Crimson Petal

[Frimblypoo]

Chris O'Dowd's todger! I can't watch the IT crowd in the same way again!

I'm addicted! Honeymum, I thought the exact same thing about that shot of Agnes crawling along the floor. And the music is just extraordinary.

Wow that episode was fantastic. I suspect Christopher may be Sugar's brother. Or the son of one of the other women. Poor daughter made me well up, and I keep expecting Sugar to have an edge but she's just a wonderful character. William is so vile, poor Agnes made me weep a little too. So brave in the end.

I was musing while watching this last week. The reason that men underestimated women for so many centuries was that they rarely knew them. Women's company, acquiescence, 'love', bodies, intelligence and lives were all purchased by men. Women had to hide their true selves in rder to achieve what they wanted, whether it be proection, marriage, money or safety. William is so easily fooled by Sugar because he wants to believe she's a simple woman and he's an irresistable man. He has no idea who she is.

I know Honey - what a sad little girl she was - and even her wet nurse didn't like her

I think sugar couldn't bear the thought of Agnes being locked up and abused by the doctor and his cronies and figured anything was better than that....

Agnes crawling along the floor reminded me of the time we gave our dog drugs to cope with the fireworks - never again! (vet recommended it)

He was no less terrified but there was nothing he could do about it - his legs were like Jelly - i felt awful....

No I think Sugar was helping Agnes. If she wanted rid of her she could have let the doctor take her.

Next week looks scary

I wonder if she is pregnant? And if she tries to get rid of the baby??

I'm not after spoilers - i am pontificating....

It is all the more realistic for William not being a pantomime baddy (like the doc is) - he's very human - albeit a selfish abuser. Does that make sense?

It is very cleverly done how she 'switches on' to playing up to him - he is her only lifeline after all.

Yes, I think Sugar thought, better a small chance of making it into the safety of some nuns, somewhere (!) than a life spent in a looney bin being molested by creepy Mr Grant.

I figured Christopher was too old to be her son but there seems to be a connection there?

Sugar is so likeable. And I so hope the doctor gets his ass kicked in the final episode. I so have to read this book.

Maybe Christopher is her half brother?

Christopher is the son of another prostitute from Mrs Castaway's brothel (in the book).

Eric - there was some interesting stuff about the place of women in Victorian society in Paxman's show on the Victorians which follows Crimson Petal - have you seen any of it? I don't know if that particular episode has been broadcast yet (the current run is a repeat). True women were either angels or whores - no inbetween, and men unable or unwilling to see them any other way. Dying to find out where Sugar will end up - she's one step ahead, for now. And a baby would bugger things right up for sure.

Someone mentioned the music? It is quite brilliant.

Fabulous all round. And how good is the actress playing Agnes. Her performance is spot on and it must be so hard to deliver without falling into caricature.

have seen the whole thing, it's great, any ending problems existed already in the book imo. chris o dowd seems to be using david walliams' voice, though, which is peculiar...

I've just downloaded the book onto my kindle too.

This series is close to being an artistic masterpiece. Some of the shots resemble Victorian paintings - specific ones. Anyone know the painting The Awakening Conscience?

I love the ambiguity of her 'helping' his wife.

Deliriously good.

I am loving this. Williams total blindness to Sugar and Agnes as actual human beings is fascinating. I like the fact that his character is deliberately ambiguous. It would be a much less interesting story if he was an obvious bastard. I suspect that if you stood in front of him and told him he was an abusive fuckwit, and self centred to boot, he would look all shocked and 'kicked puppy'-ish. Seeing Sugar trying to keep his interest is heart breaking, because her entire fate is based around her vagina (so to speak). I really hope that Agnes gets to her convent

I am totally in love with the TV adaptation. A very rare occurrence for me as usually I am the first to slate them - but everything is as I'd imagined it would be.
Just stunning.

A credit to Michel Faber's excellent writing skills that it was able to be adapted so well. He must be so proud.

Does anyone know if it will make it onto DVD? I would love to watch it over and over again.

Right well that scene from the book I thought they'd glossed over (William having sex with Agnes) appeared properly last night! Yikes quite unpleasant to watch.

Sugar is definitely the heroine, and there isn't an 'edge' to her, but quite telling when Rackham was dismissive of them in the garden and Sophie said 'my father said I was a good girl' and Sugar snaps, 'he didn't say that-' but with Mrs. Castaway as a mother role model she's doing pretty well!

Really looking forward to next week...

I'm loving it too. I reckon she is pregnant - she threw up twice last night and the spoiler for next week showed her throwing herself down the stairs. And that body on the beach - I reckon that's got to be Agnes doesn't it? I haven't read the book, but I want to now.

Q friend of mine read the book recently and had to explain Agnes neuroses to me. Apparently no-one explained puberty her as a child so when the time came she was completely traumatic and the inference is a lot of her issues stem from that and her stepfather not allowing her to follow the Catholic religion she was born into.

I don't agree that the husband is a bastard. He goes to prostitutes but many Victorian men do. Mental health was not well understood - he has put (misplaced) trust in the doctor. He is kind to Sugar and I am convinced that having sex with his wife was an attempt to regain a 'normal' marriage - however absurd or unlikely that is. He is a very typical Victorian man and the twists and turns are fascinating. Apparently the author loves the adaption and that is the biggest compliment of all!

I like the tv adaptation a lot. It looks fantastic, and I 'get' the characters better than they are written.
I absolutely hated the book, so much so that I didn't finish it. (To be fair, I was really unwell and wanted some sympathetic characters...it was the wrong book at the time.)

I'm loving it. I wasn't sure about Chris O'Dowd playing a straight character for a change, but I think he's excellent.
Thanks Honeymum for mentioning it's now £1.50 on kindle. I looked last week and it was loads more. Now downloaded and ready for me to read. Brilliant!

Haven't read the book yet and thought it was a bit weird when I watched part 1, but am now hooked.

All the female roles are brilliantly acted - didn't recognise Gillian Anderson at first. Not sure about Chris O'Dowd, seeing a blokes danglies like that is enough to put you off for life!

Love Romola Garai as Sugar. She does tough/vulnerable so well.