User Reviews

Have to add my vote to the group of reviews to balance out the negatives. I don't get the complete disappointment going on. I do agree there's something off with this episode. I really blame the director/editor. There were really strange moments of characters just popping up, like "wait now Charles is in this?" Also strange edits where I actually thought the video glitched for a second then realized it was on purpose. Everything was very frenetic at times with quite a lot going on but it wasn't well controlled.

I also thought Agatha seemed to veer a bit too far into slapstick a few times, which I didn't love. She can be loud and pushy at times, but when did that start meaning repeatedly falling down and flailing about? Something she was doing in the last season too, so it's not new, is supposedly sneaking into a house while being as loud as possible. That's too much for me. It makes her seem too incompetent. Screaming over the stuffed foxes then tumbling down the passageway was way too much. Her new office also completely doesn't fit my image of Agatha. She has much more class and taste. The romper room set is a hot mess.

So why did I give this a good rating? Overall it was still very fun and I loved seeing the gang all together, obviously missed Gemma a bit. I loved Gemma's character but the actress stuck out a few times in the last couple episodes for making weird faces when she was standing in the background, like she stopped acting when she didn't have lines. I wasn't sure about her replacement by I was really liking her by the end.

The reenactment plot was very enjoyable. Wilkes is one of my favorites, so I'm glad he got so much time and attention. Same with Mrs Boggle. Since another said something negative, I say I love Sarah. Besides being sweet, she's grounded and practical and that adds balance to the group. I also don't want Agatha to break up with James again. It's so tiring how writers can't figure out what to do with female characters except constantly have them mooning over a man, getting him, then breaking up endlessly. Personally, I liked her better with Charles, but I hope her love life drama gets a rest for a while. Overall, 7/10.

This episode dragged on and on. It could easily been complete in the normal 45 minutes. The major characters are all back, but miss the one they dropped. They established the new venue. However it all seemed confusing. Where does everyone fit into the picture??? Hopefully, episode 2 will be more direct and typical of last season.

This is one of my favorite shows; hence, I'm writing this review in order that the writers & producers will read my review & enact changes before it is too late.

Agatha's spunky cleaner Gemma, played as a rascally counterpoint by Katy Wix, is sorely missing in the recent episodes. Her refreshing camaraderie has been replaced by the reluctant, dowdy & lackluster Vicor's wife, Sara Bloxsby. It is evident that Sara would never dare accompany Agatha on a high-jinxing adventure. In any scene where Sarah has encountered the darker side of Agatha's adventures, her default pose is literally to stand aside, hands trembling, with a stare of a deer stuck in headlights.

Ashly Jensen as Agatha is resourceful & plays off well with her group of friends. Hopefully, Gemma is not gone for good; although, the addition of her niece is a positive addition to the cast, she should not replace Gemma by any means. The sleuthing housekeeper keeps the show real, centered & empowered by strong ingenious women.

Additionally, the latest episodes have demonstrated Agatha as a blundering, accident prone fashionista, a pantomime of screeching fodder for slapstick comedy. That is disrespectful & contradictory to the Agatha's character. She does not require constant rescuing. Please take heed & bring back the true Agatha Raison you introduced to us in the Pilot & Season 1.

Ashley Jensen is the perfect actress for this role, it's obvious she doesn't believe the character would behave in such a demeaning manner. I still rate this show as a 9 out of 10 due to the possibility it can return to the original core writing & actors.

Thank you

I can't agree with some of the previous reviews I actually really liked this episode. Yes it was quite long but it was still true to format, a shame one of the characters wasn't in it, but I liked the addition of a new character. I can't wait for the rest of the series to start.

As happens with many of the excellent British mysteries, "Agatha Raisin" is at times an equal mix of Miss Marple, Monty Python, Mr Bean, and the Three Stooges.

"The Haunted House" is an example of the challenges faced by writers and actors attempting to portray horrible events without too much gore and being overly maudlin. This episode provides the introduction of Agatha Raisin as a official private investigator and the staff that assist in the investigations. There could be and has been much said about James, Gemma leaving the show, and other changes, However, I do not dwell on the differences between episodes and seasons as actors may come and go. I just want to be entertained for 30-60-90 minutes.

To that end, this episode delivers an interesting, tongue-in-cheek, funny, and somewhat intriguing mystery. Not at a Sherlock Holmes level, but it would give a fair run to many other mystery shows. Enjoy it for what it is, not what some hope. As long as it entertains, what else could one realistically want?

I am glad to see it being continued- but what happened? This new Agatha is not the sharp, and sometimes delightfully ditsy, lady of the books and previous series. This Agatha is being eclipsed by James Lacey. She simply follows his lead and squeals, screams and whoops a lot. I loved the adaptations which kept the essence of Agatha of the books character- but this episode was a silly pastiche. I miss the fantastic Katie Wix - her cleaner-but her stand in cousin has great potential. However, showing her unable to understand a vacum and resort to blowing dust around was a too utterly silly step for me. The genuine humour has gone and been replaced by a childish pantomime. I hope we get the soul of Agatha back, the casual charm of Sir Charles and the dour grumpiness of James Lacy back. Mrs Boggle was a star, as usual. Thank goodness for that.

This opening episode was obviously a two part story shunted awkwardly together. The character chemistry has gone. The housekeeper/cleaner character was great but I'd imagine Katy Wix had a better offer, or the producers decided to try and evolve the Agatha Rasen character by giving her a legitimate role as a PI instead of a bored marketing guru looking for something a little extra. Elevating the boyfriend to the sidekick role and reducing ensemble cast to cameo performances is a massive error. They need to split again for her to plunge herself back into work and let mania ensue. She's no longer a strong character. It's all daft. This was fairly light daytime fayre and easy on the eyes. This is now a poor shadow of its comfortable self. Shame. I much prefer the BBC's Shakespeare & Hathaway. Easily superior compared now. They've done it right. Keep the talented ensemble cast small and they give us decent stories. Simple!

Wife and I were excited to see a new episode on Acorn, but that excitement changed to disappointment fairly quickly. Several major changes to setting, characters, and overall vibe of the show do not align with first couple of seasons. The story/script was disjointed, didn't flow smoothly, and I dozed off before it was over.

I can only echo the earlier reviews. I adored the first two seasons of this show, and was greatly looking forward to this. Within the first couple of minutes, though, I knew the show had gone very wrong. The acting was oddly stiff, as though the cast themselves knew it wasn't working, and the script dull and lacking in the show's usual zany wit. I missed Gemma, there wasn't nearly enough of Charlie Boy, and Agatha and James make a terrible couple. There is no chemistry between them, and their personalities simply don't work together. It was far more believable when Agatha was pining for this strait-laced cold fish who you knew was utterly wrong for her.

That leads to another major problem with this episode. We loved Agatha as this outwardly successful, but inwardly miserable loser who kept bravely trying to get the perfect life, without ever coming close to achieving it. It made her interesting, and it made her someone to root for. In this episode, she had the "perfect life"--the man she wanted and the job she wanted. She was a happy Agatha, and therefore a very dull Agatha.

I'm hoping the creators of this series realize they went off the rails, and the rest of the season goes back to being the funny, lovable, cheerfully offbeat show we have come to know.

My wife and I love Ashley and adore her as Agatha, then there is the rest of the cast, Matthew Horne is superb and the support team has been great, that is until now. So we have a well established case that has proven to be capable. The story is by the same author but it could be a bad day? No I don't think it's that although it did seem even more predictable than usual. This leads me to conclude that it's the director. Shame a lost opportunity handled badly.

Sky Television made the lukewarm first series of Agatha Raisin. Acorn TV took over for series 2 and they have now become feature length films.

The trouble for Agatha Raisin is. The BBC have been broadcasting Shakespeare & Hathaway and it does comedy crime drama much better.

Agatha Raisin is now fully fledged private investigator and has opened her own detective agency. As business is not so brisk, Agatha and James investigate the spooky goings on in Ivy Hall. It was an important site during the English civil war and there might be buried treasure.

The eccentric and obnoxious owner Olivia Witherspoon is soon found dead. Before long the bodies pile up and it might be something to do with the treasure.

It was uneasy blend of comedy and crime here. In fact it is too silly. The problem was the episode was too long and frankly dull. Ashley Jensen does her best with Agatha, but James is just too dreary and dry as a character.

I loved the other seasons of Agatha Raisin , but the new season finds Agatha diminished . Instead of the strong , capable Agatha , she is easily frightened and just seems to follow James' lead . It's like she has had a character transplant ! Boring story also .

Early in the show Agatha comments that this isn't Scooby Doo. Amazingly ironic since the entire episode was just like a Scooby Doo mystery.

I have to agree with other reviewers that this was an ominous start to season 3. The whole vibe and setting of the show has changed and the loss of the excellent sidekick Gemma is major. I wasn't impressed with her replacement Toni. It was all too slapstick and had lost its magical sparkle. Agatha had lost her empathy and her quirks and is downright bossy and neglectful of James. The story was disjointed and boring. Hopefully, the rest of the season will get back it's charm and we'll see the characters and stories we all love.

The first two seasons sparkle, characters are interesting and consistent, their interaction is good, stories are great, and of course the setting is just marvelous. this episode is a total change. Agatha is scared, and that is not like her. James is ok, and Bill, and Roy are pretty consistent with previous shows. but the story is lame, and drags along and why are Roy and Sarah always together? I hope the season picks back up.

First: there are some fun moments here, provided mostly by new cast member Jodie Tyack. But otherwise it's pretty ghastly.

The many ways this stepped down: 1. James. Such an improved character in the previous episode! But not here. Instead he whines, grouses, and grumps ... and for some reason has an enormous set of action figures.

2. Agatha. What happened to that great sense of people she had, so clearly established in the pilot episode?

3. Format. C'mon people: you can't really expect to just open a detective agency and have cases flood in. Either you have a working business model or you don't. And let's not even talk about that repellant decoration job.

4. Scooby-Doo level realism. Lampshading the fact doesn't excuse it.

5. Music. When you find your movie's problems can't be fixed -- which is to say, when the problem isn't acting or pacing, but inherent in the story -- glopping it with excessive 'mood' music is the flop-sweaty gasp of desperation. If this movie was breakfast, you would hardly be able to tell whether it was pancakes or an omelette, because it would be so deeply buried in cream and syrup.

Overall, a very disappointing episode.