Lark Rise to Candleford: Season Two (4pc) (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Lark Rise to Candleford: The Complete Season One is a charming series that tackles myriad themes, and is adapted from Flora Thompson's semi-autobiographical novel. In the first season, young Laura Timmins (Olivis Hallinan) leaves her village of Lark Rise to work as an assistant to the postmistress in Candleford, Dorcas Lane (Julia Sawalha who was also brilliant in her role as Lydia Bennet in Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996)). Through the course of the first season, Laura discovers that she enjoys living in the more affluent town of Candleford, and experiences the pangs of adolescence, including romantic entanglements. Dorcas Lane, the kind-hearted and sensible postmistress also goes through some pangs of her own, largely to do with her friendship with squire, Sir Timothy Midwinter (Ben Miles) who is married to the beautiful and composed Lady Adelaide (Olivia Grant). In the first season, viewers got to see the themes of marital strife, conflicts between the upper and lower classes, romantic entanglements, and other issues played out.
By the second season, both Sir Timothy and Lady Adelaide have moved to London, but there is still plenty of drama in Dorcas' life with the arrival of James Dowland (Jason Merrells), a former inhabitant of Lark Rise, a local boy who has done well in life. Being a self-made and wealthy man, James settles in Candleford, though he reacquaints himself with the residents of Lark Rise, especially Queenie Turrill (Linda Bassett) who used to take care of him as a young boy. James opens a fashionable hotel in Candleford, and tries to 'improve' the lives of the Lark Rise residents with mixed results. There is also a strong chemistry between James and Dorcas, though their relationship flounders between attraction and rivalry/conflict. Laura seems more mature and wiser, having learned a couple of enlightening things about the pitfalls of romance, and is taking on more responsibilities at the post office. But then, a young clockmaker, Fisher Bloom (Matthew McNulty) comes to town, and Laura finds herself attracted to Fisher, though he seems oblivious to her charms, initially. Laura's parents, Robert and Emma Timmins (Brendan Coyle & Claudie Blakley) who have always been a very close and loving couple find themselves facing some marital strife in their marriage, and this second season takes an intimate look at their dynamics as a couple.
There is also plenty of drama amongst the other inhabitants of Lark Rise & Candleford - the sisters Pearl and Ruby Pratt (Matilda Ziegler, Victoria Hamilton) who have a dressmaking/drapery store continue to pry into others' affairs whilst dealing with their own emotional dramas. Postman Thomas Brown's (Mark Heap)romantic (mis)adventures continue, and many more. This is truly a gem of a series, and I am hopelessly addicted to it. Each episode is well-crafted and credibly acted, drawing viewers into the lives of these mostly endearing & flawed characters, and making one feel at home in both Lark Rise and Candleford.For those who love period dramas, there's some wonderful productions (these are some of my favorites) to check out:
Cranford: The Collection (Cranford / Return to Cranford)
Pride and Prejudice - The Special Edition (A&E, 1996)
Pride and Prejudice (BBC, 1980)
Daniel Deronda
Anne of Green Gables Trilogy Box Set
Road to Avonlea Season 1 and others in the series
Wives and Daughters
The Buccaneers

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Import Blu-Ray/Region All pressing. Please note while the feature film is viewable on all Blu-Ray players the special features are in Standard Definition/PAL format and will not be viewable on US BR players. 4 BR set. Following critical acclaim, the residents of Lark Rise and Candleford return in this warm-hearted adaptation of Flora Thompson's novels.Set in the Oxfordshire countryside in the 1890s, this rich, funny and poignant series chronicles the daily lives of farm-workers, craftsmen and gentry, detailing the little conflicts, romances and misunderstandings between the tiny Lark Rise and the more worldly Candleford. Series two sees the arrival of a dashing and elegant stranger in Candleford. Rich, enterprising, worldly and apparently without a wife, James Dowland is a successful businessman with a string of London hotels, and has come to "transform Candleford" and bring it new prosperity. But not everyone welcomes his entrepreneurial qualities and it isn't long before he is sparring with the spirited, yet suddenly unusually flustered, Dorcas and aggravating the pride of the male Lark Risers with his superior business acumen and somewhat overbearing manner.The second series of Lark Rise To Candleford sees the welcome return of Julia Sawalha (Pride And Prejudice, Cranford) as Dorcas Lane, Olivia Hallinan (Sugar Rush, Girls In Love) as Laura Timmins her assistant, Brendan Coyle (Prime Suspect, True Dare Kiss) as Robert, Laura's opinionated father, Claudie Blakley (Jane Eyre, State of Play) as Laura's mother Emma and Mark Heap (Green Wing, Love Soup) as Thomas Brown, the Head Postman and devout Christian. Joining the cast for the second series are Jason Merrells (Cutting It, Waterloo Road) who plays the charming new hotelier, James Dowland, and Ruby Bentall (Oliver Twist, New Tricks) as Minnie, a new addition to the Post Office in Candleford.

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