dancing on the edge

[MrsBucketxx]

whos been watching it, I have been gripped the last few nights.

I'm still trying to work out what luis has done at the start.

oh and id kill. for all the dresses too.

[IndridCold]

Agree this was not his best, but even so I did enjoy it. I feel it could have benefitted from being shorter though - three episodes would have been fine IMO.

[diddl]

No idea, Clawdy

I have just rewatched Perfect Strangers-omg, I still love it!

Will now watch Shooting the Past to restore my faith that Poliakoff has done some good stuff!

[Clawdy]

What was the significance of the strange woman who kept appearing once in each episode? think it was her walking a dog as Louis was escaping in last one. Was she just a red herring?

[RedToothBrush]

Yeah that did seem to be implied but not explicitly said LittleAbruzzenBear

[LittleAbruzzenBear]

I got the impression that Julian was 'used' from a young age by Masterson and that Donaldson used him too, or certainly knew about it.

I was pleased that Pamela came through in the end.

I was sad about the police threatening to deport Sara and her father and that her relationship with Louis ended. I also wanted to see what happened to Louis. I would have liked to see him successful in the States, where he was headed.

[RedToothBrush]

The first three episodes focused a lot more on the music and performance. The last two were about the aftermath and didn't have that in, which was what really drew me in and got me excited about the series in the first place. So do get where you are coming with, with that.

[diddl]

Well for me it started off really well.

I watched the first 3 back to back on iplayer & loved it.

Then it went downhill for me.

And I didn´t really care what happened to anyone-just wanted to know whodunnit!

[RedToothBrush]

I'm really sad its ended actually. I wanted to know what happened to Louis next. Did he make it a success in the US?!

[RedToothBrush]

The band weren't well known outside certain circles. They were watched by high society, but didn't mix with them as such. They were headline news BECAUSE of the murder. You are also forgetting another point. We live in a visual media saturated world. Materson's vision for Musical Express was to put photos in the news as they didn't exist at the time. So unless you were in the right circle, even if you had heard of Lester's name or heard his music on the wireless, it doesn't mean you would know what he LOOKED like. Not to mention, if you think about very racist and ignorant comments about 'all blacks looking the same' which unfortunately didn't die out too long ago, that also would put a different slant on things.

It makes sense to 'hide in plain sight' in that context, if you know what I mean.

I think its very easy to apply our modern day views and perceptions on the world on the story.

[Clawdy]

True RedToothBrush And won't we all miss the gorgeous Louis....

[diddl]

Maybe, although I don't know a lot about the period.

I thought that he was supposed to be well known.

So I find the thought of him being unrecognisable due to being dressed as a servant insulting iyswim.

But then I suppose it depends who they were mixing with at that point.(wasn´t taking much notice by then)

I suppose the other point was that none of them were really accepted-they were all "dancing on the edge"

And of course Louis committed the absolute faux pas of saying that he had seen Julian, which was never going to be acceptable.

[RedToothBrush]

But don't you think that the police threatening Sarah and pretending he was a servant was probably more realistic for the period than the alternative though. It wasn't nice to see Lester betrayed by people who he thought accepted him, especially from those who suggested they understood prejudge. One of the themes of the serious was where Lester said about its surprising were prejudice came from, and it was often from places you wouldn't expect. Very sad all round really.

And perhaps a message we should be thinking about in 2013...

[diddl]

Oh I see what you mean.

And ultimately chose helping them rather than being with Julian.

I guess a lot of it pissed me off-the detective threatening Sarah & her telling where they were.

Pretending he was a servant!

I quite liked the secretary-Rose?

But I just loathed Julian the whole time so was quite glad when he shot himself.

[RedToothBrush]

That she stuck by her friends more than anyone else, when everyone looked at her and thought she was the stupid, worthless dumb upperclass twit. She was the only one who showed themselves to be worth knowing in the end and didn't look after no1.

[diddl]

In what way was Pamela a nice surprise?

[RedToothBrush]

Lady Cremone had pride. She didn't like the fact that Stanley was right and she was wrong... and she protected her 'class' ahead of her friends.

Masterton & Donaldson both protected their own again (both Masons?) so were in on the cover up.

Pamela was a nice surprise though.

I wasn't disappointed. I liked the ending...

[diddl]

Odd really-everyone ended back as they were after the promise of so much from Masterton!

So Masterton & Donaldson were both acquiring young boys-or were both in on the coverup?

And Lady Cremone ignoring Stanley at the end?

So she only had anything to do with him because she thought she had to?

Disappointing overall, I think.

[survivingwinter]

Ok so did anyone else feel the ending was ambiguous?

Yes Julian confessed but surely most of the others were implicated by some degree or other. Maybe I'm reading too much into it!!

In a way, the murder was secondary to the web of complicated friendships and strangeness.

Still want to know what all the odd groupie type people had to do with the story...

[MrsBucketxx]

I was expecting a twist too,

the locations have made me giggle throughout, the village was the black country museum, and at the train station both of them where the sevenvalley at Kidderminster, I felt like saying I know its bad love your in kiddy when she was crying lmao.

I was convinced it was mr materson all the way through, but it was more simple than that.

both are close to where I live

[Clawdy]

Just watched the end. I've been gripped throughout,although tonight's was a bit drawn out - Louis moving from place to place - and the acting has been wonderful,love to see so many new faces. But I felt a little let down by the end,not sure why,perhaps wanting a final twist.

[diddl]

And the thing with Donaldson-did he call the police?

And now that everyone is working for Masterson??!!

[ShipwreckedAndComatose]

I do think Julian did it but caught a plane instead on the train. his friends will have backed him up just as he did when he helped sort out the girl in the trashed room.

Or it could be someone else...

I am loving it too!

[diddl]

Oh yes-the pigplace in a flimsy dress-on NYE!

When they´d been freezing in the house when they stayed over!

I'm still wondering about Julian-whether he got his alibis organised even though it wasn´t him iyswim?

[limitedperiodonly]

They all have nothing to do but be where the band is playing

You might have a point or several there diddl.

I've just come back to say the dinner party in the cowshed/pighut would have been freezing in those gorgeous dresses and the ginormous windchime would have clanged away all night. It's a bit nitpicky, but...

[diddl]

I´m curious to know who did it & why, but it's not really gripping me.

They all have nothing to do but be where the band is playing.

How/why were they all invited to the German Embassy??!!

And what has happened to Wesley??

And Julian is so fucking annoying!

I loved Perfect Strangers though.