Must See TV: The Bletchley Circle



I have been eyeing this show for some time now. I put it in my Netflix queue and waited to find out if there would be another season of it soon (and there is!). It is currently on streamline for US residents using Netflix. Last night I took a leap into the UK pool of fantastic shows and three hours later I consumed it all (2 a.m. to be exact)!  Afterwards, I took a deep breathe and just felt wowed. My husband was even glued to the screen!

Season One focuses on the lives of four women who were friends during WWII and worked at what is now known as Bletchley Park. It was an area during WWII where women worked to decipher codes in the hopes that it could aid the allies during the war.

We follow Susan Gray (who is good with patterns) from a desk job at Bletchley to knitting quietly in her domesticated home (set nine years after Bletchley). It really struck a cord with me because I having had a career and moving on into becoming  a stay at home mother/housewife, it can prove to be a challenging adjustment. I have seen both worlds and thank goodness for the internet and Amazon, I am able to feed my brain and keep myself active and creative.

But in 1952, we see Susan content but not fulfilled with her work as a wife and mother. Susan is highly intelligent and she is unable to keep her mind stimulated as it once was. After watching the beginning of the first episode, I felt very happy not to be in that decade because well women had to answer to their spouses and they didn't have many options. I felt connected to the show and its characters immediately.

Things start taking a turn when we hear about a murder of a young woman on the radio and then see Susan hiding papers forming a pattern behind her vanity mirror. She hits a snag and eventually recruits Millie (her dearest friend from the war days), Lucy (who has a photographic memory), and Jean (who was in charge of the girls from Bletchley).

Each uses their skills and talents and viable intelligence to attempt to uncover who the murderer is. Why do they do this? They were realistic about the dangers and skeptical at first but between another disappearance and the police unwilling to listen to the information Susan had, they take it upon themselves over and over so they can help save another life. You see each woman's struggles to do their part for the group while still managing jobs and spouses and children. I found that refreshing and very realistic and appreciated the writers efforts to make these women as authentic as possible.

The toughest parts for me to watch were seeing how some men were with women and how difficult it was to be an intelligent woman in a male dominated society. I even started throwing comments to the tv after a while. How could a man not think anything more of a women other than a sex object or a housewife who bakes all day. Ugh. That's a whole other topic!

I love the message that Millie always reminds Susan of, to never be ordinary. Through trials and great sacrifice these women succeed in various ways that I won't share on here so you can discover them for yourself. I will say this, how neat was it to see our very own vintage sista Fleur de Guerre's image within the first season. I was happily surprised and thought it was so neat. I won't tell you who or what about Fleur's involvement but if you must see it you can look HERE.

This is such a great show. You can really get wrapped up in the characters and the mystery. A definite must see.

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15 comments :

  1. I caught this on tv one afternoon and was instantly in love with it! (I am so with you on the wanting everyone's clothes-especially Millie's) I can't wait for the next part to come out and am very happy to see we get not just three, but FOUR episodes this time, which will hopefully mean an ending that isn't as rushed.

    And, oh my goodness, how in the world did I miss that was Fleur!!!! I've watched it twice now and both times I thought 'why does that person picture look so familar?', haha. :)

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  2. I'm currently watching season 2 in the UK & I can say it's just as good! Love looking at the outfits & props :)

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  3. I'm so glad you enjoyed this! I can't wait for the 2nd series!

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  4. i'm glat about the movies and series you share with us, i dont know The Bletchley Circle

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  5. I haven't watched this. I'll have to put it in my Netflix list. Looks awesome!

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  6. Oh, how I'm hoping that Netflix will bring this series in! (And all the more so now that we no longer have cable.) It's definitely the kind of series both Tony and I would really enjoy watching (we love period series such as Mad Men and Masters of Sex), and I can't help but think as well how it fills a bit of a void now that Bomb Girls is, unfortunately, no more.

    ♥ Jessica

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  7. I LOVE this series. I caught it by accident when it came on PBS the first time around... and spent most of the time watching it, drooling over the jumpers and cardigans of the ladies :)
    I was ecstatic when my aunt told me it had just started season two. Can't wait to see it!

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    1. P.S. I think I must be blind... I totally did not realise it was Fleur. But yes, like Inky, I wondered why she looked so familiar :D

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  8. I sleuthed the Fleur connection a while back. That image is very striking.

    Join The Bletchley Circle fans at fanpage The Bletchley Circle Watchers (TBCW). There's LOTS of posts about the fab vintage angle, especially in the older posts, and more sure to come, I promise. URL https://www.facebook.com/TheBletchleyCircleWatchers

    Find the fanpage online @ www.facebook.com/TheBletchleyCircleWatchers and follow TBCW tweets via hashtag #TBCW on Twitter.

    The last episode of series 2 is on tomorrow night in UK, and we'll count down to the US/Canada airing this April on PBS. North American fans are excited!

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  9. I had put this in my Netflix queue a while back but havent gotten around to watching it yet. I think it is on tonight's agenda now!

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  10. I LOVE Bletchley Circle!! I cannot wait for the second series!! I watched it on my iPad during a storm while we were in Venice, and it was crazy intense. Edge of my seat! Great show!!
    ~xoxo, CoriLynn

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  11. I just discovered this wonderful series only to learn there will NOT be a season 3! Boo, hoo...ITV cancels a smart, clever series for what reasons? Enjoyed the first series and now watching season 2 on PBS in USA.

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    1. Nooooooooooooooooo say it an't so!!??? Ughhhh I am watching Season Two on PBS as well...oh I am so bummed! Thanks for letting me know! xox

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    2. Sign the petition, share the info/post, contact ITV to continue The #Bletchley Circle series:

      https://www.facebook.com/TheBletchleyCircleWatchers/posts/458199924323732ny

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