Parade's End

[YesThisTime]

Is anyone else watching? I think I'm probably missing quite a bit. Why does everyone keep gossiping about Tiejans constantly? What is his family's links to the Wannocks? And I really don't understand the McMaster dynamic. But Rebecca Hall is just captivating, isn't she? and I keep having filthy dreams about BC in uniform

And the hoo-haa about the cheques? Did not understand that. Can someone enlighten me?

I've just caught myself up with this on the iplayer.... think the series is getting better as it goes along. Found the first one a little slow.

I'm not sure on the family links to the Wannocks, but get that they all like Mrs Wannock's writing?

MacMaster thing - keeps nicking all his thoughts/calculations but then takes the credit... think that this is just a friendship and although Tiejans thinks it he doesn't agree with it and therefore doesn't want his name against it? Not one for the limelight.

Cheques - again I'm guessing - but think that if you had a cheque bounce that was a big social no no and he's now got lots of black marks against him for bad social graces??? and all because the banker fancies his wife...

That all makes sense, thanks. Still don't get why Tiejans bothers with MacMaster though, he's a little toad.

There's another thread somewhere, different title though. Called something like 'the show with Benedict Cumberbatch doing loads of shagging!' ha ha lol. Rebecca Hall reminds me very much of Miss Jones from Rising damp and apparently I'm not alone in thinking that either!

Tietjens has known MacMaster since school-days and Tietjens' father put MacMaster through school and university. They are very old friends, and although MacMaster sponges off Christopher to a degree, Christopher is very happy to help his friend out and just as happy for him to take the credit for some of his work (including the calculations that get MacMaster a knighthood), because Christopher doesn't value such things.

If your cheque bounces, it is not only utter social disgrace, you would lose your commission. In the book, Sylvia has wrangled it exactly so that this happens.

Christopher's father was a very close friend of Professor Wannop, Valentine's father, and when he died, old Tietjens helped out the family financially. As the father, so the son, since Christopher helps Mrs Wannop a great deal with her articles and her self-confidence in writing.

The dramatisation misses out a great deal of the 800+ pages of brilliance of the book, and most of Sylvia's cold and vicious vindictiveness.

See I like Sylvia in this but get the impressionshe wasn't written to be a likeable character. But I'm not finding it as enjoyable as I hoped generally. it seems almost a bit camp somehow, maybe that's because the characters motivations seem almost ridiculous to a modern audience.

I am a big fan!

I haven't read the book (although it's waiting on my kindle all ready to go), but I have read articles saying that Sylvia is the cruellest woman known to literature, and I certainly don't think she's portrayed that way in the programme. There seems to be a certain sympathy and explanation for her actions - she loves Christopher, and her affairs seem to be her way of winning his love by arousing his jealousy.

I love the way you have to keep on your toes whilst watching, and fill in lots of the back story yourself - for example, Christopher's father's suicide subtly suggested rather than being explicitly shown, and symbolic nuggets like the Groby cedar (I think) tree putting the house at risk with its roots aren't forced down your throat.

Much more meaty than Downton, and far more evocative of a period of great social change.

See, the thing about the tree had totally passed me by. Maybe I should stick to downtown and Dame Maggie's arch one-liners.

I am really enjoying it though. I think the female actresses are brilliant. I haven't read the book either but agree that there is a bit of sympathy with Sylvia. She's a total narcissist, obviously, and I don't think she loves Tiejans - it's just like a small child wanting and obsessing over what they can't have. But it might have been kinder of him to divorce her. Her forgiveness without mercy" line was very apt, I thought. But I don't think it was intentional on his part, or maybe he has more foresight than her and understands better the reality of life for a female divorcee.

I can't wait to see what happens. I have a feeling it won't end well for Tiejans and Valentine.

I see the tree as symbolic of.... well, possibly the old (ie pre WW1) social order, and also religion (lots of emphasis on Sylvia's catholicism). The tree and Groby are intertwined - the tree's roots are pulling the house apart, but the house is destroying the tree. The tree was there before the house was. So the tree is England's proud history - the old social order, the horse vs the car, the "proper" way to behave (no affairs for our Christopher!) etc etc. Sylvia vows to cut down the tree if she ends up in Groby.

i don't like Sylvia much and she reminds me of Miranda Hart when she opens her mouth. she is a real cow and seems to lack any morals. didn't know who her son's father was.

i found last weeks' almost comical with the major sounding like Melchett in Black Adder and his sidekick not disimilar to Darling.

it is hard to follow but i think it has got better.

I wonder if Sylvia represents what happens when bright women aren't properly educated/allowed to work or function in society properly. She is clearly unfulfilled and instead puts her brains to creating chaos and mischief to entertain herself and liven up her life. She had nothing to think about but herself and only gets validation through how attractive she is to men.

Yes, I think that's a very good point. Am annoyed as have only just got in and have missed the first hour! Will have to wait and watch later. But have loved it.

Sylvia reminds me of the wife in Evelyn Waugh's A Handful Of Dust - totally narcissistic and lacking in empathy. Rebecca Hall's done a grand job in making her sympathetic. I liked the happy ending though as I wasnt expecting it to end well for any of them.

My mum is gutted as she missed the last episode, didn't realise it was the last episode & now it's not on catch up; can someone give me a brief summary of what happened for her benefit?

And me! I fell asleep for the last half hour and it's unavailable on catch up now.

Bumping before my mum's moaning about missing it drives me crazy!

Right - let's see if I can remember all of it. At the beginning, Christopher, Potty and that other fella who kept going on about sonnets were on a train headed for the front line. Potty died there, Christopher took over command after the fella who was in command became unhinged.

Christopher did well in command, saved another fella's life but when that other older guy turned up - the commander who was fond of Sylvia, he relieved him of his duty and sent him home. Meanwhile Sylvia had the Groby tree cut down, and pretended she was ill with cancer when he got home. But Valentine stood up to her about it, and basically called Sylvia a lying cow. Sylvia then left and I think she realised she had been beaten.

Christopher had a get together for all his army friends. Sylvia was riding a horse in the park with the old commander guy and asked him if she decided to divorce Christopher would he marry her after it, quite funny scene as his face was a picture. She also slept with the guy from the first ep again who got her pregnant, so maybe she was pregnant again to him - not sure! Christopher and Valentine finally did the deed so it was kind of happy for them. McMaster's snobby wife was worried Christopher would expect them to pay back the money he had lent to them but don't think Christopher was arsed about it. At one point Christopher looked out of his window at McMaster and they acknowledged each other but think it was the end of their friendship. And that was it I think!

Thank you, she is happy with that!