Being surrounded by a team of professionals, she relentlessly penetrates through crime scenes like an obsessed fox hound sniffing out every clue and hidden scent of her prey. Her handsome colleague is grounded family man, Detective Sergeant Joe Ashworth (David Leon, RocknRolla), eagerly awaiting and responding to her next command, while Detective Constable Kenny Lockhart (Jon Morrison, High Times) offers a pinch of comic relief, and forensic pathologist Billy Cartwright (Paul Ritter, The Eagle) adds diversion to their boss' obsessive personality.
Vera: Set 3 has all the mystery and moodiness of northeast England, and glides you through the picturesque landscape of rolling hills, castle ruins, English pubs, and isolated homes and hearts. Loneliness seems to settle on the countryside like a dense fog as is evidenced in the isolated residence of our leading DCI Stanhope. Driven by her own demons to find justice and truth, her mind is constantly searching for that missing piece to the puzzle -- that one hope that will close the case with the permanent stamp of righteousness.
Vera: Set 3 explores the complexity of our determined official as she confronts the horror of death and the emotions of loved ones while unraveling secrets that will forge her onto the path she has chosen to perform. Four feature-length, character-driven crime dramas of quality performances and technical details will keep you trying to read our brilliant Vera's mind as she calculates clues and makes conclusions based on the thought and intention of a murderer. Guest appearances in these four new feature-length dramas include Saskia Reeves (Luther), Dean Andrews (Life on Mars), and Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones). Text Interviews with Blethyn and Leon are presented along with a behind-the-scenes Photo Gallery for the series' bonus. The viewer is cautioned that the show is for mature audiences and may present scenes unsuitable for younger children.
Set 3 of Vera does not disappoint. The four stories are brilliantly written and keep you guessing to the end. Castles in the Air is the first episode where three girls look forward to an entertaining weekend in the country. However, the frivolity is interrupted when one of the girls is murdered by an unseen assailant. Steady and prodding investigation by the Northumberland police duo, Vera Stanhope and DS Joe Ashworth, reveal a twisted series of events that unmasks the motive and murderer. Sonya Cassidy (The Paradise) appears as Joe's concerned wife while he struggles with a secret issue, as Vera maternally contemplates an opportunity to assist.
Poster Child, the second episode in Vera: Set 3, begins with a brutal murder and kidnapping that unfolds a story of war, rescue and hope. Saskia Reeves (Luther) plays the desperate mother of the two kidnapped children, racing against time to medicate a diabetic daughter. This mystery unravels to an unfortunate ending that reveals a naïve and unsuspecting participant.
Episode Three, Young Gods, surprises campers enjoying an evening together when, across from their site, comes screams as a man emblazoned in fire jumps to his death in the waters below. Multiple motives are revealed for Vera and Joe to sort out, while new member Shep (Clare Calbraith, Downton Abbey) joins the team.
Vera's last episode, Prodigal Son, has the police duo sorting out the identity of a man who has been fatally stabbed outside a pub while awaiting an attractive young woman to join him. The mystery leads to his family and their past and takes some unexpected turns back to a young renewed love struggling toward a bright future. Guest stars Christine Bottomley (Hope Springs), Ralph Ineson (Harry Potter), and Liam Cunningham (Game of Thrones).
True to the British enigma, Vera: Set 3 boasts of superb acting, intense and captivating writing, and alluring music in this superbly entertaining series played against a picturesque and intriguing background. Most importantly, the characters are real people that speak to our own very natures, with pure hearts, determined spirits, understanding sensitivities, and a desire to bring help and closure to a loathsome and distressing circumstance. Good news to viewers is that Set 4 will be coming in the future!
