Season 20 - Summer's Lease (1990-1991)
If there's one book my Mom pushed more than any other over the years it was Summer's Lease by John Mortimer. When I was growing up my Dad didn't have time to read so I remember every single business trip he had to take my Mom would sneak this book into his luggage in the hope he'd finally read it. I have yet to confirm with him, but I do believe he did finally read it... or at least he said he did. OK, I checked, he did read it but says he remembers more about the miniseries than the book, and that's all down to John Gielgud. Because the truth of it is this miniseries exists for one reason and one reason only, and that was for John Gielgud to get an Emmy so that he became an EGOT. That's it. And in fact, in my opinion, there could have been more John Gielgud. The book and therefore the miniseries as well, is about a mystery loving mother who's feeling stifled and whisks her family, including her father played by John Gielgud, off to Italy for their summer vacation so she can see some art by Piero della Francesca. The mother becomes obsessed with their absent landlord. When the agent who let the house to them dies under mysterious circumstances, she becomes obsessed with getting to the bottom of the mysteries their summer rental has put at her feet. Needless to say it's her meddling that has catastrophic results, which is why my mother likes the story so much. If things had been left alone nothing would have happened... So it's not really a whodunit more a story of cause and effect which was totally preventable. Personally I found the whole series kind of depressing. When the highlight of a miniseries set in Italy is the bad charades performance by a very young Gabrielle Anwar, you know you have issues. But this is why this miniseries is the perfect show to watch right now. Summer's Lease somehow makes Italy look bleak! It makes Italy depressing. It makes you never, in your life, want to go to Italy. And right now, as we're all still trapped indoors hoping the vaccine does some good so that one day we'll have vacations again, watch this so at least for the moment you won't feel like you're missing out!
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