Loyalty was lovely, Duty was a dud

The script of Loyalty was wonderful. The story and characters were very engaging, and the touches of humor were appropriate for the characters and the scenes ("do you except me to sleep...behind a FILTHY CURTAIN!!!" Pure Gold).

But if Loyalty was a laugh out loud and very touching story, Duty was a real let down.

In Duty I felt the characters lost their beliveability. The characters who were loveable and happy-go-lucky in the early part of the series became downright despicable (esp Styles). Bush suddenly turned into a wet blanket and Mister Bowles became a bumbling fool. None of the characters had anything positive going on for them and I didn't feel like cheering anyone on. I know Hornblower became more irascible in the books but they could have toned it down for this one....even now I think it's a real shame that Hornblower ended on an episode that does no justice to the rest of the series.