Jonathan Creek: The Clue of the Savant's Thumb

*Possible Spoilers*

I recently re-watched every episode of Jonathan Creek, and it was great! Of course, it was a little strange watching every episode back-to-back, considering they went through three different female sidekicks throughout the series. I could never decide which woman I preferred. Caroline Quentin's Maddy was...well, mean. She did have her moments, didn't she? Still, there was something I liked about her, and the earlier episodes in particular. It was weird when she suddenly wasn't there. I assume she left to do 'Blue Murder' instead, which I never got into. Then came Julia Sawalha, who I love. Her character, Carla, was also rather mean at times, but I liked her. And lastly, Sheridan Smith's Joey came along as Jonathan's last sidekick. She's the only one he didn't have any sexual or romantic chemistry with, the only time neither were interested in each other. Heck, she didn't even seem to like him as a person that much. I was never that fond of her, although I actually liked that she wasn't secretly gaga over Jonathan, and she was smart (although she had her dumb moments). I could never get into the fact that she's always dressed like a hooker, which is simply impractical for the kind of work she does. You do not stalk a suspect in high heels (loud high heels, at that) and a mini skirt. Nein!

Anyway, Joey is back for this Jonathan Creek special. It's been a few years since she's seen Jonathan, and in that time, he has done the unthinkable and gotten married. His wife "rescued" him from his life of magic tricks, crime-solving, and living in that fantastic windmill. Oh, I do miss that windmill. What a heartless woman! But I do like Sarah Alexander. Coupling, anyone? Oooh, and a random episode of Red Dwarf!

Ahem, okay, so Jonathan is tempted back into a life of crime-solving after a man he has recently met is murdered and his body disappears from a locked room. Joanna Lumley plays the man's wife (love her!). I was disappointed with this episode, however. It wasn't the storyline, which was good and perfectly Creek-esque. The problem is that it felt like neither the old Jonathan Creek nor a new and improved Jonathan Creek, rather a married, boring Jonathan Creek who's been neutralized and made to think that his life before was somehow wrong. Could have been better.

My grade: B-