Bletchley Circle Season 1 Review: WWII British Code Breaking Ladies Turn Detectives

Two seasons of "Bletchley Circle" are currently available on Amazon Prime. The first premiered in the UK in 2012 and in the US on PBS in 2013. There's also a 2018 spinoff called 'Bletchley Circle: San Francisco". It's not available for free.

We meet four women-- Susan (Anna Maxwell Martin), Millie (Rachael Stirling who played Nan on "Tipping The Velvet"), Lucy-- who has a photographic memory (Sophie Rundle of "Gentleman Jack" fame), and their boss Jean (Julie Graham). They were part of a secret British code breaking operation in WWII at Bletchley Park. Not even their families know about their pasts.

Historical note: Bletchley Park was the actual headquarters of British code breakers including Alan Turing and is responsible for creating the world's first programmable computer.

Back to the story. It's 1952. The war is over. The women find themselves living normal lives and looking for purpose (and maybe a little excitement). They notice a pattern in a local serial killer's MO. Using their code breaking skills, they narrow down the suspects. The ladies try to give the intel to the police but are brushed off. They are forced to take matters into their own hands.

The case is an interesting one. The killer abducts women (we later learn from a train route), ties them up in a basement and later rapes them after they are dead. Eeek! There are lots of twists and turns (which I wont give away here). What prompts these killings? Will the women become victims themselves?

Grade: 4 1/2 Monsters (out of 5). If you like British historical who dun its, "Bletchley Circle" might be for you I find the characters interesting and I'm a sucker for British murder mysteries. The attention to detail in the sets, costuming and cinematography is top notch. And with just three episodes, season 1 is a super fast watch. My only criticism is that the finale was a fit abrupt. I was hoping for more drama at the end. But I'll let it slide since I enjoyed the rest of the series so much. I'm off to watch season 2.