Ooh the thing where Cumberbatch is shagging lots starts tonight!

[shoppingbagsundereyes]

Shallow? Me?

God, I never really noticed Benedict Cumberbatch before. Since I started watching this series (which I am also enjoying for its artistic merit) I have become somewhat obsessed. To the point of having a couple of dreams about him .

I'm having some kind of teenage regression!

This might sound a bit mad but I watched some of the first ep the other day, and I've no idea why, but Rebecca Hall really reminded me of Miss Jones from Rising Damp for some reason!

wintera I was wondering who it was she reminded me of last night!

I have watched every episode whilst simultaneously Mumsnetting so am probably not quite as up to speed as I should be with the plot.

I'd be interested to read the book now as based on the last couple of episodes especially I feel desperately sorry for Sylvia, would like to slap Christopher and think Valentine is a total wet fart, which clearly wasn't the intention of Ford Madox Ford when he wrote the original story!

And is it me or is Christopher's brother (Mark? Rupert Everett anyway...) a complete shit?

Yes, she is like Miss Jones

Just finished watching. Next week Sylvia calls Valentine the 'ladies' champion of the regular bowel movement.'

I've never read the novels but I don't think Sylvia is at all as she was written.

But I love her and she also has the most fabulous clothes.

Oh thank goodness other people can see it too! Thought I was going crackers lol! I found Rupert Everett really distracting. Well I found his face very distracting I should say. He has clearly had work done, nobody would have had a face like that in them days!

Just discovered this thread !
Couple of things I don't understand though

Why did Christopher look so ill in the last ep? He looked like he was about to throw up the whole time

Also why has is his reputation so ruined? Is it all because of Sylvias affair ?
and Sylvia now wants Christopher back ?

Am loving it even if I am not understanding it all. Have the books to start after it finishes

I think he looked so ill because of the stress and lack of sleep.

And yes, his reputation was ruined because he refused to behave in the way society expected him to, by divorcing his wife and announcing to the world that she was a cheat. Her beauty and ability to manipulate men in particular meant that no one could believe she would behave in such a way - and that of she hadn't, then he must be (although interestingly the women seemed more clued up on the real story - but of course no one asked them!)

His helping Miss Wannop and her friend at the beginning, and taking Edith back to London to help his friend, whilst motivated by gallantry alone, we're easily interpreted as a sign that he was being unfaithful. And then his brother and father relied on rumours and vindictive gossip rather than asking him straight out :(.

He's basically the last good man, an anachronism a bloody sexy one.

I suppose he would look a fool for marrying her if it's common knowledge that she's a bit of a scarlet woman and there's doubt over whether Michael is really his son.

I think Sylvia does love him in her own way and admires his morals up to a point. She is a fiery woman and he is so lacking in passion I can't say as I really blame her for being so desperate to provoke a reaction.

(Am basing this purely on the series, sounds like my perspective might change radically on reading the book).

I thought him seeming poorly (especially at the end) was kind of a way of showing that his character hasn't really changed that much in spite of some of the things he said/did in last night' episode as he is still soldiering on and doing his duty iykwim?

As for Rupert Everett's character - in-law from hell meets pimp - urgh!

Termagant has clearly been paying more attention than I have - I'd go with her version !

YY to Termagant and he's had pneumonia.

Yes, and interesting that his brother has a woman he refused to marry because she's Catholic, whereas Chrissy was so honour-bound that he married a Catholic woman because she told him she was pregnant, even though he clearly stated in the opening lines that he wasn't sure the baby was his.

I loved the lines at the end of last night's episode, where he talked about the 'certain parade' that was expected of men of his standing. There was a bit in the Telegraph review suggesting that he represents the past, Sylvia the struggling present and Valentine the future.

I like the way they've kept the piece challenging, leaving you to puzzle over the themes afterwards. Much more rewarding. And as I keep saying, he's hot :o.

Thanks for the explanations. I am really enjoying watching it as it is challenging and nice to use my brain I have the books but am waiting till I have finished watching it before I start. I understand they have changed Sylvias character a lot from the book but I am finding her really interesting.

McMaster was not in this episode, from the previous one I got that he was not in the army, correct ? He was working in government mainly on the back of work that Tietjens had done ?

I am finding the way they are presenting the class system and how the war is changing everything really interesting.

Right, just wanted to say have enjoyed Sherlock and am loving Parades End. Never found Benedict (first name terms now) remotely attractive, but loved his characters.

However.

Watching last nights episode of Parades End, just watched him walking round a bedroom with shirt undone, and am now completely in lust. Got me interested.....

Wow.

God tantrums, tell me about it. Come join my teen crush thread in chat!

I love him as an actor but he does nothing for me physically at all. Even when I saw him completely naked on stage in Frankenstein! But then again he wasn't supposed to be attractive in his monster make up.

Thank God I missed Frankenstein. The sight of his concave chest was bad enough for me.

Would this be a bad time to say i have never seen Sherlock ?

"He's basically the last good man"

Apart from shagging her on the train in the first place

I did think that fridays ep was utter twaddle tbh.

I am enjoying it but have got totally lost somewhere along the line ( mainly because my only chance to watch it is when I'm cooking/catching up on housework).
Does Sylvia really love him?! Or did she manipulate that situation to have him sent to the front?

I´m not sure that she loves him-just hates his indifference.

I watched fridays & it seemed as if i´d missed an ep.

I thought she wanted a safe posting for him.

With the horses(?), but unfortunately, that meant him going to the front(?)

As the chap with the tache couldn´t keep him at the training base anymore.

Not entirely sure why.

Me neither, herethereeverywhere.

Glad I am not the only one!

I thought I was on top of it all until the last ep which has totally confused me. Watched it again this afternoon and it seems Sylvia now wants him back as she was just 'acting out' before ? I think!
He now has to go to the front because Sylvia's bloke (the one she ran off with who BC hit in the last ep) was put in charge of the horses or something and so he has been refused a place there.

I still don't understand why he apologised to Sylvia. Looked like they reunited but in the clips for next weeks ep she thinks he wants Valentine again. Am enjoying it but all very confusing.

O well Downton is back on tonight - I can follow those storylines

Thank you for shedding some light - yes not really understood the whole horses thing really.
There do seem to be some very bizarre moments such as the cooks and their whites and the general looking for extra whites in a box?!? Left me a bit bewildered !

Christopher blotted his copybook with the bloke in charge of the horses by directly contradicting his wishes/orders. Horse bloke thinks the horses ought to be tough and therefore ordered them to be kept outdoors, but Christopher believed that they (or at least the one he seemed to be in charge of ? not sure why he'd have charge of only one ...) should be stabled and fed warm food, and ordered his subordinate to do so. Which pissed off horse bloke. Which meant that when General Campion had to move Christopher he couldn't move him to be with the horses (a safe posting) because they both knew that horse bloke would make his life hell.

I don't know why Christopher had to be moved in the first place though. And I'm not sure if horse bloke is one of Sylvia's men.

He had to be moved because he punched/pushed/assaulted Potty.