Our Girl

[R4roger]

Anyone watching this drivel?
although slightly enjoyed the family dynamics going on last night, unfortunately DD's favourite programme and in fact Guardian seems to recommend it

This from Instagram, claiming to be him (sorry if someone has already posted it.)

I've been away a few days and am delighted to see this thread still going.

I salute those that are going above and beyond the call of duty!

I agree the thread may need to move but I'm not sure where?

All - according to the agency, who have just emailed me back again, he will be live on the Nick Grimshaw programme on Monday 3 November. Of course, now I think about it, that would fit in well with promoting the DVD. Will have to work out if I can record the programme as it's not normally - may need help on that one. I will respond back again to see if CJ/BA is going to be on anything else in the coming weeks. I am still holding out for Graham Norton. I think he would do well on that sort of chat show.

just looked at iplayer and the Nick Grimshaw show is usually on after its broadcast :D
It would be a day i'm working :( I've no chance of getting a chance to listen before I leave the house

Brilliant news about radio interview. I think if you can't listen live or want keep listening, which we all will (at least 20 times) a pod cast can be available to download. Almost slightly scared to here him as BA and not CJ hope he doesn't shatter all our dreams

With regards to Smurf peeking through the door at the kiss, he had already clocked molly and CJ exchanges on duet and when she looked over at him when he was on gym equipment. Also all the time they spent together in the nadeau stuff. May be he was a "tad" jealous!

Sorry meant to say badrai ? On mobile without specs!

Hello!

Long time lurker on the thread and still completely taken aback about how much this programme has affected me. I've really enjoyed reading everyone's ideas and thank you, thank you for the links to the you tube edits - I had no idea people did stuff like this on you tube!

I think the acting and the characterisation is wonderful - CJ/BA has such an expressive face (eyes/mouth/body!!) and I am really envious of his acting ability. Anyone can be gorgeous, that's a gift, but he is talented as well, and what he's delivered in this series is brilliant and the culmination of a lot of hard work. LT is just so beautiful but also got it just right. The writing is lovely but I also think there should be a shout out for the directors, Richard Senior and Anthony Phillipson - because, from what I can see, much of the bits that we all love so much come from the direction just as much as from the acting. We are handed all those lovely glances on a plate and so the directors must have had them in mind when shooting and editing.

Interestingly one directed three episodes, one 2 and I'm not sure if I can tell the difference but I will have to go back now and re-watch the whole thing!

I have one thing niggling me and that is how he failed to mentioned that he was divorced/separated and had a son for MONTHS! If Molly had come onto the Mumsnet relationships boards with that dilemma she would have been told to LTB in short shrift. I have been separated and divorced and had love affairs through separation and didn't think twice about telling the person I was in love with - to not do so would be to lie about who I was. Likewise, I now have a DS(2.7), I cannot imagine having a conversation for longer than 30 mins with anyone, male or female where I didn't mention this (apart from say a big work meeting etc that was focussed on work stuff). How do people reconcile his economical truth with his general all round perfection in every other way?

Plus, I think he should be on Radio 2 as well - as he has over the years been, what with Larkrise and The Devil's Whore (was that Sunday night) standard Sunday night drama material and I feel quite certain that being married, in my 40's with a kid, I am front and centre target audience for this stuff! (It would seem)

On the Smurf peeking through the door moment in episode 4. When CJ comes into the room where Molly and Smurf are, Molly gets up and turns her back as he comes in. CJ passes some general comments whilst Molly replies keeping her back turned . If you watch Smurf's face his eyes pass from Molly to CJ and back and he looks a little confused or suspicious about the exchanged. I suppose it would not be normal behaviour to turn your back on your OC when he walks into the room. Perhaps this is why he is curious as to what is happening when the door is shut.

I think, he didn't tell her because he didn't know how to. The moments they had together were probably quite brief -not long enough to say I'm getting divorced and have a son- and as he was fighting his growing feelings and trying to follow army protocol. There wasn't really a right time- Smurf knew probably from his brother. Although Kinders said hs personal belongings would be going to Mrs James- she must have been still his next of kin.
I can see why he said there wasnt the right time- when they had just met? Or when they acknowledged their feelings for each other? would a Capt eat with privates or spend that much time together where they tell about family etc?? I can see the difficulty in it. And he has his son too... Although (and because the date stamps don't quite work that the BBC added) he was divorced before they ever went to Afghan.

And of course it all added to the drama of everything.

I;m on to EP 5- she knows his wife's name but he can't of told her, so she must have remembered from the solicitors letter- but then she has forgotten by the time they meet in the restaurant that his first name is Charles...

I so need a book to show all these missing bits!

I like in the compound that he tries to talk to her about the mission first and then when she's ignoring him, you can see him taking the breaths- thinking I need to tell her about my son- He really wanted to sort things out before they went to the bridge.
And he did apologise

Hi Mumofthemoos and welcome!

You are so right about the directing. Those are the people who give us what we want. Every look and nuance will have been intended. This is a love story, after all, set in a military situation. It's been quite easy to pick holes from a military point of view, but, essentially, it's about three people falling for various ones of those three!

I think Smurf is in denial. He is so in love with Molly himself that he just won't let himself pick up on the obvious signs she's giving about her feelings for CJ. And also, he's a man. Sometimes you have to stand in front of them with a sign and an arrow saying 'This person fancies this person.' But if you're in love with someone you'll ignore the subtle hints that things may not be reciprocated and only focus on the things which work in your favour. But then, unfortunately for Smurf, a full on snog right before his eyes left no room for misinterpretation. (Actually, wish it had been a bit more full on ...)

Paperbackwriter - lovely pic, not convinced it's him though. The body, as lovely as it is, is far more buff than he was in either shirtless scenes (mind drifts momentarily). I'm not complaining - I don't like a man who I'll knock myself out on when I turn over in bed, but that there bod is a bit too hench for BA. And the face isn't right either. But maybe it's just me. I'm happy to be convinced otherwise!!

Also, on the 'why didn't he mention the divorce and son thing' ...

He didn't need to. Their feelings for each other were entirely unacknowledged until late. He was in denial too, to be honest. He was not going to countenance a relationship while on tour and was trying to get on and just do his job. I think if he'd told her about his son, that would have meant crossing the personal line and he was trying so hard not to do that.

Also, it made for better TV. Bit of a shock moment etc etc

The thing that bugs me about the CJ wife situation is not that he didn't tell Molly, which is understandable in the circumstances but the fact that everyone else in the platoon (well at least Smurf and Kinders) know about CJ's wife but that little nugget of information never dropped into the conversation at any time in the six month tour during general chat amongst the rest of the platoon. The wife revelation was the only time during the series that I audibly gasped having only just stopped laughing at the sight of Molly being pushed into a wardrobe! It was a little contrived but perhaps they just needed to put a question mark in our minds about CJ if only for a little while. Ultimately, the consequences of not telling her led to the kissing moment in the compound and the dramatic scenes on the bridge.

I have to say that I predicted he'd be married... I don't really know why.

I don't think it's that odd that they didn't talk about his family. An officer might have conversation about his family and personal life with his sergeant (although there isn't one present in our girl) For example my husband and his company sergeant major know all about each other's children, know wives by name etc, but that's definitely not true of the private soldiers in DH's company who likely have no idea what my name is, or whether we have any children. Mainly because I should think they aren't that interested! Although I acknowledge that might be slightly different as DH has over 200 men in his command and CJ has only a platoon's worth (30ish) and is on ops which always brings everyone closer together so arguably the soldiers might know more about him.

But even taking this into account CJ does strike me as the kind of officer who would keep his personal life totally separate from his army life, and probably doesn't engage in conversation about family with his soldiers.

Yes, good point, Rhubarb. It was a plot device to make us doubt him and think that they might kill him off and it wouldn't matter so much because he hadn't been truthful and was cheating on his wife. Turns out he wasn't entirely untruthful and he wasn't cheating because they'd divorced or were about to but it still opened up the possibility that we weren't allowed to like him as much as we did. Bastards.

I really thought he was going to die. Was sure of it. I think that's why I love this so, so much - they didn't go for the bleedin' obvious - ie she sees sense and goes for her good mate. They went for what we were all secretly (at least at the time) hankering for - the unlikely ending of having the upper middle class army captain end up with the working class heroine from Newham. It's rare that happens in a drama that could go both ways. They usually opt for the safe choice. I really thought they were steering us along those lines when we found out about his wife.

Was so phenomenally relieved when he made it through the night. And then - sob - as soon as Smurf complained about the screen doing his head in, I knew what would happen. Even though it was the lesser of two evils, I was gutted about that.

Really stupid obsessive question now. When we all put CJ on here, are you thinking C as in Captain or C as in James? I've always thought C as in Captain. Of course.

I meant C as in Charles!!! Duh!

I think Captain James

Wow, thank you all for your kind welcome and reassurances, they mean a lot.

Have been out with the family this morning (half term of course) and when we came back I took the boys on a short patrol with their Nerf guns. I gave them the old 'stay focused, stay alert, stay alive' talk and off we went. The whole effect was spoilt slightly by my youngest having to stop several times to do a wee, and I had them 'fall back on me' and 'focus up' each time. When I eventually told them to fall back to the FOB and they gave me that 'the old man is losing it' look ( one I am increasingly getting from them as they get older)

That's just one example of how my obsession with this programme is manifesting itself.

Anyway, I note I have been set a number of questions and I will look to address these in coming posts. First off though I am following the Captains Log fanfic which I found through this thread and enjoying it immensely. I think the writer has got it just right and look forward to new chapters as they come.

I do have a bit of a bromance going on with CJ. He is professional, experienced, respected by those above and below him, and desperate to do a good job. However I have also fallen hard for Molly ( not Lacey I think since I am not racing to watch her on east Enders for example). It's the eyes and the freckles and the hair and the .. ( oh get a grip man) However I like the programme best when they are together, so I suppose it is the couple and their interplay that I like the most.

Anyway, I'm off to have a shower and think more about the questions posed.

Captain, cannot think of him as Charles.

SP that is hilarious, I'm loving the idea of the Nerf Gun patrol

Captain, definitely!

Captain for me as well

Wow so many newcomers...how fantastic is that over a week after the last show.

ilovelblue you definitely get Head Girl status today-never listen to R1 but will look for podcast. I actually think its quite telling that he is doing a radio interview rather than a tv interview. I have a feeling he is a rather quiet and private person (BA that is). If you look in the interview on i player where he is talking about CJ (yes I call him Captain James) he looks really nervous as if he'd rather be anywhere than talking in front of a camera....look at how he is twisting his hands. He is probably in shock poor man at how much of a success the programme has been.

SP a very warm welcome...its great to have a man on the thread. I have to confess Ive started watched EE again after not watching it for many years.

I thought the same thing about the start of this thread-its very negative and gives absolutely no indication as to how its progressed.

icemist strangely I thought that last night while rewatching EP 4 that she must have known he was called Charles because it was on the divorce letter but she must have forgotten it obviously with everything else that was going on.