Welcome to the first installment of A Date with Dickens. As I mentioned in a previous post, since I am going through Downton Abbey withdrawl (but see the update below!) and the next Masterpiece Classic doesn’t start until April 1 with Great Expectations , I am rewatching Masterpiece Theater’s Bleak House by Charles Dickens. On the Monday mornings (Monday afternoons, if you are on the East Coast) of March I’ll share my thoughts on that week’s episode. Here we go.
The Setting – The whole feel of this Dicken’s story is reflected on the cinematography of the show. It is dark and somber. However, the scenes in the gardens and the countryside are beautiful and bright. They remind me that even within the dreariness there is always beauty and hope to be found.
Lady Dedlock – When I first saw this series it took me awhile to get used to seeing Gillian Anderson as Lady Dedlock and not Scully from the X-Files but once I put that out of my mind, she fit the role perfectly. Her subdued manner and boredom with her station is well played. You feel for her and the pain she is experiencing due to the death of the mysterious Mr. Nemo. You know that her quiet investigation will not go unnoticed now that the nasty Mr. Tulkinghorn is suspicious of her.
Mr. Tulkinghorn – Mr. Tulkinghorn reminds me of a cat chasing a mouse. He takes great pleasure in toying with his victim. He has the look of the devil when he is quietly scheming and plotting what he shall do next. There is certainly more mischief coming at the hands of this man.
Esther – Can I just say that I love Esther! The opening scene of Esther being belittled, humiliated, and told that it would have been better had she never been born was painful to watch. You can imagine what this kind of mantra had on Esther’s vision of self-worth. Although, living with that sort of humility has also allowed her to be so empathetic to the pain of others. You see it even in small ways such as her giving the handkerchief to the mother whose baby died and how she’ll turn a conversation in order to spare someone’s feelings. Then when she finally meets a man who turns her head and her heart, you can’t help but root for them!
Mr. Woodcourt – Mr. Woodcourt seems like a perfect match for Esther. He has the same understanding heart and he sees the inner beauty of people, just as she does. The looks Mr. Woodcourt gives Esther at the dinner table makes me swoon. These two were made for each other but love never comes easily, especially in a Dicken’s tale.
John Jarndyce – When I first saw this show I had a hard time figuring out Mr. Jarndyce. I wasn’t sure if he really was the benevolent philanthropist or if he had more sinister intentions. I don’t want to give anything away so we’ll leave it at that.
Richard Carstone – I want to love Rick. He seems like a good man and he is facing unusual circumstances but his restlessness and feeble attempt at pursuing the medical profession only make me worry for him.
Mr. Guppy – When Mr. Guppy first showed up I thought he was going to be a comedic character but he has turned into a creepy stalker. (And I don’t know why but whenever I see him I think of that creepy character Johnny Depp plays on Dark Shadows. )
Character That Will Most Likely Send Me to Confession – It is one thing when you see a character that is obviously evil, such as Mr. Tulkinghorn, but the characters that get most under my skin are the ones that pretend to be innocent such as Harold Skimpole, AKA “I am but a child.” Child my arse. His selfishness and his indifference to the welfare of not only innocents but his own wife and children burns me up. I still wonder why in the world Mr. Jarndyce keeps him in his company. At least he is not fooling one person. Esther is on to his tricks and I love her more for it.
The Scene That Actually Made me Cry – It wasn’t when the poor woman’s baby died in her arms or when Esther was being verbally abused. It was the scene with Mr. Neckett’s three orphans that had me in tears. I was touched not so much by the misery of their lives but by the strength of their characters to do whatever it takes to survive and to stay together as a family. When Charlie said her little brother was not afraid of the dark and his innocent little face, matured beyond it’s years, showed that he was not afraid and he conquered his fear for the sake of the baby, it broke me.
Well, that is all I have time for today but feel free to leave your own comments. I’d love to read them!
Next week, I’ll watch parts 3-4. See you back on Monday!
Oh, wait! I forgot to give you a bit of Downton Abbey news. Here is an article I saw the other day on Twitter: Exclusive: Most of Downton Abbey Cast Re-Signs Through Season 5! Who’s Holding Out? Season 5?! That means there’s plenty more Downton coming over the next three years! Yay!
Category Archives: entertainment
TV Talk Monday: A Date with Dickens – Bleak House, Parts 1-2 (Episodes 1-3)
TV Talk Mondays: A Date with Dickens
(Sorry, this was supposed to be up in the morn but with all the flood fiasco I didn’t get to post it until late Monday.)
It was a little sad this morning not being able to share any Downton comments with you. Dawn over at By Sun and Candlelight was also feeling the void so she started Masterpiece Monday to discuss Sunday night’s Masterpiece show. I love the idea and I was eager to join in but last night they all watched Charles Dickens’ The Old Curiosity Shop but our local station was playing Upstairs, Downstairs. I guess it really didn’t matter since I tried to watch The Old Curiosity Shop when it first aired but I just couldn’t get into it. I thought it was a little boring. Maybe I just wasn’t in the right mood.
The next show they are watching is South Riding. I saw it last year and it was decent but I’d have to rewatch it to remember it well enough to discuss. The only problem is that my local PBS station is fundraising for the next couple of weeks so I’ll have to watch it online if I want to participate. Frankly, if I am going to watch Anna Maxwell Martin star in a show, I’d much rather watch her in Bleak House, which I looove. And now that I think about it…watching Gillian Anderson in Bleak House will get me prepped for watching Great Expectations on April 1, which also stars Gillian.
Yes, I think that’s what I’ll do. I looked at the calendar and I’ll divide the episodes into two hour blocks
Sunday, March 4: Parts 1-2
Sunday, March 11: Parts 3-4
Sunday, March 18: Parts 5-6
Sunday, March 25: Parts 7-8
The following Mondays I’ll post my thoughts and comments. If you’d like to join along and don’t already have the DVD, you can watch it streaming on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
Here is a trailer for Bleak House, although it mostly focuses on Lady Deadlock and not any of my other favorite characters.
I think this will be a great preparation for the next Dicken’s story from Masterpiece Theater, Great Expectations on April 1 & 8. Yay!
Watch Great Expectations Preview on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.
Then…. when we are done with that we have the premiere of Julian Fellowes’ mini-series Titanic starting on Saturday, April 14 .
This blog’s TV Talk Mondays will be jumping this spring! I can’t wait!
7 Quick Takes (2/24/12): Floods, Lent & Thomas Parties
Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.(Welcome back, Jen!)
– 1 –
When It Rains It Pours – Yesterday was a crazy day with everything happening at once! First, as you may have seen in this week’s {pretty, happy, funny, real}, we had a problem with the drainage of our washing machine. The water flooded the laundry room and poured out onto the carpet. On a “normal” day I would be in the kitchen and could see/hear if something was amiss in the laundry room but Matthew just happened to have (excuse the TMI) an explosive diaper and it was so bad he had to be put in the bath tub immediately. So while I was busy in the back of the house taking care of that, the flooding happened. Luckily Brian came home soon after and between the two of us we were able to fix the drained clog and clean up all the water but the carpets were still sloshy.
– 2 –
Plug Your Nose – Yesterday I woke up and as I walked down the hallway I was met with a horrendous stench – it was the smell of “wet rags” but multiplied since that whole section of carpet that was waterlogged. We called the guys who have worked on our carpets before and they just happened to be in our area and came over within an hour. They pulled up the carpet and inspected the damage. We have to replace the carpet padding but thankfully the floorboards weren’t damaged and the carpet doesn’t need to be replaced. We have to keep the blowers running over the weekend, which will be interesting with little kids in the house. On Monday they’ll be back to clean the carpets and get the smell out. I hope it works because right now it stinks to high heaven in here. Ew.
– 3 –
My sweet JP.
What? – Yesterday, I also had to take John-Paul to get his hearing tested, a normal procedure when you start speech therapy. It turns out that he is having trouble hearing from his right ear. There is fluid in his ear and they are not sure if it is because he’s been nursing a cold for a couple weeks or if it has been there for awhile. I have to go back in a month for him to take another test. If the fluid has drained then it was most likely from his cold. If the fluid is still there then they’ll have to insert tiny tubes to help it drain out. It could also be part of the reason he is not speaking well. He may be having trouble hearing correctly. Either way, we just have to wait and see what happens at the next test.
– 4 –
Patience, Please – There were a number of other mishaps to happen yesterday but it would take too much time to explain now. Suffice to say that I am glad it is Lent because every time I was about to lose it and go postal get slightly perturbed I turned my mind to Christ and begged for his grace. It was a good lesson for me to have a better attitude while carrying these little crosses.
– 5 –
More Lent Ideas – Speaking of Lent, my sister EL had some fabulous Lenten projects and ideas. I especially love the Lent wreath she made. If you need a little inspiration, go over there and check it out Lent Crafts for 2012 and Portable Outdoor Stations of the Cross.
– 6 –
Bella at her 4th Birthday Thomas the Train party.
The Martha Stewart of Party Planning– And speaking of my sister EL and great ideas, she also posted about my nephew’s Thomas the Train birthday party. I did a Thomas party once for Bella when she going through her Thomas phase but it was not nearly as cute as this one. So if you are thinking of a Thomas party, then visit Thomas the Train Party for some great ideas.
– 7 –
I Heart Magazines – Lastly, I was so bummed when Faith and Family stopped publishing their magazine and I was unconvinced that Catholic Digest would be just as good. This week I received the new Catholic Digest and I’m happy to say that I looove it! I haven’t finished reading it yet but what I have seen so far is great! There are articles from some of my favorite Catholic women – Hallie Lord, Danielle Bean, Simcha Fisher, Rachel Balducci, Lisa Hendey, Kate Wicker, Daria Sockey and many more. Brian was a little bummed because he said it was a women’s magazine, even though I told him there were some articles for men. I don’t think he was convinced but in the meantime I’ll be enjoying it. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do so here. (By the way, Mom, if you aren’t already subscribed I’m sending you and the fam a gift sub. š
That’s it for today. Have a wonderful weekend!!
A Little Downton Fun: The Girls Get Modern
Today is Fat Tuesday, where we get to indulge a little before the beginning of Lent but instead of drinking and wearing beads I’m indulging in my last bit of Downton fun for awhile!
Here is a video clip of an interview from the Jonathon Ross show that the Crawley sisters (Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Michelle Dockery) did December of last year before the Christmas Special aired in the UK. (Caution: Some of Ross’ comments are a bit vulgar but I had to laugh at the Carson album.)
I loved seeing the various actors from Downton Abbey in their modern garb, especially these two photos from The Clicker. Some of the downstairs characters are almost unrecognizable! Who knew O’Brien was so caliente!
Photo credit: The Clicker
Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore) Siobhan Finneran (O’Brien) Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith Crawley) and Rob James-Collier (Thomas).
Photo credit: The Clicker
Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith), Phyllis Logan (Mrs. Hughes), Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary), Lesley Nicol (Mrs. Patmore), Sophie McShera (Daisy) and Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil).
Photo credit: The Clicker
Joanne Froggatt (Anna), Dan Stevens (Matthew), Elizabeth McGovern (Lady Grantham), Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary) Hugh Bonneville (Lord Grantham) and Executive Producer Gareth Neame.
Now, if you want to keep your image of the Downton girls as they were on the show, then only look at this photo from Dailymail.co.uk and DO NOT scroll down to the ladies looking the opposite of modest and proper for the cover of Marie Clare.
Photo credit – ITV
Carson and Mrs. Hughes are not going to be pleased with such wild abandonment to proper decorum!!
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Photo credit – Marie Clare
Clare Calbraith (Jane), Amy Nuttall (Ethel), Jessica Brown-Findlay (Sybil), Laura Carmichael (Edith), Zoe Boyle (Lavinia), Joanne Froggatt (Anna), Michelle Dockery (Mary) and Sophie McShera (Daisy).
That’s it for now. Have an extra piece of chocolate before Ash Wednesday tomorrow!
TV Talk: Downton Abbey, Season 2 Finale
Photo Credit: ITV
With the holiday weekend, I feel like today is Monday and that I am not late with this post. So I’ll just keep thinking that and not feel bad for the tardiness. š I can’t believe Downton Abbey is over! What am I going to post on Monday mornings now? Sigh.
The highlight of the entire show was Mary and Matthew finally getting together at the end. Originally I predicted that the good news would be that Bates was released and the cliffhanger would be whether or not Mary actually marries Sir Richard. Well, it turned out to be the other way around.
Anna & Bates – Anna and Bates’ story was the major cliffhanger. The two most heart wrenching and tear-inducing scenes were, first, when Bates was sitting alone in his cell, holding a photo of Anna and sobbing. The second was when he was declared guilty and Anna cried out. (Anna is an amazing actress!) I still don’t know whether or not Vera Bates killed herself and framed it to look like Bates (Gene Tierney style) or whether Sir Richard had a hand in her death. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!
There seemed to be a lot of character development and maturity in this episode.
Daisy – Daisy has really grown over this episode. I love that she finally connected with William’s father and found someone to love her as a daughter. And I loved that he took her under his wing and gave her fatherly advice. Thankfully, she took his advice and had a mature conversation with Mrs. Patmore and bettered her station in life.
O’Brien – O’Brien seems to be coming around and I like her more and more. I was happy that she took no pleasure in playing a role in Mr. Bates verdict. I love that she called out Thomas for his callousness in regards to Bates ruin. We can only see if her slow conversion will continue or if she’ll go back to plotting with Thomas. (I don’t think Thomas will ever reform. We may understand his behavior better but I think he is just too good at being bad for the writers to change him.)
Lord Grantham – Lord Grantham may not be completely off the hook for his exploits with Jane but he is redeeming himself in my eyes. I am so glad that the secret of Mr. Pamuk is finally out in the open and I love the way he handled Mary in the situation. I think his indiscretions with Jane actually served to soften his heart and be more forgiving of the weakness of human nature. I loved that he did not care about the scandal that would come to Downton. He was more concerned that Mary not commit herself to a man she neither loved nor even liked. I also enjoyed the scene where he and Cora were speaking of Sybil and he kissed Cora, looked at her a moment, smiled and kissed her again. It was as if that loving spark he and Cora shared in Season 1 was being found once again.
My only wonder is how Lord Grantham would be fine with Mary running off and marrying an American cowboy but he still was upset over Sybil marrying a chauffeur. It will be interesting to see if Sybil and Branson do return to Downton with their new baby. I’m sure Branson will feel awkward being waited on by his old friends. I also wonder if the upcoming Catholic storyline will have to do with the folks in Ireland.
Edith – Will I ever be able to type Edith’s name without “Poor Edith” automatically coming out. I want that girl to find some happiness! She has paid for her past sins and she truly has a loving heart. When will she find a proper suitor? Will it be Anthony Stallan? Will the Patrick return? Will she decide to join the convent? Who knows.
Mrs. Crawley – I was so glad to see that the “tenacious but lovable” Mrs. Crawley was back and not the “new & annoying” Mrs. Crawley. She was the voice of reason to Matthew as he continued to brood and stubbornly refuse to let himself love Mary, which leads us to the final and best story of the night.
Matthew & Mary – You could feel the tension building as Sir Richard was ready to explode every time he saw Matthew. It is no wonder that it finally came to blows. I don’t know which was more enjoyable, seeing them duke it out or hearing Granny’s best line of the night when Sir Richard said he wouldn’t see her again, “Do you promise?” She was in rare form tonight!!
I am so glad they did not make us wait until Season 3 to see Mary and Matthew finally get together. Especially since Matthew was starting to get on my nerves with his “we don’t deserve to be happy” melancholia. Come on, Matthew! It is time to turn off The Smith’s soundtrack (as much as I love them) and play New Order’s True Faith. (What I am listening to right now. Yes, I am a child of the 80’s.)
I don’t think I appreciated the final touching scene with Matthew and Mary the first time around. (It was sort of hard to get into the mood while trying to get a crying, cranky baby to sleep) but last night I rewatched it while the rest of the house was asleep. I was touched by the tenderness, even though my mind kept thinking, “What in the world is Mary doing outside without a shawl or a jacket? And why isn’t Matthew offering his jacket to her? I know I’m inexperienced with snow since I live in Cali but isn’t snow supposed to be cold??”
However, I finally pushed those thoughts out of my mind and enjoyed the scene. My favorite part was when Mary told Matthew he would have to propose properly, down on one knee etc. I love that look he gave her. I see it often in Brian when he looks at me. It says, “Sometimes you drive me crazy, girl, yet I can’t seem to live without you and as ridiculous as this request is, I am going to do it anyway because I love you…” Swoon. Okay, maybe I was reading too much into it but that’s what screamed out to me. š
Okay, my computer time is up for the morning so I’ll stop here. I leave you with a little tidbit of news from AceShowbiz.com about the upcoming Season 3.
“Downton Abbey” has just wrapped its second season in the U.S., but talks about the upcoming chapter have been brewing. In a recent PBS chat session, Brendan Coyle confirmed what people might have predicted of his character after seeing the second season finale as saying, “He [John Bates] begins series three in prison.”
While he refused to reveal more details of Mr. Bates’ future, the BAFTA Award nominee was willing to share other tidbits from the upcoming season. “There is a wedding…or two?” he teased before adding, “Shirley MacLaine is amongst us….the scripts are superb…stick with us.”
Talking further about the addition of MacLaine to the cast ensemble to play Lady Grantham’s mother, Coyle gushed, “This casting is ingenious…she is much loved here, her scenes are brilliant and I can assure you she will be a dazzling addition to Downton Abbey.”
The upcoming third season of “Downton Abbey” will be set in the 1920s. This era will affect the the characters, in fashion, entertainment, travel, work as well as society. According to The Hollywood Reporter, fans can expect to see slim low-waisted flapper silhouette as corsets are no longer trending. The ladies will additionally style their hair in bobs and flapper spit curls.
In entertainment, the characters may enjoy cocktails which at that moment make their debut in London’s first night clubs. Ragtime jazz will play in dance halls, as the characters will dance the Black Bottom, the Shimmy and the Charleston. Two new inventions, gramophone and the crystal radio, will add pleasure in their lives.
In language, the characters will be using new slang and phrases such as “bee’s knees” (the ultimate compliment), “cat’s meow” (another top compliment), and “giggle water” (alcohol). In society, women will enter workplace as they are not only limited to domestic duties.
“Downton Abbey” season 3 will begin filming this spring and will premiere in U.K. in September. It, however, will not air on PBS until early 2013.
Let the countdown begin, my friends!
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