Ruth Rendell Mysteries (TV Series) May and June: Part One (1997) User Reviews

Captivating battle of sibling rivalry.

[teachermarkthailand · 7/10 · 11 October 2019]

Two sisters with life long rivalries and resentments battle over men, resulting in a fatal outcome. This two part drama from 1997 has skillfully avoided the usual dated TV productions of that era, so it's still an entertaining tale to watch, even today.

Despite not being a 'mystery', there's still much to like. The actors look like they are having fun with their menacing roles. The early flashbacks are appropriate and not annoying. The story is uncomplicated and winds up nicely. Great rainy day telly!

Jealousy at its very blackest.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 7 November 2019]

May returns to her sister June, who's recently widowed. June is glamorous, popular and beautiful, May is vinegary, stern and cold. The pair are total opposites.

I loved it, typical quality of character and story associated with Ruth Rendell, plenty of depth. You can see the manipulation from the very beginning.

The production values are terrific, it defies the time frame, 1997 was hardly a golden era, but it looks superb. The way they trawl back through the years, amazingly well, looking superb.

Christine Kavanagh and Phoebe Nicholls are awesome as feuding sisters May and June. Kavanagh is so elegant and feminine, she looks a picture. Nicholls steals it for me however, she's so sour, but so strong, she steals the scenes.

A slow start, but a commendable middle and ending.

[Andrew Hopper · 9/10 · 22 December 2001]

This film had a reasonably slow start, but soon developed into a thriller that of commendable quality. The acting is very good and the story line is excellent, proving to be exceptional. Having two sisters in the film gives it a mild twist.

Jill Tumbles Down

[tedg · 25 March 2008]

Once a writer sends her stuff into the world, there's only so much control she has. Selling film rights might best be done with regard to how they will be handled, and not just in trade for a peerage.

That's because they will suffer a fate like this.

Rendell is one of the few writers who understands mystery, and who has helped reinvent the genre for modern tastes, including the cinematic vocabulary in literature. She's actually pretty good. But what she did was sell the rights to all her works in one package, which has then been sold to the public as Ruth Rendell Mysteries.

Well, this little story is not a mystery. Not close. It may have been an interesting read. I haven't read it, but can well imagine how she handled the internals of these characters. The producers have a hungry beast to feed, however — that nasty time slot of a fixed length that needs to be filled every week.

So they stretch this thing, reshaping it in the process to something rather unwatchable. The only thing that can be said is that the story makes sense. That's rare for TeeVee, but hardly enough for anyone to waste time with this.

Ted's Evaluation -- 1 of 3: You can find something better to do with this part of your life.

May and June: Part One

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 31 October 2022]

There is no mystery in the first part of May and June.

A story of two sisters. June (Christine Kavanagh) is younger and glamorous. She is recently widowed after the death of her husband.

May (Phoebe Nicholls) is bitter and angry. She was always jealous of June from the moment her younger sister was born.

Flashback shows the discontent May showed towards June. Even placing her sister in peril. Much to the annoyance of their parents.

The resentment increased as June stole May's man. The man she married and recently lost.

This comes across like a psychological thriller. May is brittle and as June has asked May to move in with her.

Maybe revenge is on May's mind. However there is not getting away with the staid pace of the first episode.