#vera itv

[eqqvfx]

thank you to the one show on 5th Nov 2025. you were so important to me.

[anhandfulgirl18]

VERA 2.03 || 6.04

[notashadowbutawave]

ITV's Vera is really an ideal female fantasy:

she inherited a cottage by the sea on an island which is only reachable at low tide

she gardens and has whisky

she's probably smashing Malcolm, the forensic investigator (I'll die on this hill) but she has no man or kids in the house

very good at her job

Land Rover

comfortable dresses and practical boots

bucket hats

gets to call people "pet" and "love"

bacon sandwiches

did I mention she lives on an island

anyway i want to be her

[i-dreamed-of-paraparaparamore]

What's so wild about Vera as a show is that it has so many interesting dynamics. And Vera is just so...frumpy and gets to just unapologetically be an older woman who has zero interest in her appearance. And yet she is a BELOVED and I mean BELOVED character because she is just such a interesting character. And incredibly well fleshed out. And because they do that with every character, their dynamics are able to develop into such rich and interesting relationships. Which is what allows them to have such an engaged fandom with so many loved pairings. All without sacrificing the things that make up a good murder mystery,

[windsweptinred]

@mashumaru I hope you don't mind me answering your question here? There was no way this was fitting in the comments section. 😅 So these are what I'd call more Sunday afternoon murder mysteries then gritty crime dramas, as that's what I'm mainly watching at the mo. But if you'd like some darker recs, just let me know.

Anywho...

Midsomer Murders

The ultimate Sunday afternoon watch. Murder most foul, represented artistically in the form of a cream tea. Starring Inspector Barnaby(s), the most teddy bear men ever to exist. Every episode will include chocolate box village eye porn. Murder weapons have included but are not limited to: a cheese wheel, drowned in chocolate, a headless horseman and a steampunk werewolf. It sounds ridiculous but once you start, you won't be able to stop. I promsie you. The horrors: 0/10, though may leave you with a life long phobia of morris dancers and village fetes.

The Morseverse (Endeavour/Inspector Morse and Lewis)

Ah Morseverse, my beloved. The English academic elite does crime. Oxford is it's own splendorous character, with every episode crammed full of towering libraries, awe inspiring architecture and fanatically manicured, college quads. A must watch for those whose hearts belong to dark academia. Endeavour and Morse are set in the 60s/70s and 80s/90s respectively. And follow the same character, Endeavour Morse, from brilliant, blue eyed, troubled twink to brilliant, blue eyed, grumpy old man with a definite alcohol problem. (Never play drink along with Morse, it's a surefire way to get alcohol poisoning.) The baton is then passed to his sergeant, Robert Lewis in Lewis, set in the relative present (as of this post). The relationship between Inspector and Sergeant is what ultimately makes these series, be it Fred Thursday and Morse, Morse and Lewis and Lewis and James Hathaway. And you'll come to treasure them. Be prepared to leave these series with a well earned fictional degree in classical music. Murders CAN and WILL be based on obscure, literary references. The horrors: Well it depends.... I'd say Endeavour is the darkest, Lewis is the lightest with Morse settled nicely in between. If you finish this series not wanting a Jaguar Mark II, you did it wrong.

Vera

Vera Stanhope, my northumbrian queen, my geordie goddess. A middle aged plus woman, with no makeup (or two f*cks to rubs together) decked in a brown hat and mac and driving the world most beaten up land rover.... Owns everyone. And it is sooo satisfying to watch. The scenic southern eye candy of the two previous recs is replaced with the wild, isolated landscapes of the North, very much reflecting our DI. She's joined by sergeant dark and dishy and the ever more put up Kenny Lockhart, as well as host of others. But what really makes this series is Vera herself. As equally formidable as she is kind hearted, with no hint of glamour. She's the kind of female representation we both need and deserve. The horrors: Vera passive aggressively calling vicious murderers 'pet' fixes all world problems. It's scientifically proven.

Things you may have heard of:

Sherlock Holmes, the Granada edition starring Jeremy Brett. No finer Sherlock has ever graced our screens to this day (And yes, I will stand and fight for that statement.) One of the most loyal adaptations of the books ever made.

Poirot, staring David Suchet. No offence to Kenneth Branagh (Your Henry V got me through high-school English lit sir). But David Suchet is THE Prirot for me. Another loyal book adaptation. Over a 25 year period Suchet lived and breathed Poirot and it shows.

If anyone's got any other recommendations please feel free to add them on. I know I've missed a ton! Anywho, I hope that helps me dear. 😁

[haveyouseenthisseries-poll]

Have you seen Vera (2011-2025)?

Yes

Partially

No, but I've heard of it

Never heard of it

Voting ended onJun 26, 2024

[mrbookboy]

Final Vera episode! No im not bawling inside, you are

Random thoughts below

Honestly it was a pretty 1:1 conversion of the book, usually in the adaptation episodes they shift a few things around but this was really close

The scenes with H*ector and young Vera were masterful, the ratio shifts and transfer cuts made me gasp

Also that scene with her desk in the field was incredible

The scenery was incredible, Northumbria has rocketed to the top of my travel bucket list

Was not expecting the dog, but honestly I kinda love that for her

Kenny fucking ruled in this episode, kinda the heart of the team

Okay some more nitpicky things below, mostly personal things

Mark Mark Mark in my heart you are the DS, I don’t need canon to prove it

Kenny should have had a joke about this being the second time he’s almost died on a case (On Harbour Street)

Steph you’re great, I know you’re new but you’re just as incredible as Holly, Bethany, Shep, Helen, and Jac

The pacing compared to the book was a bit rushed, understandable but I think they could have cut a few things like that first awkward briefing

Also I neeeeeeeeed to find out whether Vera retired or took the Superintendency, both are good options for her but it affects my post-show mental fanfiction

Final thought: no mention of Aiden? Like at all? He was there way longer than Joe, you could have at least had a letter from him or a one-sided call or something, he deserved a call-out at least

Alright that was great! I’ll see you guys next week for the wrap-up special, hopefully we get some more canon crumbs but if not no biggie (I say, lying)

[sapphicmontague]

When you find a show that you love so much it consumes you, but it's small and dead so you've read all the fanfic and watched the edits already.