I said above I felt warmed.

[Twilkes]

Without wanting to seem like too much of a cheerleader for the show I think your comment about the DMC character is actually the point of her and was likely written that way deliberately. Not too much of a spoiler but the character does gain added dimensions later on.

Like you say you will be sticking with it. Be interesting to see how you feel after the sixth ep. As I said above I felt warmed.

I'm sure it was a deliberate choice, but it still doesn't make for a great character. Even Myers wants something, to help her master, and latterly Hebble, which sets her up with some great situations and interactions. Gooch doesn't even seem to have much of an opinion on what is going on, if she kicked off and kept trying to escape that would be something but she just gets carried along and doesn't really seem bothered. It might pay off by the end, but it's taking a lot of script pages to get there.

A few decades ago there were movies made and scripts being written where the main character 'doesn't know what they want', possibly buoyed by the success of Garden State which just about got away with it, but it makes for a dreary character who aimlessly wanders around while other more interesting people make things happen for them, this is kind of where the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope came from. It can sometimes work, but other choices invariably make for a stronger character and story.

I'll report back in two episodes. :)

[Virgo76]

Laughed heartily again as Cariad Lloyd

Spoiler alert

licks the biscuit covered in goats jizz and says "I've tasted this before"

[close]

which was almost thrown away in a rush to the credits.

Almost. But not actually. So in practice, very funny.

Agree with everyone who's said they didn't warm to the first episode.
I had been wary after some iffy reviews and a not especially funny trailer.
But this really won me over from episode two onwards.
A great cast - a few familiar faces (including four Taskmaster contestants including Wozniak) but not overwhelmed by cameos from the usual comedy gang.
Generally enjoyable throughout. Tim Key was good in the lead. I don't think I've seen him carry a series before. Cooper strong too and not underused. Daniel Rigby a bit disappointing for once. Jessica Hynes good as ever. Make-up very unflattering.
I hope and expect to see more. But then, I'm still waiting for series 2 of Quacks...

[QDRPHNC]

I don't think I've ever seen Daniel Rigby in anything before, and he was the one glaring issue here. Good performer, but not imposing or threatening enough for what the role needed, I think.

[Virgo76]

I don't think I've ever seen Daniel Rigby in anything before, and he was the one glaring issue here. Good performer, but not imposing or threatening enough for what the role needed, I think.

Spot on.
He's very good at playing awkward men-children. E.g. in the series Flowers or in er... adverts for BT.
But was not quite right for this.

[somersetchris]

A few decades ago there were movies made and scripts being written where the main character 'doesn't know what they want', possibly buoyed by the success of Garden State which just about got away with it, but it makes for a dreary character who aimlessly wanders around while other more interesting people make things happen for them, this is kind of where the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope came from. It can sometimes work, but other choices invariably make for a stronger character and story.

I recently re-watched The Graduate for the first time in many years and my god Dustin Hoffman's character is an annoying selfish prick, who won't do anything that involves any kind of effort. He has an affair and runs off with a bride (spoilers) purely because he can't think of anything else to do.

[QDRPHNC]

Spot on.
He's very good at playing awkward men-children. E.g. in the series Flowers or in er... adverts for BT.
But was not quite right for this.

When he first showed up in ep 1, I assumed we were in for a battle of wits between two nebbish, underqualified witchfinders, and was quite surprised when it turned out we were supposed to take Rigby seriously as a villain.

Thinking about it now, it would have been much more effective if Rigby and Joplin Sibtain (John Stearne) switched roles. That way it would have been more realistic for Key to think he had a chance with the Witchfinder General, and his pursuer/competitor would have actually been quite scary.

[Twilkes]

I recently re-watched The Graduate for the first time in many years and my god Dustin Hoffman's character is an annoying selfish prick, who won't do anything that involves any kind of effort. He has an affair and runs off with a bride (spoilers) purely because he can't think of anything else to do.

The writers of Ferris Bueller's Day Off approached it well (or by luck), in that people will always think it's about this cool kid who skives off school and has an amazing day out, but the character that actually goes through a transformative journey is his friend Cameron, who finally overcomes the shadow of his father; Ferris and his life is totally unchanged from beginning to end. But the film Cameron's Day Out would have been forced and plodding by comparison, our hero being dragged around by his more exciting friend while remaining reluctant to get involved.

[rue the polywhirl]

Thought this was thoroughly tittersome, mainly thanks to Tim Key  being Tim Key except in a puritan outfit. Like the light grimness of the series and back and forth with Daisy May Cooper was always good as too was Jessica Hynes. Mindhorn almost ruined episode 5 with his presence -very strained delivery almost had an anti-Midas touch with regards to comedy - and effects in episode 6 with the bees and edit punch were surprisingly bad. Better than Toast of Tinseltown.

[Johnny Yesno]

I watched the final episode last night and enjoyed it. I agree with the other posters who said that it got off to a slow start but improved from episode 3 onwards. I'd like to see another series but it felt to me like the story concluded and I can't see where else it would go.

One implausible thing I did notice was that the weather was fine the whole time. In the UK, lol. I'm not complaining really, as after a grey winter in reality, it was heartening to see the British countryside in the sun, and it did give the whole thing a strangely relaxing quality despite the subject matter.

[mrapollo]

They were really lucky with the weather, it was shot through June and July of last year when there heatwaves and all sorts, so just happened to be sunny most days.

[gilbertharding]

This thread being bumped has reminded me I have completely forgotten to watch the last episode (possibly the last two episodes) of this.

You might wonder if this says more about the Witchfinder than it does about me - and to be honest I'm not really sure.

[Virgo76]

It's official: there won't be a second series.

[QDRPHNC]

Bummer.

[Wayman C. McCreery]

It's official: there won't be a second series.

I liked it, but this isn't surprising given the reviews it got (panned by the same writers who love Ted Lasso - I know what I'd prefer to watch). And I'm not sure it needed a second series.

I'm not going to say it's going to become a cult classic but I reckon it might be looked back at quite fondly in a few years.

[weaseldust]

oh no! i got excited when i saw the thread had been bumped. would have loved to see more of this

[Twilkes]

I enjoyed it but it's fairly forgettable in the grand scheme of things, especially given the shine that the two leads' other work is getting.

But then I'd have loved a second series of Dead Boss which I'm not sure is even available on DVD, so... :)

[The Mollusk]

But then I'd have loved a second series of Dead Boss which I'm not sure is even available on DVD, so... :)

Solidarity my friend, I'm with you

[daf]

Fucksake!

[Johnny Yesno]

oh no! i got excited when i saw the thread had been bumped. would have loved to see more of this

Bah! Same.

Solidarity my friend, I'm with you

Yep, that was a good show too.