How amazing was that? That was the best mini-series I've seen in a long time all the actors and actresses were brilliant especially Mary and the Lt. One thing I didn't quite understand was why was the Lt sitting in the court afterwards for so long? Was he in love with her in the end or was he angry and hated her I can't tell. Did Mary have any feelings for the Lt at all ?
I was wondering the same thing. I think there's probably several explanations, one is that he probably wanted the whole thing to end since it was probably putting a strain on his marriage since he was clearly in love with her. Also I suppose that because she lived he has to accept her feelings for him etc.
Can't understand why she didn't just try and work things out with Clarke right at the beginning! Felt v. bad for him. What about you?
Also think she must have had some feelings for him but she put her husband and in particular her children before anything else.
I know I think she must have felt something for him. Why didn't she just go to Clarke and stay there until they could leave. He would have fed her and her children and then maybe the general would have let her leave with the Lt. That's what I would have done! She's a crazy woman - but a remarkable one !
shareThat's what is so amazing about her. So many woman would have stayed with Clarke; but Mary truly loved Will, and wouldn't let aynything get in the way of being with her one true love. As she said, "There is only, and alays has been, one man for me." She would stay with Will till her death.
shareThat's true, I think it was so obvious that Mary loved Will for all the hardship she went through that could have been easier had she opted for Clarke.
When Clarke was lingering in the courtroom I took it as he was finally confronted with the consquences of his actions. After Mary's speech and their emancipation he was left only with the thoughts of all the acts he'd committed. He killed her husband, he, it can be argued, effectively killed her children by forcing them to travel back to England (Although I think it's pushing it a bit to blame him for the children's death as he didn't know they'd get sick and die and certainly didn't have that intention). *He* took everything away from Mary she held dear, as she mentioned in her speech. And all this time he'd been telling himself that he loved her. It must be very confronting to have the realisation that you took everything away from the person whom you supposedly loved.
GG
-He and the army killed her husband because he was an escaped convict and was charging at them with a weapom
-Blaming Clarke for the childrens death is ludicrous. It would have never happened had Mary not tried to escape not once, but twice. Hell, the reason they were there inthe first place was Mary and the rest of the crew got them there, and there is where her children caught the tropical disease. She was the one who risked her childrens life by escaping in bismal conditions.
Mary was equally responsible, if not more, for her misfortunes ,as Clarke was.
lol
shareHe killed her husband and basically killed her children. The only feelings I would have thought she would have were feelings of hate!
I think she probs had *some* feelings for him but not love. And anyways she probably wanted to escape all memories of her time as a convict!
I think one of the reasons Clarke is sat there at the end is cos seeing as Mary was now a public hero, there was no way she would have to pay for all the things they bought while on that Dutch colony- remember him saying the bill could be put on his name on behalf of the British Navy, so the convicts could leave the island? Well the character Sam Neill played told Clarke the Navy weren't too keen on paying, and seeing the public were so in love with her it would have been better if Clarke had just left them all there. He must have gone bankrupt :( And I think he was facing up to the fact that she was officially free, so he had no power over her and she could not be his.
Poor Clarke!
Never Judge A Girl By Her Straitjacket
Bean Girl:Eimear Ald Isle
yeah I'd go with that, it had all turned pretty bad for him really hadn't it?
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No no no!! Stop slashing things!!
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yeah i know he killed her husband but how could he be accused of killing her children, because he didnt put them in better conditions? he seemed really upset though when their 'funeral' was taking place like he was holding back tears. he must have cared deeply for the children too, he did say that when mary and the children lived with him he hadd never been so happy.
shareI think he sat in the courtroom for ages because he was a very insecure person and Mary being freed stole the only thing he had over her, the only control over what happened to her he had left. Because he was no longer in control of her, she would no longer look up to him or ask for his help because she no longer needed it so he had no chance of her falling in love with him.
He really got a raw deal did Clarke.
This mini-series was ace. Keep up the good work.
Totally agree. It's kind of rare for a really good mini series to come along, but this one just blew me away. The performances were amazing, especially from Romola Garai. I've just started to regonise her talent. Jack Davenport also gave us another fine performance.
I think Lt Ralph may have just been in shock that she got off so easily, I'm not really too sure about that, but I guess that's what my theory would be.
*~*Forever River*~*
Re the whole him basically killing her children thingy as mentioned i don't think that he would have been that cold blooded as he did seem to genuinly care about them. Can someone just clarify who Charlotte's father was as i missed the first half hour, plus what went on between Mary and Lt Clarke in the first bit?
'' ..... Lancelot renounced the ways of the warrior and lived the life of a hermit . . . ''
Charlotte's father was a prison guard when Mary was in prison. Basically, Mary knew she was pregnant and couldn't cope with the conditions of the ship so she asked the Lt whether she could be his maid but he said no. Then there was a really bad storm and Mary bumped her head against a pole and knocked herself out and Will saved her. Lt Clarke took her in and she recovered in his cabin. She stayed there and the Lt became a 'tutor' and taught her how to read etc. Then he gave her this dress and she tryed it on and he was about to kiss her when she told him that she was pregnant and he freaked out and chucked her out of his cabin. He was hurt and in love with her. I think thats all you missed if theres more you need to know ill tell you.
Hope it helps,
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Heres the thing Mary Had NO feelings for Lutenneant Clarke she just wanted her and her baby safe. Unfortunately he fell in love with her, so knowing that she used him over and over again. Or well tried to anyways.
sharei get it but sum1 pls tell me as everyone is accusing the tlt of killing the children how exactly did he do this?
shareHe didn't actually kill her children. When they were on board the ship returning to England, Mary's children grew ill with tropical diseases, and died on board.
He indirectly killed her children by making sure they got recaptured. If they'd been allowed to stay on Timor (and not shipped back to England in terrible conditions) they probably wouldn't have died. He also know that Mary would be hung if he sent her back - I'd hardly call what he did to her 'love'.
shareYeah very true he probably didn't love her it was more of an obsession. I know he let Mary and the kids be captured but he could have shot her there and then or he could have let them be captured immediately so I suppose he could have been more harsh.
shareI agree, it was great!
-*Knock Knock*
-"Who's there?"
-"You know"
-"You know who?"
-"That's right, Avada Kedavra!"
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I agree - it's a huge mistake to label Clarke as the villian. He wasn't the villian, that's what made his character and the film so great. He was complex and you could see a lot of his compassionate side. I think he actually comes across as more compassionate than Will.
I'm not sure about the pond water causing the sickness, you might be right there, but Clarke didn't "inadvertantly" stop on the Island, he mentions to Mary how he purposely took this route because he "had to know".
I don't blame Clarke for the death of Mary's children, even if his actions may have led to their death, because it was unintentional on his part.
Also, you say "she went about getting it in sometimes very selfish ways", maybe. But can you think of any other way that she could have saved herself and her family? I know that society back then was very condemning, but all Mary did was steal a bonnet and bread right? (sounding like Les Miserables there) So what was she expected to do? Just accept her families fate to die of disease or starvation? I'm almost certain that she would not have tried to escape if the colony was flourishing, but nothing was growing. By staying in Botany Bay she's condemning her family to die. She was too strong willed for that.
Did you see the lights?
i think they should have stuck to the book with the series.clarke wasnt a villian at all and i dont think it was necessary to change things for the series.i'm reading the book at the moment.obviously they would have had to have cut some things out because you cant make a series out of an entire book but they could have still stuck to the true story
also,ralph clarke wasnt his real name.It was Watkin Tench.Anyone know why they changed his name ? Mary did know a ralph clarke but it wasnt him
I prefered the mini-series to the book. But neither are necessarily anymore factually correct than the other.
Although, I believe in the documents of the real Mary Bryant, there was an officer on the ship named Watkin Tench, but it's unknown if Mary had anything to do with him. So the name is correct but irrelevant since the character is fabricated.
I'm pretty sure that's what the facts were, anyway, but it was last year that I looked into it.
The children caught the illness on the island (remember Charlotte drinking the pond water?), not on the ship. So for all we know, they could have died from it anyway had Clarke never even arrived.
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