Dickensian

[EElisavetaOfBelsornia]

Anyone else watching? I am really enjoying it, and have either read more Dickens than I realised, or at least the right books.
I had always imagined Little Nell to be a bit younger though.

[BramblePie]

I did.!Was happy to see a second episode tonight as well. Think I will really enjoy it :)

[EElisavetaOfBelsornia]

Hello Bramble!

It's quite poignant seeing Miss Havisham and Lady Dedlock as young women, before tragedy strikes.

[MorrisZapp]

Ooh is the redhead Lady Dedlock? Amelia H is so lovely, I can't bear to think of her future.

It's coming together nicely, but at present there are too many grizzled old men for my liking. Not sure yet who they all are! The Cratchits are fab.

[Pipestheghost]

Yes, very interesting to see Miss H and Lady D as young women. I really enjoyed this. I think it will have lots of twists and turns.

[EElisavetaOfBelsornia]

I just checked up on Little Nell and she's 13 so that's fine!

[Justmuddlingalong]

DP and I have very different taste in TV programmes, but we both watched the 1st part in silence. I then watched EE, he went to bed. He got back up to ask what channel it was on so he could watch the 2d part in bed. Have set a series record link. Was a big hit in our house. I really enjoyed it, but as Morris mentioned, many of the men are alike and I struggled with who was who.

[Blerg]

I don't know the details of quite a few of the stories, but am interested to see how much they change the storylines.

[Dipankrispaneven]

The one thing I remember about Little Nell is that I found her intensely irritating. I completely agreed with Oscar Wilde when he said "One must have a heart of stone to read the death of little Nell without laughing." I hope this one is going to be less annoying.

[EElisavetaOfBelsornia]

Blerg I am a bit concerned at Little Nell having one of the Cratchits (I think) as an admirer, where is Kit? Hopefully this is a plot strategy though.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

I love it. Stephen Rea is fantastic as Inspector Bucket.

I did quibble a bit about Nell's admirer being a Cratchit rather than Kit. Also I'd like to have seen The Marchionness and Dick Swiveller from that book.

I'm resisting the temptation to get the books out to see if the chronology works (it must go a bit awry as Sir Lester Dedlock and Bucket will have to be at least 20 years older when their own book happens which would make them very old then)

And who is Fanny Biggetywitch ? I don't remember any character called that.

[Blerg]

I don't know Nell's original storyline but I keep wondering if it would annoy people who really know their Dickens.

I was thinking the geography didn't seem likely to work - even allowing for them moving Great Expectations to London (I think it was in the countryside?), people wouldn't have all been in the same sorts of streets in London and able to eyeball each other knowingly in the regular 'Here are the suspects looking suspicious' panning shot.

But I am enjoying it.

[Gruntfuttock]

I'm thoroughly enjoying it. I was so happy when I first heard about this series. It was like getting a Christmas present from the BBC.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

The geography doesn't work for Satis House which is in Kent in the countryside. They could have got round that by having Amelia and Arthur live in a London town house but having Amelia move to their country house for the wedding.

So far as the actual London locations central London is relatively small and it's not impossible it could all be set in Cheapside and around St. Paul's.

[oneowlgirl]

I'm really enjoying it too - just appreciating it for what it is rather than thinking too deeply or questioning it too much.

[bertiebow]

I'm enjoying it - but it anyone else bothered by the fact that we basically know what happens to most of them already (if you've read the books/seen the adaptations)? Apart from the murder mystery of course!

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Not really. It's interesting to get the back story of The Bleak House and Great Expectations characters.

[EElisavetaOfBelsornia]

Had an interesting discussion with DH. I said it couldn't be any of the well known characters whodunnit, because they have a further story, iyswim. So it couldn't be Bob Cratchit, because he goes on to have a role in A Christmas Carol. Unless whoever it is gets away with it, but that would be an unsatisfactory ending, and diminish the character of Inspector Bucket.

DH says you can't look at it like that, and you just have to see them in this specific context and ignore their back (or forward?) story. So it could be Bill Sykes, he could be caught and hanged in this particular part of fiction, but then return to play his part in Oliver Twist. I think he's probably right, as this gives loads more options for the murderer.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

I agree with you. I don't think the intention is to alter any characters' main story.

Perhaps the murderer is Sykes, which Bucket will find out, but without sufficient evidence to take it to court.

I'm a bit disappointed the story has gone the way of accusing Cratchit. That diminishes Buckett more (nicking an innocent man) than correctly identifying Sykes (if Sykes it is) but not being able to prove it. Unless the conceit is that Cratchit is not what we think he is !

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

SPOILER ALERT





From episode 9 synopsis



"Edward Barbary comes into the sights of Inspector Bucket."

Now that makes sense - Buckett would probably have a fair chance of getting Sykes to trial if it were Sykes but Barbary is a gentleman. He'd find getting Barbary charged and convicted far more difficult. Although I don't think Bleak House tells us much about Lady Dedlock's father so it would not spoil an existing plot for him to be the murderer.

[MorrisZapp]

Was there a whiff of homoerotica on tonight's ep? Not sure if I misinterpreted it.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Hmm - are you suggesting the reason for Arthur's disinheritance is his father discovered he may have had what might then have been termed "ungentlemanly tendencies"?

And Compeyson is playing on that?

[ppeatfruit]

I was influenced by a bad crit. somewhere and haven't watched, so does anyone reckon it's good?

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

It's very good. You don't need to know that books to follow it but you probably will get more out of it if you do.

[LassWiTheDelicateAir]

Cratchit is a much better character here than in the book. He's a believable good person rather than a just a plot device.

[Fairiesarereal]

I'm really loving it. I've only read a few of the books so feel like I want to read the others before the next episode starts