Lovejoy - The Complete Season 2

Amazon.com Ian McShane has the best eyes on television--they turn from a mischievous twinkle to a baleful, heart-stopping glare in an instant. McShane achieved fame in the U.S. as foul-mouthed saloon owner Al Swearengen on Deadwood, but long before then he'd made his mark as lovable but slippery antiques dealer Lovejoy, whose gift for sifting true articles from false is matched only by his personal magnetism--for trouble. The second season of this British series beings with Lovejoy in prison for transporting stolen goods. Naturally, he'd been set up, and the episode darts back and forth in time as Lovejoy and his compatriots--boozy partner Tinker (Dudley Sutton), resentful flunky Eric (Chris Jury), and the woman Lovejoy wishes was more than a friend, Lady Jane (Phyllis Logan)--figure out the who, what, and how of the con game. Though the show is best categorized as a mystery, only a few episodes feature any serious violence, and only one is a murder mystery (with a dead body in a suit of medieval armor). At its best, Lovejoy is about trickery and human weakness. Lovejoy helps a disinherited brother take revenge on his greedy sibling; a collection of classic pornography may belong to a girls' school; a wandering artist seduces lonely housewives by doing paintings of their cottages. When there is gunplay--as when a French policeman is killed by thieves who strip homes of their architectural features--it feels a bit overdone, a bit showy. Far more compelling are the subtle conflicts and dramas, such as when Lovejoy gently forces an elderly woman to admit her silver bowls aren't worth what she claimed. Both writing and direction have sharpened in this second season: Plots are twistier, characters better developed, the pace more sprightly, and McShane seems gloriously at ease with unscrupulous alter-ego. In addition to twelve excellent episodes (including the two-part season finale, featuring Linda Gray from Dallas), this box set has two charming interviews with McShane, one made for the dvd release and one from a 1991 British talk show, conducted when the series was aired. Lovejoy features an abundance of vaguely familiar character actors as guest starts, including Brian Blessed (Flash Gordon), Patrick Malahide (The Singing Detective), and Tom Wilkinson (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). --Bret Fetzer Product Description Lovejoy: The Complete Season Two (DVD) ]]>
ASIN: B000VWX6T4
VSKU: DBV.B000VWX6T4.G
Condition: Good
Binding: DVD
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Condition Notes: Individually inspected: Guaranteed to play perfectly or your money back. Case may show wear and may be in library packaging. Ships Fast!