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Marchland

507 replies

dmo · 17/02/2011 09:44

i am so sad need something else in my life but i am so excited about tonight

been off work with flu for the past 10 days and just feeling human again so watched marchlands on catch up twice just to get the story in my head

happy watching Grin

OP posts:
runnyhabbit · 26/02/2011 20:02

Curiousmama - I was wondering why he looked familiarGrin The whole look, I think though.

I really hope the ending isn't disappointing.

As for the characters - I agree that mil is a battleaxe, but good at playing the part. Loving Olive, both of them. The character I'm warming to the most is the fil. It's so obvious that he knows something, but can't/won't bring himself to tell anyone.

cjbk1 · 26/02/2011 20:15

i quite like her style tho,its casual but sexy in a 80's way, maybe i should go for that?no hair straightning, lots of denim, pink bra's, hair bands,little jewelery?sounds great for me lol

florencepink · 26/02/2011 21:47

i thought that hippychick about the two olives, scarily similar looking. Well my theory...(although not sure of the motive) is that somehow Alice and Olive were mixed up somehow at time of death? as in the episode where the grandad goes down to the pond to identify body he looks really taken aback when they reveal her face! although obviously i know that would in itself be shocking but i just got the feeling he himself was not expecting what he saw????

daisymaybe · 26/02/2011 22:04

I don't think ghost Alice wants to hurt baby Alice. When she turned on the taps to steam up the bathroom so that she could write a message to Ruth, she turned the sink taps on first so that Ruth would have time to get baby Alice out of the bath. She rocks her basket and opens the music box to sooth her. Super creepy but not malevolent.

I have to close my eyes for the bits where you see her, so scary. Something definitely up with Olive Runcie's paternity, these dramas don't do anything by accident.

I think that the necklace might be quite significant. With the coat, you might take it off because you were hot or because it had come off in a struggle. The necklace on the other hand would be too precious to take off for play, and the chain was in tact so it can't have come off in a struggle. I think it means that someone who cared about her was there when she died, they took it as a memento or for safe keeping. The fact that they put it on her headstone for Ruth to find means that they carried on caring.

Possible that Olive and Alice were half sisters - they're made to look very similar as young girls. Olive's mum would have to be protecting someone to burn the duffel coat. Either herself (maybe because she was angry that Olive had been left fatherless while Alice hadn't,) Olive (a terrible accident/ confusion,) or an unknown lover or relative (Alice saw something she shouldn't have.)

Not that I've thought about this at all.

Doobydoo · 26/02/2011 22:42

Ooo,Good thread.I can't wait for last episode it is driving me mad.Grin
Haven't read it all yet so apologies if this already done but the ASKOR was driving me maaaad.Then when I was putting ds2 to bed realised it could be 'ask Olive Runcie'
Does anyone reckon that Alice's Grandad is Olve's Dad?Also what would the age gap between Mark and Olive be?It must be at least 10 years which would mean she was 28ish when she was with Mark.I somehow don't find that convincing.

Doobydoo · 26/02/2011 22:56

Ahah,Should have read more.You lot are way aheadGrin

Emmanana · 26/02/2011 22:58

One thing that puzzled me was the footprints of Olives baby, imprinted on what seemed to be an odd piece of card (from a card index box?) It was even ruled. Now if someone in the hospital or wherever had done this for a mum and dad in the mid-eightes, surely it would not have been on a random scrap of paper, or at least, on plain paper/card?
Is the baby still alive?
Did maybe Ruth help deliver the baby, and tell Olive the Baby had passed away, whilst planning a flit with the baby?

hester · 27/02/2011 00:02

Or is the baby dead, and also haunting the house out of jealousy that his dad now has a new baby? Maybe the ghost baby is a malevolent spirit, and Alice is a benign spirit, trying to protect them all?

I dunno, I haven't even worked out who Ruth is yet. Is that Alex Kingston? Or Alice's mum?

maryjane71 · 27/02/2011 00:43

Ruth is Alice's mum in the 60s and Nisha's hired help in 2010/11

RatherBeOnThePiste · 27/02/2011 07:34

I just really hope it's not a let down ! Blush
We should (collectively) get into writing mysteries!!

fifitot · 27/02/2011 08:52

Maybe Alice and Olive swapped coats which led to the FIL thinking it was Olive that drowned and not his granddaughter initially.

The fact Ruth is a midwife HAS to be significant really - especially since Olive had a baby.

Also what is the relationship between 60s family and 80s family? Maybe they are related somehow? That might be significant.

detachandtrustyourself · 27/02/2011 09:36

Did Olive's Mum not want her to have the beby, so she was in on the plan to tell Olive he died? The footprints on an index card makes it seem not official. And Olive had not told anyone she was pregnant initially, for fear that she would be not allowed to keep it, even though she was 27. Would Ruth really have tried to steal the baby? When she knew herself what it was to lose a child? She may have helped deliver it, but perhaps didn't know about the pretence that he had died. The priest arranged the adoption?

detachandtrustyourself · 27/02/2011 10:00

I want someone to ask Olive - was there a funeral? Did your baby die in your arms? Or did you see him dead? Or for her to say she never went to a funeral or something to give a clue.

60's Ruth and her H could have adopted another baby as there were more babies available for adoption then. It was quite normal for girls to be expected/pressured to give up their babies until about or at least the late 70's. (I remember it happening to girl's at school). So they could have adopted a baby officially. I don't think we have been told what happened to Ruth's husband have we?

BendyBob · 27/02/2011 10:29

I was SO proud I just worked out 'askor', but doh! You all got that days ago..

AnnieVid · 27/02/2011 10:42

You have it all wrong.

Malevolant presence in the house is not Alice it is the Evil MIL's.

Who came to a sticky end at Ruth's hands.

BendyBob · 27/02/2011 10:46

Yikes! That's an interesting thought.

All your theories are better than the programme. You should all get together and write a spooky series; it'd be blimmin brilliant.

megapixels · 27/02/2011 10:52

The 'ASKOR' thing is so illogical but always happens in these types of stories isn't it? I mean, if a ghost actually writes you a message it so badly wants to tell you, why would they make it so cryptic? Alice would have written "Ask Olive" and Ruth would know at once who she'd talking about, none of this ASKOR business that she has to puzzle and pull her hair out over.

megapixels · 27/02/2011 10:53

she's

Curiousmama · 27/02/2011 11:10

runnyhabbit glad it's not just me then Grin

Blondeshavemorefun · 27/02/2011 11:57

enjoying but def not scary/edge of seat terror

i also asked dh that if i said our house was haunted/i saw a ghost etc would he believe me

he said he wouldnt want to know if there were dead people in our house .....

i hope olive didnt have anything to do with amys death ....

riojaguzzler · 27/02/2011 12:56

Discussion of the day!!

Think I might re-watch it all on iPlayer this afternoon! Can anyone remember what Olive said to 2010 husband when she first saw him in the village? She signed something to him...

Yeah, agree that Olive's baby didn't die...

louby78 · 27/02/2011 13:35

Apologies if this has been said already as not read whole thread but when olive passed ruth (in the 60s) in the first episode Olive signed to ruth by rubbing her hand in a circular motion on her chest. That means Sorry......implicating them even more?!

Ooopsadaisy · 27/02/2011 13:39

Sorry if I've missed this somewhere along the line but:

Who is Olive's father? Is that relevant at all?

Loving Marchlands.

Excellent acting, I think - really well cast.

Not scary though - just intriguing.

Loving the bloke that plays Paul Bowen (Alice's Dad). Mmmm mmm.

florencepink · 27/02/2011 14:17

it is a bit strange how Olive's dad hasn't even been mentioned yet, even by Olive herself when explaining to Mark that she would have to stay put to one day look after her mother. Although it wasn't uncommon to die young in those days, strange how he isn't mentioned? Could Olives mum be secret daughter of Alice's grandfather or d/ inlaw?

hippychick66 · 27/02/2011 21:55

blondeshavemorefun you said Amy's death - did you mean Alice or did I totally miss Amy dying???????

Yes, I think Alices dad is pretty tastey too Grin

My DH hates to know what's gonna happen so now I can't tell him what ASKOR is - arrghhh it's killing me keeping it all in Smile

I think I will definitely need a large Wine when I watch the final part.