The Paradise
Young country-girl Denise Lovett comes to the city with the intention of working in her uncle's drapers shop. But just across the street a fancy department store has started and attracted all customers away from the small shops, so Denise's uncle is simply not able to upkeep an extra employee. Denise sees no other option than to apply for a job at the alluring department store 'The Paradise'. Soon she is excelling in her work as a sales girl there and making friends with the other employees. Enigmatic and ambitious store owner John Moray is courting socialite Katherine Glendenning and hopes to lend money from her rich father to expand his store. But he is also intrigued by intelligent Denise and often seeks her out to discuss new ideas for his store.
The Paradise is an 8-part period drama broadcast this autumn by the BBC. It is loosely based on the 1883 novel The ladies paradise by the French author Emile Zola, but replaced to a provincial English town. I found The Paradise an unexpected treat, when the BBC had announced to move away from 'traditional' period drama and an absolute joy to watch. Therefore I'm very glad a second series has already been announced for the autumn!
The leading lady is played by newcomer Joanna Vanderham, who plays the role of the naive, but also clever young Denise very well, though she does tend to overuse the eyes-wide-open-I'm-so-surprised trope. Emun Elliot as John Moray can be added to the ranks of the 'handsome period drama gents' with his dimples and deep voice. There's a lot of chemistry between Denise and Moray and I love the way their relationship plays out over the series. I have a weakness for bad boy/good girl relationships in fiction (my favourite couple from Grey's Anatomy will always be Mark Sloan and Lexie Grey), so I don't mind Moray being a slightly ambiguous character and can't wait to see how he develops in series 2[Spoiler (click to open)]
now that he's chosen to be with Denise.
The Paradise was produced by Bill Gallagher, also known from his work on Lark Rise to Candleford. It was a joy to see some stars from this show feature in The Paradise, especially Ruby Bentall (Minnie from Lark Rise) as the sweet and funny Pauline. Matthew McNulty, known for playing the passionate Fisher Bloom in Lark Rise, is seen in a very different role in The Paradise: Moray's sensible best friend and business partner Dudley. Unfortunately, Dudley does not have many storylines of his own in the first series, I definitely hope to see this change in the next. And last but not least, Lark Rise actress Olivia Hallinan (Laura Timmins) can be enjoyed in one episode of The Paradise.
Another thing in The Paradise which reminds me of Lark Rise is how bright and colourful the look of this series is. The cinematography of The Paradise is absolutely stunning, not very hard maybe, with a department store full of beautiful wares as the main set! The costumes are lovely, especially the dresses of Katherine Glendenning. Actress Elaine Cassidy is a lucky girl, as she had a wardrobe of over ten beautifully rich and colourful dresses to wear. But Denise also gets her share, as she has the most gorgeous hairstyles during the series. The Paradise has made me 're'discover my love of Victorian period drama, after watching quite a lot of movies and tv series taking place in Edwardian times or later the last year. No, the Victorian era is absolutely my favourite, not only because of it's fashion, but also the social customs and challenges of this era.
The Paradise is a delightful mixture of both lighthearted and more serious storylines set against the beautiful backdrop of a Victorian department store. Really, what's not to like?
What to know: There are references to children out of wedlock and an employee sleeping with her boss. There are multiple instances of passionate kisses. A murder takes place of-screen and the employees often spend nights out at the local pub and sometimes get drunk. The Paradise is rated TVPG
This is my first review for the Period Drama Challenge I'm participating in via the blog Old-Fashioned Charm. As late last year I had already started reviewing more of the movies and series I watch and this was also a sort of New Year's resolution for 2013, this challenge was a nice way to make sure I keep up!
As the challenge asks to review family-friendly movies ór mention it when they are not, you will see a short paragraph about content below the reviews I write for the Period Drama Challenge.
