Malory Towers series 2

[Aroundtheworldin80moves]

Didn't realise there was a new Series!
Currently watching with DDs.

Meant to say I like the softer side/compassion/jollier side of matron we are seeing this series. I know she was very different in the books but this matron is probably more entertaining to kids.
I think the kids are good actors

Glad there's a 3rd series planned

Looks like they're giving Alicia a rest for the next series, - maybe to bring new characters in.

Plot spoiler for those that haven't seen the last episode
Platax yes that sudden casual "oh I might not be here next year" from Alicia was odd considering they were all so worried about never seeing each other again if the school closed.
It's most likely the actress won't be available so they have had to write her out - but Alicia is one of the main characters. Surely getting a new actress would be better? They changed Mildred Hubble on the Worst Witch. I mean Mildred - the actual main character
I think they need to film the next few series back to back before the girls start aging too quickly. Darrell looks so much older between the first series and this one.

Surely filming one series a year is the most realistic aging thing? 12 last series. 13 this series. 14 in series 3. Then 15, 16 and 17.

There were delays on filming this one I think due to covid. (I might be wrong)

I’m going to treat myself to the books for Xmas, I loved them as a child many years ago

@Hallelujah2020 I found them all in TK Maxx last year - the 3 books in one versions, as well as the new ones by Anne Digby. Thought I might read them to DC but as I began, realised how mean the girls were and decided to stop!

I might add that the ones I found had been edited too, to take out mentions of slapping etc!

[quote KillingMeDeftly]@Hallelujah2020 I found them all in TK Maxx last year - the 3 books in one versions, as well as the new ones by Anne Digby. Thought I might read them to DC but as I began, realised how mean the girls were and decided to stop![/quote]
I had this same experience, except they were from a charity shop so older versions. I was reading them with dd and when all the girls think Darrell is a jolly good sort for apologising after slapping Gwen about a million times dd was like

I still love them but as an adult it’s pretty shocking reading. Plus the main reason Gwen is ostracised is that she cries when her mum leaves her at age 11 for a year and she’s a bit of a wet lettuce and not very sporty. And then in the later books a bit chubby and spotty. Her boarding school experience must have been absolutely horrific.

How it's not a spoiler but the TV version keeps the slap in!

There seems to be a bit of a potential issue that Gwen is the permanent all-purpose villain, so they're attributing stuff in the books that other people did to her. Generally speaking it worked OKish in the books because the other characters tended to become at least semi-reformed characters after they're found out, so it's believable that they don't get chucked out for outright malice and stealing. However, in this incarnation Gwen just does something else and still gets away with it. How long can they realistically keep that going?

This is a rather depressing take on Gwen in later life. www.compulsiveconfessions.com/2014/04/what-happened-after-malory-towers.html

[quote KillingMeDeftly]@Hallelujah2020 I found them all in TK Maxx last year - the 3 books in one versions, as well as the new ones by Anne Digby. Thought I might read them to DC but as I began, realised how mean the girls were and decided to stop![/quote]
I know ..I read some to my DD and was shocked at the nastiness in the books and the body shaming! The TV series is much more palatable. As an aside, I always felt so sorry for Gwen mainly because I was also crap at sports and hated them so could totally relate to her!

As an adult I sympathetic with Gwen. She needed help to learn how to be a friend instead of being ostracised for her mistakes.

I don't like her bing a scapegoat in the TV series.

[quote KillingMeDeftly]This is a rather depressing take on Gwen in later life. www.compulsiveconfessions.com/2014/04/what-happened-after-malory-towers.html[/quote]
That made me cry big, blobbing tears.

The MT girls and staff were so cruel.

They were awful to Gwen weren’t they. I think I sympathised because even as a child I recognised that I would have been just like Gwen. I would have hated swimming, especially in a cold sea pool outside. I struggled with sports. Alicia would have torn me to shreds!

Also, why are they so fuming that she shoved Mary Lou in the pool when they do or threaten to do that to Gwen all the time? I do concede that Gwen was a bit annoying though, but I don’t blame her for becoming progressively more unpleasant. I wouldn’t want to bother being pleasant to Alicia and co either.

The books I had as a child had these covers, so that's the Darrell I've always pictured in my mind.

@KillingMeDeftly

The books I had as a child had these covers, so that's the Darrell I've always pictured in my mind.

Me too

That’s a lovely cover! I don’t know why but the one I had, the cover made them look like 90s comprehensive schoolgirls out of Byker Grove or something. All wearing Alice bands and black uniforms. No clue why they did that when the first page of the book tells you the uniform is brown and orange!

That was my cover too.

I once had a copy of Claudine at St Clare's that was from the 1940s. I think it belonged to an aunt. The illustrations of the girls were all marcelled waves and Louise Brooks bobs!

I have books 1, 3 and 5 in those 80s covers (would have been bought new) and 2, 4 and 6 in old secondhand 60/70s copies. I have always prefered the older ones and have never liked that my set doesn't match when on my shelf. But I could never bring myself to replace my newer ones with old or vice versa so they would all match. I'm so weird

My St Clare's were all old 60/70s copies too except for 2 which were 80s ones. The 80s St Clare's covers were horrible.

This is what my Second Form copy looks like. Why they are wearing BLUE blazers I do not know.