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.

orphan, it's a bit like a modern version of a period drama, where the characters are not allowed to mate ;-) you can clearly see the tension building up, but social situation (army in this case)prevents it

Aaah (penny drops), thanks lyndie so that's why Molly was writing on Smurf's cheeks before they were lifted out in Ep1- she'd just stabbed him with something (morphine?) in a syringe.

Like Colin Firth's Pride and Prejudice. Hours of no kissing of touching but so much sexual tension!

(With the bonus that in THIS period drama we see a lot more action, muscles, and a lady that kicks ass! In the whole of pride&predjudice, max you see is a wet shirt, and that wasn't even an original feature ;-)

(Not that I am not thankful to Andrew Davies for coming up with the wet short scene)

Cremeeggs and jascot do privates have to have no. 1 dress?

I must admit we (DH and I) both noticed the MC suddenly appear on the broadcast and we both assumed it didn't directly follow on from the funeral but was a quick passage of time scene to show she'd been to the Palace.

Shirt, not short (blipping spellchecker!)

in the script, it says that she washed around the writing on her arm and even gone over it to keep it...she must have washed it off before they went back as its not on when she goes back

So glad to find this thread. I was/am completely obsessed with Our Girl especially CJ. SWOON!

Hey NappyValley going back to Rosabaya, when Molly cleared out CJ cabin In Ep 5 the nespresso pods she put in the bag were Volluto! I'm an avid nespresso coffee drinker!

Thank you all for all your expertise in military dress. Feel incredibly knowledgable now. Just think we are learning through this not just lusting over pictures of CJ/BA

Yes but it's issued to them when it's required that it's worn. Officers have to buy their own.

Afternoon all. At lunch at work and catching up on the morning activity.

Notice we are looking at Molly lines and will definitely fall in on that.

However first just wanted to say something about the link PassTheCremeEggs kindly sent me this morning on No1 dress. I should have acknowledged the unbelievable bravery of Corp Bushbye and her comrades in the story. I am really very proud of our armed forces. Was also very concerned about the BBC report this morning about issues around the government meeting its committments around the military covenant.

Ok got that off my chest.

Molly lines. When she calls Smurf a Prannet on the plane home. Had not heard that word for years. It means gormless by the way. I also love the bit where CJ is talking about fate and says 'Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief' and Molly says 'three out if four ain't bad for my old man'

Anyway it's been peng catching up and I will check in again 'ron'

Rosabaya looks beautiful in written form as well as how it sounds.

I like the way Molly is seen carefully dabbing it dry so as not to rub it off when she comes out of the shower at home.

The juxtaposition between her going into the shop - in all its elegant and sophisticated glory, and the previous scene is nicely done too. Molly is crying in her Mum's arms, back in the chaos of home, "on tour anything seemed possible - coming home is like...waking up." So many layers to that line. Stress of readjusting to civilian life but also doubts about her and CJ.

I also think that the two scenes paired in contrast like that shows that Molly needs to move forward. The shop represents a glimpse into CJ's world and a different life with new possibilities.

nappyvalleymum to a answer your question: no, not really, I had my midlife crisis earlier last year when I decided to take my weight seriously and dropped 12kg...then again turned into the big 4-0s and took up sport after half a life of high domesticity. In a way, I suspect that I like the story because it confirms what I have already experienced first hand: taking your life in your hands, no matter which choice you do, makes you feel better. Molly grows up so much from the moment she decides to really "try something for herself", all of us can feel the vibe especially after years of continuous compromises with kids etc.
In my particular case, there was no lover involved, and I have not morphed into a swan overnight. (Quite the contrary, I managed to break a piece of two of my old body! So possibly a lover would have been a better idea ;-) but as little as it is, sport makes me feel really better and so I persevere....wicked, really)

Going back a few pages now but Im sure that isn't BA in the photo. Apart from the fact that his body looks very different than it did in the paddling pool scene, the man has really long sideburns and on non of the other pictures of him they look like that on BA but most importantly I actually don't think he'd do a picture like that.

Trying to catch up with all the latest posts but one of my favourite Molly lines is the Coco pops one...it really makes me laugh and Im massively impressed that she managed to say that line with a mouthful of cocopops and not spray them everywhere.

Ps: as a non-English native, wiki just clarified for me that the "rich man, poor man etc" is a nursery rhyme!
Never heard it before ;-)
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinker,_Tailor

CremeEggs - spurs on lap for doing/undoing of straps are a hazard indeed!

My husband's Mess Kit (which he's wearing tonight as it's Trafalgar Night although I won't see him as we're currently doing the Married Unaccompanied thing) is one of the ones with a bow tie and shawl-collared jacket worn over a waistcoat. The breeches come in two forms (depending on capbadge) looser, straight-cut ones or the spray-on tight variety. My husband's are the latter and he's ridiculously proud of the fact he's never had to go back to the tailor since commissioning, although they are increasingly difficult to ease into now it's 15 years since commissioning!

I can't say that the programme has forced me to re-examine my life in any way - I enjoyed watching it, especially as the protagonist was female because it showed a different side to Army/Forces life. I did like how it didn't focus on the political aspects of the war, except in passing, and there was no attempt on the part of the writers/director to pass judgement. It was a simply a drama about a young woman finding her feet in a very male world.

I found the romance, as I've said before, to be a tad unbelievable as a real-life situation but as a dramatic element, it worked and I liked the subtlety of it, it was underplayed in a physical sense if not in an emotional one.

I suppose there has been no need to re-examine my life because I'm pretty content with things as they are - the Army isn't a novelty for me, I'm married to a soldier so I'm pretty familiar with all the ins and outs of it, as well as the ups and downs, if you'll forgive the cliche! I don't get particularly stirred by a uniform (although I think my husband looks pretty smart and dashing in his) as it's a regular sight and I found myself feeling some sympathy for both the ex-wife (whom I can't think of as a cold fish, because who knows what sort of things test a couple, especially when military service is added to the mix) as well as Molly (why on earth he/someone else in the platoon didn't tell her, I don't know - big plot hole for me). I've seen a fair few of my friends' marriages break down and the Army certainly played a part in helping to wreck the relationships and I would think it unfair if anyone put the blame on the wives (and in two cases the husbands) for being somehow unsupportive/cold fish/naive reagrding their serving spouses.

NVM - I've had moments like this before which I've used as a catalyst for a change - trying something new or losing weight, new hair, something like that. I have long hair and rarely do anything with it. Yesterday I went for a proper hair cut for the first time in an age but had a stinking headache and had to cancel! I'm now on a serious diet though, which, so far, seems to be holding!! (Give it time.) And, yes, this is due to unrequited lust for CJ. A crush like this just spurs you to rethink how you come across to people and to want to feel good about yourself. I've let that slip recently, and it's made me realise that.

I think my fave Molly line is the Coco Pops one. Just perfect flirting material at that moment. Love it.

And don't ask me how I know I see there's a new chapter of My Man up. Actually it's an entirely new one-shot story but it's posted under My Man. Set in Bath from after the restaurant scene. Very romantic but still lots of ahem detail, so if you'd rather they cut when they did, best avoided. Each to their own.

The reference to Pride and Prejudice above reminds me that someone on another comment forum said that she thought Our Girl was a modern day P&P. Which set me thinking about the comparisons.

Like Elizabeth Bennet (EB), Molly is from a different class to the hero. In P&P social conventions dictate how they may behave in each others company just as cherin states in OG its the army that dictates their behaviour. In P&P Mr Darcy is initially disdainful of EB (not tempting enough to dance with etc) but then surprised by her feisty wit and independence (In EB's case she walks three miles by herself - not quite crawling through a minefield, being blown up, saving a soldier's life and being winched into a helicopter at great risk - but its the 1813 equivalent) . EB has socially embarrassing parents - oh and four other siblings like Molly. I expect Molly would also cringe a little at the thought of the Dawes family and James family mixing in polite society as poor EB experienced a few times. Like Mr Darcy in relation to EB, CJ quite quickly becomes interested in Molly but has to keep a lid on his emotions and tries very hard to resist. However, the declaration of love is where the comparisons end as obviously EB is horrified that he wants to marry her - at least to start with. Don't think Molly would have quite so many objections!

Interesting Rhubarb!!

Thats quite true!!! and both CJ and Darcy are tall and handsome :-)

(This is borderline blasphemus, ahahahah!)

Blimey Brodies! Just had my afternoon cuppa and read on fanfiction!!!!!!! Thanks for the tip off on new story My Man.....

With regards to how this has affected me. Like a lot of people have said before it has made me feel young again, I seem to have more "zest" and making more of an effort, bit more make up etc. I have had my hair coloured, just last week. Blonde to dark (more the fact that it was so dry!) but that has completely changed the way people are looking at me. So in a way I have sort of been able to reinvent myself. Exercise has always been a big part of my life (DS competes in cross country, so don't get a option) but certainly running to our girl sound track has helped. Completely happy in marriage but if I happen to meet BA, could be tempted to have a little flirt!

I have loved being part of these conversations. Pushed me to think of things in a different way, and also have a great new bunch of friends x x

I agree on the Pride and Prejudice links. Probably another reason why I love it so much.

(Actually, there was a little P and P reference in the new chap of My Man - did you notice, Richtea? )

It's made me feel young again! I turned 40 a few weeks ago and was so down about it and things at home are a bit weird at moment. And there on the TV was a very handsome man in uniform- he looked do much better inAfghan than Brize- and the whole series warmed my heart and gave something to look forward to that was easy to watch.

I know romances between ranks are not meant to happen but I bet there's a lot goes on that no one knows about.