Us BBC1

[unique1986]

Starts tonight 9pm
I haven't read the book or anything but looks good.
Also The 7.39 is repeating tomorrow and Tuesday same writer.

I was outraged by the ending.

That such an unpleasant man who had traumatised his son and made his wife' life a misery was given a "happy ending", as though a few trials and tribulations over a few days made up for the life time of bullying he had carried out.

Loathsome.

Typical example of trying to convince women and children that men dont have to behave well and be socially conscious.

And the self delusion that such a mean spirited male would end up with the wonderful Sofie Gråbøl is just further evidence of men thinking they get a free pass.

It should be shown to young girls as a warning of the type of man never to get involved with.

(Already post this on other thread but I am so disgusted at the plot and that anyone should think its praiseworthy!)

Yeah you could tell it was written by a man, couldn't you @stumbledin? Nasty, belittling, self-centred bore finally gets dumped by his long suffering wife and and within a matter of mere days, another lovely woman comes along and now he's with her. The end. FUCK OFF!

@polkadotpjs

I just finished it and it made me feel sad. Sad that she was still leaving but angry with myself for excusing him what may have been a terrible marriage. Food for thought I need to be more Connie with my sons and stick up for them more rather than worrying about appearances. Though Connie was mute and didn't stick up for Albee either.

She left Douglas in Amsterdam and went home after he ran Albie down... How is that not defending him?? 🙄 🙄

I've only seen the first one & thought that both Connie & the son were awful.

I guess there might be some reveal as to why she married him-but he was like he was when they met it seemed to me.

I'm guessing she was some wonderful free spirit & he captured her & clipped her wings-although so far she just seems as ordinary as him.

They've obviously lost a daughter although in what circs I don't yet know.

I thought hat Kat was an irritating freeloader.

And of course you can only do that when others have worked & paid their way...

I thought what Douglas said at the dinner party (shame he's dead but at least they didn't use chemicals) was quite funny.

@zafferana - agree - and was going to say compared to the Alison Steadman character in Life who gets to tell her bully husband what a shit he is - but that was written by a man.
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p08tfgvt

@ diddl who said "I'm guessing she was some wonderful free spirit & he captured her & clipped her wings- although so far she just seems as ordinary as him ."

Lol, I think you've nailed it. But somehow he is cast as the bully that nobody apparently could stand up to.

I've just watched the last episode. I listened to the audio book over the summer and the ending is one of the biggest differences.

In the book, Connie gets together with an old boyfriend and things work out well for her. Douglas looks up Freja online but it's up to the reader to decide whether he actually goes through with trying to contact her let alone whether they end up together.

Ooh, Life looks good!

@diddl good call. There are definitely parallels between the two story arcs but to me, the level of nuance required seems beyond the, possibly enforced, current remit.

I'd forgotten that I had started to watch this so have just caught up and watched to the end.

The ending disappointed me greatly. I was sobbing away through them waving off the son to Uni, dividing their possessions etc but then when I see that Douglas got together with the woman he met in Italy.. Ugh.

It would have made for a more dignified ending if neither of the couple hooked up with anyone for some time instead of having to move to the next partner.

What struck me from this thread - and the other one running- is that so many people took so many different things and interpretations away from this programme

@purpleme12

What struck me from this thread - and the other one running- is that so many people took so many different things and interpretations away from this programme

Totally

And think they got married as she was preg but then obv their daughter died :(

Just catching up on this, a month after everyone else! Enjoyed the book, and was looking forward to the programme, but found it a bit clunky and thought saskia reeves was miscast as Connie. Also thought that the flashback to their meeting should have been in the 80s, rather than the 90s. I like Tom Hollander in pretty much everything, but I think this production missed a trick really.

We watched episode one and just gave up. Miscast, misdirected, just dire. But I should have been warned as I hated the David morrisey one and 'one day' with Anne Hathaway. I think Nichols writes women very bad,y from a Totally male point of view. But I love Tom Hollander and my DH still fancies Saskia Reeves form his youth