MovieChat Forums > Midwinter of the Spirit (2015) Discussion > Too many changes, extremely disappointed...

Too many changes, extremely disappointed!


I am a fan of Phil Rickman's books, both his earlier standalone novels, as well as his Will Kingdom and Thom Madley book characters and of course I have enjoyed all the Merrily Watkins books, some more than others to be fair.

This tv adaptation suffers from strange casting choices for many important characters, far too many changes to the whole setting, the whole "feel of the novels" has been lost.

I highly doubt I will continue to watch this, it might spoil any future books for me!

Those viewers who have not read any of the books might still enjoy it though.











#JeSuisCharlie

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Strange casting choices, indeed! I think David Threlfall as Hugh Owen is the only one of the characters that comes close to how they are described in the books. I can't even begin to express my anger at what they did to the Lol Robinson character! Apart from the poor casting, I didn't think the "feel" of the adaptation was too bad, but I had low expectations going in, so it's hard to say. I've been a Phil Rickman fan ever since Candlenight was published, and I'm disappointed that they couldn't have done better than this. I'll continue watching out of curiosity, but I've had to set my expectations even lower after the first episode.

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Great minds think alike :)

Yes, IMO David Threlfall's Huw Owen has been well cast, Canon Dobbs did a decent job as well. Lol Robinson is the worst casting choice by far.

"Candlenight" was my first PR book too. I really enjoyed the earlier standalone novels.

Despite the lure of money & fame, if I were an author, I doubt I'd sell the rights to my works. Apparently you have little or no say, unless your name is GRR Martin.

I'll watch the remaining two episodes but I am not holding my breath :(


















#JeSuisCharlie

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Is the main issue with casting, or have changes been made to the plot? I haven't read the books but Merrily doesn't seem to be a very good vicar, let alone one handpicked to specialise in the occult. She doesn't relay information about things she's experienced to anyone and just yells, cries, drinks and smokes heavily. Did she start off as neurotic/unbalanced or was it more gradual in the book?

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No, they have kept Merrily's characterisation pretty much unchanged, perhaps a tad less yelling in the book.

She was always more concerned about the exorcism aspect than her parish. Her uncle, who had got her the job, continues to criticise her for that.

The character I like least in the books is actually Merrily.











#JeSuisCharlie

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It's been a while since I've read the earlier Merrily Watkins books, but I don't remember her character being nearly so shrill at the beginning of her deliverance career as in the TV series. Self doubt, yes, curiosity and determination to do the right thing, sure, even some naïveté, but definitely not all the yelling and emotional outbursts that we saw in episode 2. I'm having an increasingly difficult time seeing the TV version of the character as a vicar at all, let alone a deliverance consultant.

No matter how low I set my expectations I still come away disappointed in this adaptation. Episode 2 was a travesty, in my opinion. With only one more to go, the main plot has barely been touched upon, and far too much time has been wasted on Merrily and Jane's dead husband/father.

Honestly, this series is shaping up to be, at best, a Cliffs Notes version of the novel. Unless ITV is planning additional adaptations, then I really don't understand their thinking here. The whole series so far just feels like one big introduction to the characters and setting at the expense of a well told and compelling story.

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I haven't read the books but Merrily doesn't seem to be a very good vicar, let alone one handpicked to specialise in the occult. She doesn't relay information about things she's experienced to anyone and just yells, cries, drinks and smokes heavily. Did she start off as neurotic/unbalanced or was it more gradual in the book?


Major plots have been cut out of the TV series. In the book, Bishop Hunter appointed Merrily to the Deliverance ministry for political reasons and because he thought she would be easily manipulated. The modern church see exorcism as an embarrassment and want to do away with the fire and brimstone image of Dobbs and replace it with the the caring image of a female vicar to show how modern the church has become.

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It's frustrating me how easily this woman has lost control of her life and her daughter.
Now she's drinking and taking pills. And why won't she see a doctor about her hand?

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Lol agree completely about her wound! She doesn't seem to do an awful lot about anything. But then it doesn't really feel like much has happened in two episodes, mainly just hallucinations of the evil guy. The social worker has done more research and discovered more than she has!

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I gave up halfway through episode 1. I'm not familiar with the books, but I thought the show was drab, the lead unconvincing (I could imagine her saying quietly "The power of Christ compels you, or whatever" mid-exorcism) and I don't really care about the sulky teen/family dynamic.

Best films ever:

Snakes on a Plane
Snakes on a Train
Snakes on a Crane
Snakes on Mark Twain

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I agree with everything that has been said by several posters, on this thread. Merrily comes across as shrill and unbalanced. I don't see her being a vicar at all, let alone an 'exorcist' or whatever that word is they are using now. I've never seen doing anything remotely religious. Every few minutes she is either shrieking, screaming, or running away. She doesn't talk to anyone or confide in anyone. It feels like she doesn't trust anyone, least of all members of her own church. I stopped in the middle of episode 2 to come and write here because of how frustrated I am. I don't think I'll watch episode 3.


http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgana0x

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She's definitely got a drier sense of humour in the books, and I think that makes her seem stronger. I can't remember though - why did she become an exorcist? Was she forced into it or did she choose it as a career herself?

It's too cerebral! We're trying to make a movie here, not a film!

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I have to say that I do not like the actress playing Merrily. I've seen her in the TV series Murder comes to Pemberley, where she plays Elizabeth Bennet and there were so many complaints about her dullness. She just seems to have no life to her at all.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Morgana0x

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