Us BBC1 (week-by-week pace - no spoilers)

[CherryValanc]

Splinter group for those of us watching at the broadcast pace!!

There won't be any spoilers from me as I don't have iPlayer.

I have read the book and managed to forget a lot of it so also can't compare it (unless something refreshes my memory!!).

Thank you @CherryValanc, I've decided to watch at broadcast pace too, love something good at 9pm on a Sunday to end the weekend. I have read the book and do remember most of what happens. I enjoyed the first episode although the son didn't look anything like the picture I'd formed in my head.

I'm not sure I like everything being shown on iplayer straight away.
Yes I do sometimes binge watch but more for shows that are shown at 10pm or bbc2.
I think primetime bbc 1 it's good to watch once a week and then you can follow threads and online twitter reactions.
Plus the t v ratings will be better.

I'm enjoying watching it week by week. I love TH in this and found the scenes with his son really sad. It was clear Albie is closer to his mum and they ganged up on him.

Although I love Sofie Grabol, I didn't think her role fitted here.

I have read the book but to my shame I remember very little of it.

Ditto. I don’t binge

Hate the way people talk about e 3:4:5

Abs 2 has only been shown on bbc

I'm finding this so irritating I am not even getting the tourist vibe from seeing other cities!

I think it is getting really tedious having programmes about how men have gone through life being a pain in the kneck and then we are expected to sympathise when they realise this and start to try and be "better". Paying no attention to the damage they have done.

Like men who have second families where they are a doting dad and the first family were just an irritant.

You would think things might have changed by now as there were plays written about this back in late 19th early 20th century.

I'm just sitting down to watch yesterday's episode now. I've got to confess I think I'd do that count down to crossing the boarder and "I just walked from Brussels" thing (only difference is, I'd find myself hilarious).

"I think it is getting really tedious having programmes about how men have gone through life being a pain in the kneck and then we are expected to sympathise when they realise this and start to try and be "better". Paying no attention to the damage they have done."

You know what I think that was the reason the book irritated me.i just couldn't bring myself to be sympathetic to Douglas. Mond you, I'm finding him nicer and funnier in this than the book.

Had high hopes for this but it really is pretty shite (does that count as a spoiler?)

I like it. The fact he has now reliesed in e 2 that he didn’t support his son. That he always seemed to look down on him abs made him feel a disappointment

I liked it too. Finding Douglas a mixture of amusing and irritating.the son is coming across as a right dick. More than a standard teenager would be - her the idea it might be gradually revealed why

I’m loving this, even more than I liked the book I think. TH is excellent in it. I don’t think he’s gone through life being a pain in the neck, I think the scenes from 20+ years ago show that he hasn’t changed that much. He was always pretty pedantic and they were always very different from one another. I think she’s changed in that his personality has grated as she’s got older although it’s clear that she still loves him in a way. They’ve had a traumatic life experience which has been skirted over so far and he just struggles to communicate with his son now that he’s older.

I’m not saying that I’d want to be married to someone like him but I can sympathise with his confusion as to why she now wants to leave. I don’t think I’m generally like him but I am in tune with his reaction to art! “It must have been a nightmare to frame” is exactly the kind of thing I’d say because I wouldn’t know what else I should say!

They were very different. Her a free spirit - him stable

@stumbledin

I'm finding this so irritating I am not even getting the tourist vibe from seeing other cities!

I think it is getting really tedious having programmes about how men have gone through life being a pain in the kneck and then we are expected to sympathise when they realise this and start to try and be "better". Paying no attention to the damage they have done.

Like men who have second families where they are a doting dad and the first family were just an irritant.

You would think things might have changed by now as there were plays written about this back in late 19th early 20th century.

I entirely agree with this, and it was why the novel made me so impatient. Having said that, I think Tom Hollander is a very effective physical actor, and even though his lines are often clunky and obvious, I find he's often able to infuse the character with pathos via movement and expression (possibly considerably more than the character pedestrian, pedantic, self-righteous deserves, but I suppose any good actor finds humanity in the character...?)

From what I remember of the novel (which I read recently as it had been left in an AirBnB I was staying in, so not a good sign that I remember very little in detail), I was left mostly feeling that I simply didn't recognise that version of middle-classness.

Bump

On now :)

Well they did get 28 😂😂

I read the first few pages of the other thread of this programme a week ago and some people said episode 3 was a tearjearker. yeah sure the baby's sad but it's not what i'd call a tearjearker.

Kat is too old for Albie. She acts like she's about 24

Agree e3 not a tear jerker. Yes sad but this is us gets to keep more

Why didn’t he say by fountain. Albie. I’m sorry. I love you

I'm expecting that to be next week,

Watched last night and within 5 minutes was thinking why has nobody every told him what a pain in the neck he is. Then that quiz show.

It is really, really sad that we still live in times when men can be these complete bullies, and wives/partners and children are supposed to put up with it.

Shouldn't be allowed to be a father.

And I dont like the tv telling us we should give him some leeway. No we need to stamp out his behaviour and one way of doing it is tv showing just how damaging this is to those nearest.

And is if to make it seem like it is a plot to show women they should enable these bullies, there is the character being played by Alison Steadman in Life. Another woman whose life has been destroyed by an uncaring, unempathetic, oblivious male. And all because nobody thinks men like this should be challenged.

Watched episode 3 last night. I said to my DH, the problem with this programme is that there are no likeable characters. Will watch episode 4 though otherwise I won’t know the ending.

I’m also finding their ages a huge irritant - it’s clear they are both well in their 50s but when they keep flashing back it’s only 20 years previously, and they look like their only in their early 20s.

Last episode tonight

I so enjoyed this. Was very teary at the end.

Me too. I could see it from both sides but their love for one another shine through. It was a lovely portrayal. As I said earlier up thread, I think I enjoyed it more than I enjoyed the book (which I liked at the time but which didn’t stay with me), I thought TH & SR were excellent and I don’t care if they were a few years older than the characters were supposed to be. Very thoughtful, tender and well done.

I read the book but couldn't remember much about it. I really enjoyed the dramatisation. Very moving, and Tom Hollander was excellent.

I was very underwhelmed with it all - the only character I liked a little bit was Douglas - didn’t think much of any of the others so found it hard to connect. Liked the ending though.