Previous posts: Introduction , Parts 1-2 , Parts 3-4 and Parts 5-6.
This post is later than usual since half of us had the flu this weekend, myself included. Thankfully I am better today, which is good because I am woefully behind on housework. Since today is laundry day I had tons of washing and folding to do and I was able to catch up on the laundry and my Dickens. What an ending to a fabulous mini-series! It was painful to watch the heartache of some scenes but splendid to relish in the joy of others.
A Four Hankie Episode – There were four times when tears were actually falling from my eyes. First was when Sergeant George was crying in the arms of his reunited mom. (Love that George! And his best bud Phil!) Second was when Esther was crying as she held her dead mother. (Give the poor girl a break, dear Lord.) Third was when Richard was apologizing to Ada just before his last breath left him. Fourth was when Mr. Jarndyce released Esther from her engagement so she could marry her true love. Although, those tears became happy tears as we saw Esther and Mr. Woodcourt finally share that kiss we knew they had been dying to have. (Swoon!)
Mystery Solved – I’ll admit Mr. Bucket grew on me over the last episodes. From his cheekiness to his tenacity to his occasional disguised tenderness. In the end he did get his man, or woman, in this case.
A Fave Scene – I love when Esther tells off Mr. Skimpole, like a lady, and he leaves town (at least temporarily.)
Hard Lesson to Learn – I find it timeless that Ada married Richard with the hope that once they were married his obsession with the Jarndyce and Jarndyce would come to an end, or at least be tempered, but instead it got worse. How many girls still do the same today? Marry a man with serious issues hoping that they’ll change once they are married. More often than not, it does not change and often it gets worse. Not that I blame Ada for marrying Richard in her situation. It’s just sad that he came to his senses too late. On the other hand, at least he was able to make peace before he died.

An Act of Honor or Selfishness? – I am torn in my feelings for Lady Dedlock. I suppose she thought she was doing the honorable thing by leaving Sir Leicester and sparing him the pain of seeing her but I can’t help thinking that she was chickening out. She should have humbled herself and pleaded with Sir Leicester to forgive her or at least faced her punishment and given him the opportunity to have it out with her. Had she stayed and faced the music, so to speak, she’d still be alive and she wouldn’t have caused him a stroke, literally. But that may simply be hindsight talking.
The “You’ve Got A Lot of Nerve” Award – Goes to Mr. Guppy, the Ladies Man, who proposed to Esther again after nearing becoming physically sick at the mere sight of her not too long ago. Yeah. Buh-Bye.
“Best Line of the Night” Award – Goes to Sir Leicester, “Poor Tulkinghorn. What an end. To be shot in the heart by a domestic servant.” A domestic servant? The horror.
Well, that was a lot of fun. I hope you enjoyed the mini-series too. I’m looking forward to next week when Masterpiece begins again. (My DVR is going to be working overtime that night – Great Expectations, Once Upon a Time, Amazing Race and the return of The Killing.) I’ll have a week’s worth of after hours TV recorded in one night. LOL. Have a great day!