Tonight's TV: The Indian Doctor - Series 2 (2012) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Last fall I watched the first season of THE INDIAN DOCTOR (2010-2013), a three-season British TV series released on Blu-ray by Kino Lorber.

Set in 1960s Wales, the series concerns the title doctor, Prem Sharma (Sanjeev Bhaskar), and his wife Kamini (Ayesha Dharker). Having recently experienced the death of their young daughter, the couple decide to relocate from India to a small Welsh village, with Dr. Sharma working for the National Health Service.

I really enjoyed Season 1, reviewed here, particularly Dharker's complex performance as the doctor's brainy, lonely wife. Kamini eventually takes Dan (Jacob Oakley), the young son of the town drunk (Ifan Huw Daffyd), under her wing and begins to find meaning in her new life.

In Season 2 Kamini's mother Pushpa (Indira Joshi) arrives in Wales for an extended visit. Shortly after she arrives, Dr. Sharma finds himself dealing with the unthinkable, a smallpox epidemic. And the first to be stricken is Dan, who now has his own room in the Sharmas' home, while also spending time with his father.

It was quite something to watch a show filmed a decade or so ago which bore so much relevance to the world we've been living in the last couple of years, with Dr. Sharma admonishing the villagers to stay six feet apart and stay home. It certainly "hits" differently watching it now than it would have when it first aired.

Bhaskar and Dharker are excellent as multilayered, interesting characters, though I wish the writers would give up the crutch of having their important conversations interrupted by medical emergencies.

Joshi is also very interesting as someone who is much more than the stereotypical meddling mother-in-law; she has a particularly great moment jumping into action during the epidemic, as she's one of the only people in town who's been previously vaccinated against smallpox.

I do find it a bit odd, given how well-written the lead characters are, that they're pitted against cartoon villains. In Season 1 the villain was big business, in the form of a crooked mine manager who didn't look out for the miners' health; in Season 2 the villain is a mentally disturbed minister (Mark Heap). The vaccine team from NHS, a battling husband and wife, are also rather ridiculous.

On the flip side, there's a nice subplot about widowed pub owner Megan (Mali Harries); she and Dr. Sharma share an (almost) unspoken attraction, yet he remains committed to Kamini, while Megan is courted by Emlyn (Alun ap Brinly), the local police sergeant.

In the end, the show is flawed yet quite worthwhile. I'm very glad to have become acquainted with it and look forward to Season 3, which I'll be reviewing at a future date.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray set.

Tweet