Mr Selfridge

[desperatehousewife21]

Anyone watching? Looked for a thread but couldn't find one.

Can't stand those twins!! Gah!

[desperatehousewife21]

Anyyyyone?!

[AnnoyedByAlfieBear]

Me!

The Selfridge children (especially Gordon) annoy me as they still look young but should have aged about 10 years since last series. And the fake American accents!

[desperatehousewife21]

Gordon's moustache is not working for me and he suddenly has 2 children who look at least 8/10yo and he still looks 18!!

No the American accents are bad, why couldn't they have real American girls playing his daughters!? They sit there all prim and proper and then come out with these 'posh' american accents- not good!

His poor ma though

[AnnoyedByAlfieBear]

I know! I wasn't expecting that, but she must have been old to have 9/10 year old great grand children.
And yes about Gordon's moustache! I thought they had better ageing techniques in to and film now days.

[OnlyLovers]

I like the twins.

How come Gordon speaks with an English accent but the daughters with bad American ones?

Gordon is so stiff and self-conscious. Is it the actor, or is the character meant to be like that?

This series is a bit meh so far. Mae seems to be getting her mojo back though, thank God. And I do like Samuel West, alhough there's not been much of him yet.

[magicstar1]

I'm not liking the new season so far. Harry should be in his 70's by now, and they haven't even tried to age him. The Dolly sisters are a joke, and Gordon still looks like a little boy. I hope it gets better.

[desperatehousewife21]

I think Gordon has an English accent because he went to boarding school in England but the girls didn't? Something along those lines!

[Movingonmymind]

It's remarkably grip-free ,Such a ahame when first series was so engaging. Agree with dodgy American accents, is he the only genuine one they can afford?

[desperatehousewife21]

Most likely I liked his wife too it's a shame she had to die, I'm assuming she did in RL which is why she died in the series?

I like Mr Crabb though

[lorelei9]

I must admit, I missed any mention of Mrs Crabb dying, in fact I thought she sent something to Mr Grove!

Yes, Harry doesn't look 70 but I didn't think Alan Rickman looked his age! My dad was quite youthful looking at 70 too.

I thought Gordon has a British accent because he was at school in London and the girls were schooled in Chicago mostly? Ages since I read the book but think that's why.

I think the series is going well and I love the way they've put in a childfree storyline. I also liked that Miss Mardle wouldn't take on five children, it would have been unrealistic for her to do that and I thought, at the end of season 3, that they were going to saddle her with that. Mr Grove isn't good enough for her anyway.

I hear they are going for accuracy with Harry's life so it's going to be a sad series but of course, no point lying about it.

I did love it when Jimmy Dillon said that when he was little, he thought a prince must live in Selfridges! And when Kitty says to Frank "she invented astringent, if it wasn't for her we'd still be washing our faces with soap" and he says "I still wash my face with soap" and looks in the mirror anxiously. Made me lol.

[desperatehousewife21]

I'm glad they're going for accuracy because it's interesting to find out what happened in the real Harry Selfridge's life.

[lorelei9]

Desperate, I really recommend the Lindy Woodhead book. Like Harry himself, it teaches you loads about loads!

[Hamiltoes]

I loved the first series and its got gradually less good as each one goes by.

I wish they'd got a new actor in to play Gordon. I think the girls could almost get away with it but Gordon looks like a 17 year old.

Hoping they bring Henri back, and Agnes too. Henri was one of the best things about the first series, I really hope he gets better in france(?) and comes back full of his old self!

[lorelei9]

Isn't Gordon meant to be about 26? not sure how old the actor is.

I would be surprised if Agnes and Henri return tbh.

I think the seasons have got darker rather than less good. I thought Season 3 was really good and I enjoyed watching Victor run the club and all the issues that came up.

Main thing I like about Mr Selfridge, I don't find it run of the mill. And it doesn't seem so determined to portray women as pointless princesses - I am finding period drama hard to watch these days because there is so much of that. Obviously women didn't have much of a role, but some of these dramas make it appear as though they had less than they did IYSWIM.

[lorelei9]

Just caught up with last night's ep
Thought it was poor all round, structure, dialogue...and sone of the acting but that might be down to direction?
Then I saw Jeremy on Twitter saying he is particularly proud of that episode
Wondering if I missed something

[OnlyLovers]

Hamiltoes, I agree but I doubt Henri will come back. Gregory Fitoussi seems to be pretty busy with other things. Have you seen Spin? He's HAWT in that.

[Excited101]

I've only seen 2 episodes of the new series so far. I've decided that I really really don't like Mr Selfridge (Harry). I've ummed and ahhed about it all the way through but I really dislike him. Are we meant to like him? He just irritates me, not in a 'love to hate' way, just in an annoyed way.

I love the new sewing machine girl, are the negative attitudes towards her because she's black? What were the attitudes at that time? Or just because she was shy, got on with her work and was seen as a bit of a teacher's pet?

But yes, there are some incredibly weird accents going on. What's with Violets's (turned up unexpectedly at the big country house). She's a pretty well known actress too, terrible accent.

[lorelei9]

no, I don't think they are setting up Harry so that you should like him, but I think they are being honest.

I do like him but it's up to the individual. only thing I don't like is his pathetic need for constant romantic relationships.

I nearly posted but I thought everyone had lost interest....some major let downs in the last couple of episodes, not quite as bad as I feared at one point but even so....if you aren't up to date, I won't do spoilers.

[OnlyLovers]

Ooooh do share your thoughts, lorelei! (by PM if necessary).

I'm really enjoying this series now. I love Mae, and Kitty.

[desperatehousewife21]

Love Kitty too but for some reason can't warm to Mr Grove's daughter who works at the store now, can't think of her name. I was happy that he married Josie but she comes across really fake now!?

[OnlyLovers]

No, I don't like Grove's daughter either. (Meryl?) I think she seems snide and untrustworthy. [irrational]

Mind you, I've never liked Grove either and still don't, even though POSSIBLE SPOILER
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he's about to die and we're supposed to be sympathetic.

[lorelei9]

random point - the person upthread who said Mrs Crabb was dead - she isn't, she was in the episode last week. I wonder if they got her confused with Mrs Grove but that actress - happily - is also alive and well, so I'm baffled by what that poster meant.

okay, SPOILERS....will leave a big gap so you can not see them if you don't want to....








look it's a big gap







okay, things that have pissed me off

1. having treated Miss Mardle like shite for years, Grove proposes to her and we're supposed to see it as a happy thing they are getting married!! Good grief, she always deserved better and not only that, she said she didn't want children and now she's saddled with the entire flipping brood, double because he'll be dead!
   
   
2. Frank and Kitty - bad enough that Kitty even considered having a baby to please him - though I suppose childfree women everywhere should be grateful a show bothered to look at the issue at all (eyeroll). So, would have been much happier if Kitty had just left for New York and put her career above he r marriage, but no, we have to have Frank having a ONS - doesn't do men much credit with the whole "men can't help it" crap - and then she goes because of it, but forgives him at the last minute? Kitty should have been having a whole new life in NY, and divorcing Frank.
   
   it would have been a much better storyline and fairer to Kitty's strength of character, if she just said "my career is vital - I'm going to New York". It all felt like a crappy overthought compromise.
   
   overall the message this season, with Harry's own pathetic streak, is that "single is a terrible option". Very sad. Miss Mardle, Kitty, they could have been happy alone. Harry, I get - they have to base him on the real man - but not the others.
   
   also thought the scene with Jimmy and Victor was well set up, but the execution of the final moment didn't work, which was a pity. There's a great sense of stuff being half baked this season? I could be wrong but I don't think Andrew Davies has written for them at all this season, which may explain why the writing seems so poor in comparison to previous ones.

[OnlyLovers]

I totally agree about Miss Mardle and Grove. I find him utterly without charm or redeeming features and yes, she has settled for the exact life she didn't want!

Frank and Kitty –maybe this is coloured by the fact that I find Sam West so likeable that I find Frank less despicable than I know I should, but I'm OK with them making up because it's on Kitty's terms. I know they had to go through the ONS and Kitty having doubts about staying child-free nonsense, but she IS off to take up her dream job and they will (one assumes) stay happily child-free.

Victor's death was done quite well, I thought, but I found Jimmy running off to his mum's rather odd. He seemed to turn into a weak and needy little boy while he was there. And the actress looked way too young to be his mother.

[lorelei9]

I think Sam West is terrific, but I thought it was a half arsed way of doing things and I also hated how Frank dealt with the Kitty attack situation - more concerned with saving his own reputation etc than finding her attackers.

agree Jimmy's mum looks far too young.

I did like it when Victor said "you don't own a woman like Mae". That was a story that could have been expanded in a very interesting way (if both actors were available of course).

I think the acquiring of Whiteleys was well portrayed. I'm not hating it but I don't think it's up to the usual standard and the fact that it's not in a Sunday night slot is interesting.

I am very curious to know where Kitty and Roger's houses are meant to be - they look like nice areas but they don't seem to be too far from the store...? Roger used to walk to work!

[OnlyLovers]

I remember after Kitty was attacked and the police mentioned banning alcohol, Frank looked horrified and said 'That'd be a bit drastic, wouldn't it?', I shouted at the telly 'Not the time or the place, Frank!'

He is a weak and rather pitiable character, but bless Sam W, I can't totally despise him.

I agree the Victor and Mae storyline seemed to be just getting going. Is the guy who played Victor off to the giddy heights of Hollywood or somewhere, do you think?

I don't know where Kitty and Roger live, but can imagine that a lot of areas close to Selfridges wouldn't have been all that posh or unattainable then. Selfridges itself was considered to be at 'the wrong end of Oxford Street' when it opened, if I remember rightly from an earlier series.