TV Review: The Bletchley Circle Season 2 (2014)

The Bletchley Circle Season 2 created and written by Guy Burt

The second season of Bletchley Circle has two two-part stories (so four 44-minute episodes). In the first story ("Blood on Their Hands") one of the other women from Bletchley has been convicted of murder and is about to be hanged. The weird thing is she mounted no legal defense at all. Also the victim is a former lover from Bletchley, a famous scientist. The ladies are on the case, though Susan is reluctant, seeing how she was almost killed last season. They promise not to get so involved this time. That falls through pretty quickly, creating interpersonal tension along with the investigative tension.

In the second story ("Uncustomed Goods"), Millie's sideline work selling black market goods has become her main source of income. Unfortunately, her supplier has been playing fast and loose with the money leading both of them into hot water with the Maltese "importers" he's been scamming. They are taken to a secret hotel where Marta, the head of Maltese smugglers, interrogates them. Millie finds out they are importing more than booze, smokes, and perfume--families are paying to smuggle their daughters out from behind the Iron Curtain. Marta promises to set the daughters up with good jobs, but it's clear they are sold as sex slaves. The rest of the Circle try to find out what happened to Millie but as usual the police are not very responsive. So they get to work. Can they get Millie out and bust up the smuggling and sex trafficking ring?

Both stories are good though I found the first story better. The villain in the second story, Marta, was just okay, making the story less compelling. Also, adding a new character in the first story made that character more dramatically expendable; I never thought Millie in the second story would ever not get out of the bad situation. While not as great as the first series, these stories are still good, solid dramas.