Indian Summers

Indian Summers comes close to achieving that Nirvana [1984's The Jewel in the Crown]. [21-27 Sept 2015, p.16]

There is a lot to love about Masterpiece: Indian Summers on PBS. The nine-part historical drama is beautifully shot and costumed, culturally inclusive and sensual. But the best part about the soapy series is star Julie Walters.

Pleasingly, Indian Summers never feels overstuffed, just exceedingly generous in the way it approaches the disparate people and situations portrayed.

Though the circumstances demand a higher degree of brutality than in "Downton," the coming revolution is often used simply as a backdrop for romance, and this becomes, at times, a bit silly. Fortunately, Cynthia can be found around most every corner, and it's a star turn for Walters.

At first, the story lines are fragmented and listless. It all seems muddled. And then, at some point in episode three or four, when the characters and their story lines finally cohere, when the themes of impossible love and social rebellion begin to connect emotionally, Indian Summers becomes a formidable and thoroughly addictive narrative.

After a slowish start, it's proving addictive.

Picturesque, wonderfully soapy and set against a rich historical backdrop of British colonialism in the 1930s, the series builds in intensity over its nine episodes, the main drawback being that it doesn’t end so much as run out of time.

For those of us who thrilled to “The Jewel in the Crown,” the latest PBS “Masterpiece” saga, Indian Summers, will scratch the same itch. As the Brits enjoy high tea on the subcontinent, the colors are so vivid, the characters so rich, the period piece so faithfully depicted, you can practically smell the Punjabi spices.

Created and written by Paul Rutman, Indian Summers looks fantastic. It’s not involving enough in its first two episodes but begins to coalesce more in a third installment.

Indian Summers lacks the thing that makes “Downton” irresistible despite its sometimes irritatingly muddled storytelling: Julian Fellowes’s ability to create an endless roster of distinctive, quirky characters (and the show’s ability to find actors to match them). Mr. Rutman’s people are more off-the-shelf, but he keeps them moving and orchestrates their predictable perils and heartbreaks with some panache.

Indian Summers, created and written by Paul Rutman, is great to look at, and intriguing, but the storytelling is so deliberately opaque that the plot is hard to follow.

It takes at least five episodes for Indian Summers to gain a steady momentum, which detracts from its merits, which are seen in its acting, production values and notably adult sensibilities.