Sharpe's Justice (1997)

While there is - sadly - a great deal of reality to this episode, those who have followed the Sharpe story up to this point might perhaps give a moment's thought to whether they really want to go down this road - with all the change of scene and change of mood it entails! This is a complex and challenging "peacetime" episode in which the return of Sharpe and Harper to England proves as much of a disappointment for them as it does for those watching. Just as after the First World War just a century later, returning soldiers are stunned to find that - awful though things may have been on the battlefield, life there had a certain raw simplicity to it. Back home, things are more complex (in relations with people but also as regards what's right and what's wrong), and this all the more the case for returning soldiers trying somehow to fit in and not even quite sure if the fight was worth it. To be honest, though very thought-provoking, it all leaves quite a bitter taste, even if the worst potential consequences are avoided by the time the final credits role...

I am a huge fan of the Sharpe's series, and Sean Bean in general. I regularly watch the Sharpe's series in succession, and enjoy them all. However, I find the plot to this episode a bit contrived and overdone. (I watch it, because it isn't terrible and is part of a great series, but it is my least favorite.) I groan every time it's revealed that Truman is Sharpe's half brother. I mean, come on... The way his mother was sleeping around, he probably has ten siblings running around the countryside. Not to mention it's the oldest trick in the "melodrama" book. And then, to make the groan-factor that much higher, just when he finds out that Truman is his brother, Truman goes and gets himself shot. You can just hear me rolling my eyes, I'm sure.Ironically, my second to least favorite is Sharpe's Regiment, the only other episode set in England instead of France or Spain. Hmm... Could it be a trend? At least Sharpe's Challenge is set in India and not a retired Sharpe sitting at home twiddling his thumbs and pining over his whore of an ex-wife.

A nonsensical plot about evil Mill Owners in Yorkshire made worse by some contrived rubbish about a long-lost brother. The series had already gone into a huge decline after the excellent first and second seasons but hits rock bottom here.Avoid - at all costs.

This episode although perhaps not the usual swashbuckle,has an added interest for me,as much of the filming took place in my home village of Helmshore.The riot scene was filmed in and around the Helmshore Textile Museum,with the crew setting up on the adjacent carpark,much to the interest of the staff of the nearby Airtours Travel offices.Filming took place for about a week in the month of November. Anyone wishing to see the location can find it on the following website.http://members.xoom.com/zoomer101/HELMSHORE_BULL