Our Girl and Captain James Discussion Thread...

[ihearttc]

A new thread for all things Our Girl as we have already filled up another thread discussing everything to do with the show.

Finally managed to listen to the Manchester and Solent interviews. As everyone else has said, they're so much better than the Radio 1 attempt. Both BA and IR sounded much more relaxed and you could get a sense of the cameraderie they'd built up over filming. I liked all the banter over who ended up getting the girl. Now what we need is an interview, preferably on camera, with BA and Lacey. I want to see if the chemistry is still there!
Have just been reading the Observer magazine this morning which has a front cover and interview with Jamie Dornan (The Fall and upcoming Fifty Shades film) and all I could think was how much I wished it was BA featured.
Question for you all:what do you think about Molly giving away all her money to Bashira? It made me love her even more (I thought her interactions with Bashira and even the brief meeting with CJ's son were played so well) but I wonder how her family will react.

Smurfing and Ilove I was delighted to hear BA enjoys his food as well! I seem to remember seeing somewhere a shot from filming the restaurant scene where BA is eating something and the caption implies that he shouldn't have been nibbling on the props!

I can understand why she did it. Obviously we never saw the friendship grow between them but she prob felt a mixture of guilt- she did kill her father, even though he was Taliban - and wanting Bashira to have a future, education that Molly herself never had. I think she saw a lot of herself in Bashira.
Her dad won't be impressed, I'm sure he would have enjoyed spending Molly's money. I think her mum will not really understand but support her decision.

Finally listened to BBC Solent interview and its really good. Obviously great banter between them. Would love to see the 3 of them being interviewed at same time, but doubt that will happen now. Such a pity the tv networks haven't gone more for this. I think they have missed a trick.

People are really stalking his friends etc now I know I may have looked but I've not shared anything that hasn't already been shared. And commenting on photos from a few years ago. He's not going to follow you, he's not going to retweet your tweet.... And he probably will never tweet again shakes fist at females/male population who do this

was Tony Grounds who tweeted the photo.

Yes, the Radio Solent Interview was the best! They played better music as well!

I was struck by the difference in their own voices and the characters they play and their diction as well. On the radio shows they (god, I'm going to sound so mumsy now, but I am only just, at 14 yrs older, old enough to be their Mum) come across as two very nice, young men (of course). But I think we all have different diction depending on what we're doing - I suppose they're just relaxing.

CJ is more barky (to start with) and he never really expands on a topic so he doesn't become as discursive as BA did on the Solent interview - the speech patterns are all different - which just goes to show what acting is all about!

So, not much analysis just a bit of woolly thinking! C- for me!

I haven't got to watch much since Sunday morning - although I now have my DVD and I have downloaded all the episodes on iTunes - I'm a distributors dream!

I was thinking about everything people were saying about how much impact the series, character, actor were having on them and how it sort of came out of the blue. I too am a bit surprised that I'm still thinking about it all the time (a bit like when you finish a really good book and you just want to stay with the story) - I've never real gone in for actor worship before!

However, I'm in a bit of a rut both marriage and life wise and it is making me think about what I need to change to make myself happy with my lot in life. So, I'm overweight and I don't recognise this short, slightly plump, 'can see was once pretty', middle aged woman I seem to be in the mirror - I need to start looking like myself again. And I've focused so much on my DS(2.7) and family life that I've become isolated from everything else that used to make me tick - I don't regret the focus but I need to reappraise it. I'm in awe not just of the gorgeousness of CJ/BA and the relationship with LT (and let's face it my relationship with DH is no longer like that) but also with the creative endeavour - the acting, the writing, the making the whole thing happen - I started off wanting to go into acting and whilst I decided in the end the life wasn't for me and changed my degree (for a multitude of reasons), life has taken me down a path where I am earning lots doing something I don't care about - most of the time I just enjoy the people but with my current job (I'm freelance) the job is a bit tougher and I'm not having fun - but I'd like to do something more creative, even if only as a hobby for the time being.

So, yes, the series is having a profound effect on my assessment of where I am in my life but hopefully, although only time will tell, spurring me on to make some changes to not just make it bearable but to deliver on my potential.

Ooops - sorry - I know I'm on a topic that was done a few days ago but this is the first chance I've had to sit down and join in properly!!

Can anyone point me in the direction of the Solent interview? I've not managed to find it yet....just listened to the Manchester one - he can come and sing in my bedroom anytime! He said the filming in Canada is "for a series" so we will have to look out for that....

I found the giving away all her money a bit strange tbh,. Some of it, perhaps but Bashira wouldn't need a £14k next egg to make a significant difference to her life (although I have no idea of the cost of living Afghanistan. I absolutely see her need to do something but she's so young and £14k would make a significant difference to her future life changes as well.

BeingFrank, Icemist gave the link a few posts up. It's towards the end of the programme in the last half hour.

Beingfrank here it is www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0295kh6 fast
forward to 2hrs 34 mins. Live and let die is the song played just before the interview

Icemist, I noticed that too, tumblr and Instagram. One of my sons made an Instagram account for me and I am following a few OurGirl fan sites (sad I know!) but have noticed there are some crazy people out their. Just to clarify I am just looking!

Poor man he must be so overwhelmed by all this. However he didn't seem to fazed when it was mentioned all the girl/wife/partner attention he is receiving, just put it down to the uniform.

Bbc have certainly missed a trick having all 3 on a chat show, can you imagine how brilliant they would be on graham norton. Brilliant banter I am sure.

My obsession is still going strong, when will it fade??? Did have a few sarcastic comments from DH about the amount of time I am watching OG and Google searches. I keep having to remember to delete the history on the searches! It didn't help last night in bed listening to the bbc Solent interview and telling him to "shuch, I'm trying to listen!"
I must pay more attention poor man is feeling neglected!

Mumofthemoos. You are not alone, so many of us on this thread have been so profoundly affected by is program. Never ever has this happended to me before. It has made so many of us look at what we have and perhaps make change in our lives/jobs/relationships.

I think hee dad will flip about the money. Her mum will be fine with it, shes sesrching herself for something. It was a lovely thing for her to do, perhaps a bit short sited as she hasn't got much ie her own place to live.

yes, he seemed very level headed on the fan front. I do wonder how much he knows about all that is happening. I suspect his agent probably keeping him up to speed though.

Mumofthemoos you are not alone. Like lots of others I feel the need to change something. Even before I watched OG or started reading and contributing to this thread I felt that something had to change. I've reached the stage where I need to achieve something for myself. I dabble with writing (I am not LL) and I suppose that is why I've enjoyed all the discussions about motive, plot, characters so much. I've been working on something for a while which I hope to finish soon if I can get my attention back on to it. However, I've started thinking about branching out a bit, trying other forms of writing/drama and seeing what works best for me. Hearing others express similar feelings gives me encouragement to try. Perhaps it is a mid life thing but I think its only natural and probably good. I think initially OG engaged our emotions (still does in many cases!) but we've used it as a springboard to examine our own lives and at the risk of descending into essay territory, the themes of change so brilliantly outlined earlier by SPOfficer are being reflected in our analysis of how watching a good piece of drama can affect an individual.

Anyway, back to plot - the £14K given to Bashira was very generous - no doubt given out of a sense of responsibility and wanting to change her life (small things changing big things again!) but wouldn't Molly have earned more deployment money when she returned to Afghan for her short tour? That would have helped to make up for some of the money she'd given away.

new chapter from klipdoctor

I missed the bit about her giving her money to Bashira - must have been too busy dreaming. How sweet! Now Molly has to go on another tour to make her money back lol.

She and Bashira are soul sisters. I like to think Molly and Quaseem stay in touch and he continues to keep an eye on Bashira and sends Molly news of how she is getting on. Quaseem and Bashira have both lost family and perhaps they become an adopted 'family' for one another. Perhaps Bashira ends up going to University eventually (and becomes an advocate for girls' education of course), thanks to Molly and Quaseem's continued support? Nice thought...

I thoroughly enjoyed all the radio interviews yesterday - even the first one, but they definitely got better later on. Fave moments - BA's reply about female attention, re. it being the uniform and that's what camouflage does. IR saying how his parents went out to visit him in SA and got 'a freebie holiday out of it' - also how they'd be welcome to follow him "I wouldn't mind at all." Awww. BA (on what next for him following Canada) saying he'd be back to singing in his bedroom (as opposed to IR releasing an album) lol. How they were both lovely about working with LT and particularly BA's anecdote about how quickly she can learn her lines and how he thought he could be "just as cool" half way through filming and spend less time preparing, then discovering "actually no, I did need to prepare and she was just a whizz." Very self deprecating and sweet of him haha.

I happened to notice that BA's Twitter profile wording changed slightly - it used to say "Winner. Loser. Sometimes actor." But now it just says "Sometimes actor". Wondering if there's a bit of self consciousness re the BAFTA talk and not wanting to inadvertently draw attention to ideas of winning/losing. (FWIW I think Our Girl definitely deserves a place in next years nominations. Also I predict BA will feature in quite a lot of Sexiest Men of 2014 type polls after this).

Found BA's FB account yesterday too (yes I am slightly ashamed to say I was being a bit nosey). I'm quite surprised at the amount of photos set to public that do seem to be personal memories etc. Nothing too recent, or risqué, but lots of partying with beautiful friends etc (struck me how young he in fact is, though! Even ones of a few years ago are so boyish!). It doesn't quite tie in with the slightly shy and private side, but perhaps it does show how hard it is to balance public and private.

Fame is a hard one to deal with isn't it? Lovely perks but must be hard to have every movement analysed. I loved acting growing up (strictly amateur level). I loved the whole thing of immersing oneself in another character, as a creative outlet - actually becoming 'someone else'. But the scrutiny of fame is sort of the opposite - where you're intensely looked at, and studied, being YOU, doing ordinary things.

Thinking over the question mentioned a while ago about how is it possible to be shy (not necessarily saying BA is, am just speaking generally) and then choose acting as a profession - I think it's perfectly possible to be a brilliant actor but be quite introverted. To love the experience of acting and wanting recognition for the work that goes into it, but not so much enjoying the living under a microscope aspect of fame.

Right, it's lunchtime and I'm going to catch up on this thread and try and listen to some of the interviews since I no longer have the dreaded lurgy that felled me for most of the past two days.

Sorry to interrupt this thread with a very stupid question. Can someone please be kind enough to tell me if the episode where Molly and CJ went out for dinner in Bath the last episode, or are there more?

Naicecuppatea it's the last episode (of Series 1) and women (and some men, with conspiratorial nod to SPOfficer) up and down the land are campaigning for Series 2...

Thanks mono, I got a bit confused when I read that Molly had given some money to Bashira as I missed that bit. Phew!

I love reading about all the other folk on here for whom OG has been the catalyst for life changes. I'm no different, although the whole of my past year had already been about significant life redirections. Which is why I was so taken aback about the strength of my emotional response to the show, to Molly and CJ and what both her journey and their relationship represent to me (someone referenced a life 'lacuna' in the previous thread and that really resounded with me).

I've led what I think is a very fortunate life and have many things that I should be happy with. I often think I need a whopping great dose of perspective. But I've concluded that what I am not doing is addressing the way I have been coasting along in a life rut (stable but ultimately unsatisfactory job, the day-to-day tedium of home and kids' schedules, long-term relationship where we no longer really 'see' each other, etc.). I made some major changes career-wise this year and what OG has done to me is made me address everything on the personal front too. I was in crisis when the show ended but I have realised I don't want CJ; what I do want is to rediscover the strength of DH's and my relationship and for us to be partners again instead of just parents; to do things together like we used to do, just the two of us; for both of us to take time and pride over being the best that we can be - and for us to want each other to be brilliant, like we used to. We just need to "put some bloody effort in"! I think slowly I am emerging from the crisis :)

Naicecuppatea - Molly is talking to Qaseem as he drives her to see Bashira, in the last episode. She tells him in the car she is giving him all of her deployment money for Bashira.

passthesherry you're so right about the downsides of fame. It must be so difficult today to be in the public eye and still have a life of your own. If my kids ever pose the question, "wouldn't you like to be famous?" I always say "No, I'd like to be successful". Too many people are just famous for doing nothing in particular and feel the need to tell us every detail of their lives although that's probably more the cult of celebrity rather than being well known for your talent. You will gather I am not a fan of twitter (no offence to anyone who likes it) but it just seems to get people into trouble and you can't really express a proper opinion about anything. Oh dear, don't shoot me down on this one!

I find Twitter to be very much a double edged sword. I have a Twitter account myself but tend to go through phases of being quite active, and then leaving it for months. I'm not particularly skilled, like some, who are able to maintain a certain 'persona' all the time. My moods and interests change and I find it can actually restrict just as much as it empowers.

I would think social media can be very useful in getting your work out to the public, but you have to be so careful about how much you give a way and how much is too much. What I do like about Twitter (but not an expert, so just a very humble opinion) - is that it does allow people to bond over whatever their interest is, especially things like TV programs when they're on air. Type in the hashtag and basically you find yourself sat on a virtual settee with lots of other individuals watching the same thing and sharing amusing banter with etc. Except you don't have to make everyone else a cup of tea if you go to the kitchen hehe. Also the latest news - it's completely instant, far more so than waiting for actual news sites to update. That's really what I like about it - I think the criticisms about it encouraging people to think in sound bites without any depth is also valid too though.

For actors - I can see the draw. A lot of them live quite nomadic lives, living out of a suitcase for weeks/months and they probably form good friendships for short periods of time with cast and crew. Then they all go off in different directions when it's over, and bump into each other at publicity events etc. Twitter is probably a great tool for "keeping tabs" on mates that they've met along the way and staying connected.

As someone who doesn't have a facebook or twitter account and is constantly harangued by some friends who can't understand why, I am often flabbergasted by the things some people apparently post or tweet. It must be a nightmare for the agents of some of the more 'careless' celebrities. Can't believe how stupid some MPs can be as well (or should I not be surprised at all?!) It's as if the urge to share a thought, however private or potentially offensive, overrules common sense. Sensibly, BA seems to be taking the approach of less is more at the moment.

I do have instagram though, so I'm not a complete social media phobic!