Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Telly addicts

Related: Film discussion forum.

Original poster

Gentleman Jack

358 replies

unique1986 · 19/05/2019 19:36

BBC 1 9pm

Well well well Shock

OP posts:
Thread gallery
17
WatcherintheRye · 27/05/2019 10:41

the juxtaposition of the staid drawing rooms and the sudden flash of rampant shagging amuses me.

It's the sudden flashes of rampant striding which amuse me, and will be my overarching memory of this series!

SoupDragon · 27/05/2019 10:48

if she were a man she'd just be seen as wooing the blonde woman

I think more people would be calling a man predatory and quicker at it. It's not just "wooing" IMO.

caperplips · 27/05/2019 10:50

I am loving this series and really love that it is based on a real life person.

Why is she not 'wooing' the blonde lady? It must have been incredibly hard in those days to make the leap from friend to lover for gay women

JohnWolfenstein · 27/05/2019 11:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

JohnWolfenstein · 27/05/2019 11:34

I think she is predatory because she's not just after Miss Walker, but her fortune too. From what I've read about the diaries (haven't actually read them myself mind you) they make it clear that's what she's after. If a man was wooing a woman with a view to her fortune we'd call him a fortune hunter and see him as predatory wouldn't we?

And I suppose because Miss Walker is seen as frail and unworldly and is, perhaps, being manipulated into a relationship.

LoveMySituation · 27/05/2019 11:41

It was normal in that time to think of money and position first with love secondary. She's just behaving exactly as a man would. And refusing to accept any sexism, in any form. Apparently, she used to stride about everywhere like a man so Suranne is just getting into character. I like it Grin

LoveMySituation · 27/05/2019 11:47

Apparently caper, she would ask potential lovers if they had read some story (forget it's name) about step sisters getting it on, and if they had, it was game onGrin

JinglingHellsBells · 27/05/2019 12:05

@SoupDragon
I'm not convinced she cares about the boy differently to how she cared abiut the horse she shot.

You do know that shooting a horse in pain is an acceptable and humane way to put it out of its pain? It's done all the time even nowadays.

DarlingNikita · 27/05/2019 13:29

Skipped some of the thread as I'm an ep behind, but wanted to say I quite liked the first one. I love Sally Wainwright's writing and characters; she's very good on the way people really speak and interact with each other.

I didn't mind the fourth-wall stuff as it's not done often, and agree that it might be referencing Lister talking to herself in her diaries.

The horse was a bit heavy to be a lady's horse for riding, no? More of a draught type, I thought.

LoafofSellotape · 27/05/2019 16:09

I think she is predatory because she's not just after Miss Walker, but her fortune too Is she?! I didn't realise that at all.

Binglebong · 27/05/2019 16:36

The horse was a farm horse I'm sure.

DarlingNikita · 27/05/2019 16:37

Yes, I can't recall the details but in the first ep she definitely muses on Miss Walker's money. I think it's when they meet at Shibden Hall and she flirts and impresses her by taking the piss out of the doctor.

DarlingNikita · 27/05/2019 16:38

Is her mother trying to pimp her out for money? It's her aunt. I don't know if we know why her mother isn't on the scene.

Does her dad basically fear her? I think he's weak, so possibly yes, but I think he's also a bit relieved not to have to run the business.

CherryBlossom23 · 27/05/2019 17:14

The real Anne Lister was interested in women with money - she wanted to have a well off lifestyle without having to marry a wealthy man. The income she received after inheriting Shibden Hall helped with this but she still liked ladies with moolah. It's all in her diaries Wink.

SoupDragon · 27/05/2019 17:54

You do know that shooting a horse in pain is an acceptable and humane way to put it out of its pain? It's done all the time even nowadays.

Gosh, really? 🙄

SoupDragon · 27/05/2019 17:57

The point is that she did it with no emotion. She shows no emotion with the boy either, it just , as a tenant, he's just a "tool" so to speak. I don't feel she actually cares about him in an emotional way.

LoafofSellotape · 27/05/2019 18:13

She shot the horse as it was the right thing to do and needed to be done. She was 'strong' enough emotionally to do it.

Wrt the little boy, I honestly think I was watching something totally different, she was really nice to himGrin

Flaxmeadow · 27/05/2019 18:31

It's incredibly well-researched,

I'm not so sure about the historical accuracy yet. There was a scene discussing the 1832 reform bill which seemed to suggest that 'working men' would be given the vote. This couldn't be further from the truth, as when the bill was finally passed, after wide spread rioting across the country, only 1 in 5 men were enfranchised. Also she would have employed very young children in her mines, so the caring scenes with children are a bit iffy. Though SJ is also brusque with them, so maybe more be shown about the child labourers later?

Can't make my mind up yet about the series. I like the industrial scenery, time period and cinematography. The incidental music I like, but not the main song. Liked the coal mine bartering scene but unsure just how much is based on the real diary or is fictional. The Rawsons were real local mill owners, among many others, but I suppose there has to he some plot interest introduced and turn them into the town baddies

The 'stomping about' by Anne I think is probably accurate. Shibden Hall is not actually in the countryside as appears. It is actually very close to Halifax town centre, but behind a big hill. So she would have to stomp about and be out of breath. It can be walked in probably ten minutes, so by the time it takes to get the horse to the cart, you could have walked it.

DarlingNikita · 27/05/2019 18:33

She didn't shoot the horse with no emotion. You could see clearly that she had to gather herself to do it, and she was upset as she walked away afterwards.

LucidDream · 27/05/2019 20:04

She's both admirable and unlikeable at the same time. I'm assuming that's how she came across in her diaries, and they're remaining faithful to that?

Did you see the way she barged Miss Walker's friend when she was leaving Shock

LoafofSellotape · 27/05/2019 20:07

Yes,that'll learn her Wink

S1naidSucks · 27/05/2019 20:14

She’s a woman trying to get respect in a man’s world. She would never have received that, had she behaved like a ‘typical’ female of her class at that time. It’s the same reason the sexist trope of female bosses being nastier than males is still trotted out. She HAD to be tough and uncompromising, as well as putting on an unemotional front otherwise she wouldn’t have made it. Look at the way the Male tenant tried to dismiss her demands. Every so often, for example when she shot the horse, her tough facade slipped for a second.

As for marrying for money, that was standard at the time. I think she was an amazing woman and I’m really enjoying the show.

Alsohuman · 27/05/2019 20:34

I’ll watch anything Sally Wainwright writes. I shared a tutorial group with her at York and feel very proprietorial about her. This is her best yet. That speech about the things life gives us brought tears to my eyes.

SoupDragon · 27/05/2019 20:38

You could see clearly that she had to gather herself to do it, and she was upset as she walked away afterwards.

🤷🏻‍♀️ That's not how I saw it.

IMO she clearly only cares about herself.

howwudufeel · 27/05/2019 20:40

You can’t judge her by modern standards. It was such a different time. It’s interesting to read people’s views on it because according to twitter the rest of the world, especially the US are going crazy for it.