I'm extremely surprised to hear the 'average' comments about this, to me it was the standout drama of the year, I felt the feelings of each character, perfect justice to the book, I ask the people that deemed it average, 'do you want blood?' come on, it doesn't get any better then this!!! 9.5/10
When he said Mr Leeman was dead i thought he said he's still in bed
I think most of the reviews and comments were made before tonight's episode. I gave it an 8 last week but this week I'd also give it a 9.5. Really powerful production and the acting was terrific from pretty much the whole cast.
The actress playing Tamsin wasn't great but she was certainly good enough. Greg Wise was brilliant.
That sex scene though! Wow. I mean...did they, um, complete the act before she freaked out and barricaded herself in the bedroom? I couldn't tell.
I was so happy when Lewis confronted Carmichael. Wanted to smash the guy over the head with a candelabra myself.
I was stunned at how good Nathaniel Parker was, he always seems to play a good guy, he was so detestable, I think the actress playing Tamsin was pretty good, am assuming she's one of the Redgrave's as she's the spit of Joely Richarson, but the girl playing Kitt was fantastic. I hope the other novel she wrote gets turned into TV.
When he said Mr Leeman was dead i thought he said he's still in bed
Yes, that is Richardson's daughter. Her name is Daisy Bevan.
Yes, Jessica Bardem is very talented. She and Jessica Brown-Findlay are actually around the same age, which is so weird as Bardem looks so much younger! They were in another small-budget movie together that I saw...not nearly as good as this but they were both very good in that too.
I'd say 8/10. Very enjoyable. I liked the slow pace. It works with stories like this - life in 50s rural England WAS slow paced.
Loved Nathaniel Parker's performance. Would like to see more of him as a baddie.
Can't fault the acting from anyone, Daisy Bevan is the spittin' image of her mother!
I was born when she kissed me. I died when she left me. I lived a few weeks while she loved me.
I thought the first episode was average. I really liked the second episode. I'd probably give it an overall of 8-8.5.
shareHad to laugh at this title, as it seemed like a protest against the 'Fails' post.
I loved it! - The title and the drama.
haha, it was a definite protest ha, some people in life sadly you cannot satisfy with anything :-)
When he said Mr Leeman was dead i thought he said he's still in bed
One of the best films in a long time.
I also gave the first half an 8 and wish I had given it more.
Jessica Barden is brilliant - see her in Tamara Drewe.
BTW it's her 23rd birthday tomorrow.
She looks so young! Jessica Brown-Findlay is only two years older. Of course they styled them to look age-appropriate for their roles but Barden really does look like a teenager.
shareI would give it an 8/10 - I haven't read the book so can't comment on it as an adaptation.
It was well made, well written, well acted, everything...for me it was just too heavy and sad and bleak. I'm watching tv for escapism, even in drama I like some kind of hope or lift and this didn't come until right at the very end. So yes, for me it was very good and very well made, just too much bleakness in a short space of time.
I especially thought Nathanial Parker was good. I love him as an actor but he's usually the nice guy, or the sort of bumbling useless but inoffensive guy....it was so weird to see him play a horrible guy, but he did it really well. I know, because I was cheering on his downfall!
Kit was great too...I thought she was fab in Tamara Drew as well though, surely she's got to be a rising star.
I have a feeling the book might be better though. There were lots of points where silence dragged out a bit, and I got the feeling that in the book you would have had an inner dialogue better expressing what the silence couldn't quite hit as well on screen.
Characterisation was great though...especially the boy's dad. I kept swinging from 'what is wrong with you, just hug him! This is your fault!' and then swinging to feeling terrible for him because he's played so well and realistically that you know it's not really his fault, that he's clearly been damaged himself as he's grown up and can't express emotion. You know he loves him otherwise any other father of that time would have just disowned him and been done, but he kept taking him back and back and back. I actually found him a much more interesting character than the son.
~ I hardly looked at his face. His knees were what I wished to see. ~
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I actually found him a much more interesting character than the son.