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The Village - question for those who watched it and enjoy it! :)

15 replies

MarthasHarbour · 12/08/2014 21:57

Think i am the only MNer who enjoys this! Grin

Anyway if i am not a lone voice i have a quick question.

When the boxer went to stay with the Middletons they were talking about Joe being shot at dawn. He then went on to say 'that happened to my best mate - i stayed with him all night'

Maxine Peake then says 'you stayed with him?' To which he said that his mate wanted the family to know that he loved his short life with them etc.

Maxine Peake was distraught - was he 'really' talking about Joe without directly saying that it was Joe? Or was Maxine Peake distraught with the idea of another boy being shot and talking about his family?

I rewound it and it wasnt clear but i think he was indirectly talking about Joe.

OP posts:
DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 12/08/2014 22:17

Dh says he was directly talking about himSmile

katheroo · 12/08/2014 22:28

He wasn't directly talking about Joe-he was talking about someone else but it made the family think of Joe and what he may have gone through

DameDiazepamTheDramaQueen · 12/08/2014 22:54

Oh Dh is talking bollox thenGrin

Defenbaker · 12/08/2014 23:47

Agree with katharoo, although the way the scene was done it did have me wondering if the boxer's friend and Joe were one and the same person and I'd missed something.

OP, I'm so glad you started this thread, because I love this series but was a bit loathe to post on the other thread about it because a) the title was off-putting and b) I think that the higher the number of replies on that other thread, the more it makes it appear that most people agree with that other poster's position that this series is a load of s. I don't mind that some people dislike the series, but didn't want to comment on a thread that seemed intended for detractors only.

IMO this episode was the best I've seen of The Village, because they kept the gritty reality and dark drama going, but added a little more humour to make the whole thing more palatable. The acting of the main characters is superb and I found the whole hour flew by, in contrast to the previous series, which was quite slow paced - maybe a little too slow at times. Several moments had me laughing out loud - like when Bert changes clothes during the race to put the trackers off the scent, and the scene where Maxine Peake smacked that bloke in the face - classic! Grin

The ending was beautifully done too, with the calf enjoying the best spot in front of the fire, while the family smiled to each other. Reminiscent of the scene in the last series, where John hid the horse in the pub to evade the army procurement team - his smile then was a picture! If the rest of series 2 carries on like it began it's going to be a cracking series! Smile

diddl · 13/08/2014 07:55

I can't exactly remember what happened with Joe, but we saw that he was shellshocked & trying to go back, didn't we & then didn't the Dr visit?

But for some reason said nothing when the MPs found joe & dragged him off?

So we know Joe's last moments?

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MarthasHarbour · 13/08/2014 09:47

Quite defenbaker i also didnt want to post on the other thread as i didnt want to add to the negative traffic IYKWIM. I was going to see if MNHQ would edit this title to make it the official thread but i will leave it as it will direct those who enjoy it to add their two'pennorth! Smile

I too really enjoy it - and as i said on threads after the last series, WW1 wasnt exactly a bed of roses, and a mill village in the Peak District in the early century would not be affluent - it was the most down to earth version of the time i have seen and i really love it (but then i am a massive Catherine Cookson fan too and she is more than a tad gloomy!).

Thanks for the replies folks - i guess it is all down to interpretation - my heart says that he really was with Joe and it gave Grace some comfort - but my head says that it was another boy and Grace gained some comfort about thinking it could be Joe.

diddl as far as i remember Joe was dragged away by the MPs and we heard a shot but the actual moment wasnt shown so maybe he was taken away to a military prison or other camp.

I wept for Grace/Maxine at that scene - totally utterly wept!

Lets keep the thread going then! Smile

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Original poster
MarthasHarbour · 13/08/2014 09:48

And i agree with you about the funny/warm moments - i also love the lady in the village (cant remember her name) who hid Bert under her skirt - i giggled at that bit too Grin

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diddl · 13/08/2014 10:12

The implication wa that Joe was shot there & then, wasn't it?

He had already missed transport back, hadn't he so was a deserter?

Didn't Bert run away & the MPs arrived just as Joe was carrying him back?

Had he been ill in bed I guess he might have been taken to recover somewhere?

Annabelle Apsion-can't remeber her characters name-wasn't her son the first to die?
Joe's best friend Paul(?)

I'm sure I remember her in The Lakes with John Simm & Kevin Doyle.
Must google!

Clawdy · 13/08/2014 16:10

Another one here who is enjoying it,love the way Maxine Peake's character is becoming stronger and more determined. Looking forward to seeing the Evil Aristocrat getting his come-uppance too!

diddl · 13/08/2014 16:24

Would a deserter have been shot just like that though?

wouldn't he have been taken away & court martialled?

He had tried to get back so would he have been shot as a deserter?

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MarthasHarbour · 13/08/2014 21:49

That is why i am thinking that the boxer may have been Joe's friend diddl

In the last episode, Joe was taken away, the screen then went black and we heard a gunshot. However, that doesnt necessarily mean that he was shot there and then - the gunshot in the dark could have just been an indicator as to how it all ended. He was also shot at dawn - he wasnt arrested at dawn (i dont think). Even when i watched it last year i assumed that he had been taken away and court martialled before being shot at dawn. This doesnt explain why the boxer was with him but it is possible.

I am open to both theories though, that the best mate was either Joe or another boy who tapped into Grace's emotions. It is just because the boxer was so emphatic when telling John and Grace about his last words - it seemed like he was talking right at them.

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Original poster
MarthasHarbour · 13/08/2014 21:55

Oh and diddl i LOVE Annabelle Apsion - she has been in so much but i always think of her as Joy in Soldier Soldier. She was also in Jimmy McGovern's adaptation of Hillsborough in which her acting of the grieving mother was utterly superb and flawless. Didn't Jimmy McGovern also write The Lakes?

Watching The Village the other night reminded me that i rather fancied John Simm in The Lakes and have done ever since - weird as he is portrayed so much older in the Village - like fancying someone my dad's age!! Hmm

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Showy · 13/08/2014 22:01

I like The Village.

And Maxine Peake is just superb isn't she? I have always liked her.

Sammy3 · 13/08/2014 22:09

I like The Village too but I'm not normally into period dramas. Probably the slightly depressing but I think realistic side of it makes it appeal to me more than a normal period drama. I thought the boxer was talking about a different person as well since I remember hearing the shot & thinking Joe was executed in the village. Also, if the boxer was his mate wouldn't he have set out to look for the family as soon as he got to the village? I hadn't really thought about him possibly talking about Joe until I read this post though, so I'm not sure. He could well be.

GypsyFloss · 17/08/2014 13:42

I really liked it. I got the impression that the boxer was talking about another lad and it just resonated with Grace.

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