of mines and musicals
Poldark 5.3
Previously: I love Demelza, but sand is not soil.
So, everyone bar Demelza assumes Tess was an arsonist. Demelza gave her the benefit of the doubt because she used to be her (she wasn’t). Demelza’s benefit of the doubt theory led to Morwenna (unable to be a mother because Lady Whitmore was keeping her son from her) returning to teaching. Bribing starving children to read, while Jarko couldn’t look past the immediate and was Very Cross about it, worked a treat. What interested me was that there seemed to be no animus between (a still unwed) Rosina and Morwenna.
Ross dimly realised that taking up Ned meant basically minding him whenever Catherine couldn’t, because ‘avoid confrontation’ didn’t seem to be sinking in. That’s not to say that Catherin and Ross avoided confrontation with the egregious Hanson (who raped child slaves as if he hadn’t been eeeeevil enough) at one of Caroline’s worse ideas. Ah yes, the way to convince Cornwall not to be racist is to let Lady Whitworth, who still idolises her dead son, bring the racist, sadistic doctor Dwight has been offered his job to the same party as Catherine (cleverest woman in Cornwall) and Morwenna and her blacksmith husband. No, Caroline.
Uncle Warleggan plumped for the worst medical choice and delusional George got tortured. I can’t say I was too sorry for him. In fact, if it hadn’t scarred Dwight, I was weighing up whether George killing himself would have been for the best. It came down to the will. If Geoffrey Charles got Trenwith, at least, Valentine and Ursula might be well rid of his influence, because I doubt he’d have done anything for the trapped miners either had he been in his usual state of mind.
I was mainly really sorry for Valentine, ignored and left to hear his ‘father’ yowling in pain, having had to deal with him acting like Elizabeth was around, and being left to the rough uselessness of Uncle Warleggan. Fair play to him for saying the emperor had no clothes i.e. that George was upstairs in front of Hanson, although that probably came second to Hanson’s discovery that Cicely was traipsing round Cornwall with a nearly penniless wannabe soldier. Methinks her ideas of what freedom she has were a bit rose-tinted.
It was good to see Valentine interact with people who’d be kind to him. But SRSLY that moment where Clowence was fascinated by Trenwith, and Demelza heroically introducing her children as ‘friends’ to their half-brother - she couldn’t make herself call them stepcousins, which is what they officially are. I just don’t want to see accidental incest if the show comes back in about twelve years time.
Demelza did a bit of revisionist history - I don’t think she went to the room looking so far ahead as to seduce Ross, though staying there, yes. Morwenna was shocked - SHOCKED - trauma having erased her memories of young, shirtless Drake.
We had a brave rescue at the mine, where Ned ignored the counsel of actual Cornish miners, as he’d been doing all episode. Ross made it right, and the twelve-year-old was saved to endanger himself another day, but Dwight shared his concerns about Ned with Demelza. Oh, and I suppose that was Demelza sings! for the season.
Verdon/Fosse ep 3 Me and My Baby
Wonderful opening number, as someone who loves musical numbers - and compare the jaunty, sexy, hopefulness of Fosse’s going down the corridor with the nightmarish vision after he first left the editing suite. My grumble is why Verdon didn’t get such flights of fantasy. Is it because she wasn’t a director, just the woman who could cut through the paralysis of directorial doubt UNPAID?
Of course, it was more complicated than that. As Fosse was juggling editing Cabaret with directing Pippin, and Gwen was embarking on her first straight play - different medium - she’d turfed him out of their place ad he wasn’t respecting that. As she was busy, she needed his help looking after Nicole, but he was busy getting busy with other women - in one scene literally chatting his first choice’s friend up over the phone, in a phone booth, in a trenchcoat - the definition of seedy.
We got many Gwen flashbacks, explaining why she freaked out that Bob left Nicole in a hotel room with a man (who I think was trustworthy, but as Bob totally ditched his daughter for sex, he deserved to get shouted at.) The younger Gwen was clearly older than Nicole, but still, the way she’d got blamed for statutory rape and its outcomes hurt, and then she had to live wth the uselessness of her first husband-rapist. I loved how tapping into leaving her son did make her act like they’d do in straight plays at the time, though the director still had notes (mine would have been stop thrumming your fingers like you’re playing the piano on that poor boy’s head).
Which was of course the note that Bob had (viciously but accurately) given her.
We also saw how big her first success was, though I presume there was a journey beyond switching actresses from Gwen leaving home and her son and etting to Broadway. Still. It explained some of her professional Attitude, under that desire to please everyone.
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/394186.html.
Previously: I love Demelza, but sand is not soil.
So, everyone bar Demelza assumes Tess was an arsonist. Demelza gave her the benefit of the doubt because she used to be her (she wasn’t). Demelza’s benefit of the doubt theory led to Morwenna (unable to be a mother because Lady Whitmore was keeping her son from her) returning to teaching. Bribing starving children to read, while Jarko couldn’t look past the immediate and was Very Cross about it, worked a treat. What interested me was that there seemed to be no animus between (a still unwed) Rosina and Morwenna.
Ross dimly realised that taking up Ned meant basically minding him whenever Catherine couldn’t, because ‘avoid confrontation’ didn’t seem to be sinking in. That’s not to say that Catherin and Ross avoided confrontation with the egregious Hanson (who raped child slaves as if he hadn’t been eeeeevil enough) at one of Caroline’s worse ideas. Ah yes, the way to convince Cornwall not to be racist is to let Lady Whitworth, who still idolises her dead son, bring the racist, sadistic doctor Dwight has been offered his job to the same party as Catherine (cleverest woman in Cornwall) and Morwenna and her blacksmith husband. No, Caroline.
Uncle Warleggan plumped for the worst medical choice and delusional George got tortured. I can’t say I was too sorry for him. In fact, if it hadn’t scarred Dwight, I was weighing up whether George killing himself would have been for the best. It came down to the will. If Geoffrey Charles got Trenwith, at least, Valentine and Ursula might be well rid of his influence, because I doubt he’d have done anything for the trapped miners either had he been in his usual state of mind.
I was mainly really sorry for Valentine, ignored and left to hear his ‘father’ yowling in pain, having had to deal with him acting like Elizabeth was around, and being left to the rough uselessness of Uncle Warleggan. Fair play to him for saying the emperor had no clothes i.e. that George was upstairs in front of Hanson, although that probably came second to Hanson’s discovery that Cicely was traipsing round Cornwall with a nearly penniless wannabe soldier. Methinks her ideas of what freedom she has were a bit rose-tinted.
It was good to see Valentine interact with people who’d be kind to him. But SRSLY that moment where Clowence was fascinated by Trenwith, and Demelza heroically introducing her children as ‘friends’ to their half-brother - she couldn’t make herself call them stepcousins, which is what they officially are. I just don’t want to see accidental incest if the show comes back in about twelve years time.
Demelza did a bit of revisionist history - I don’t think she went to the room looking so far ahead as to seduce Ross, though staying there, yes. Morwenna was shocked - SHOCKED - trauma having erased her memories of young, shirtless Drake.
We had a brave rescue at the mine, where Ned ignored the counsel of actual Cornish miners, as he’d been doing all episode. Ross made it right, and the twelve-year-old was saved to endanger himself another day, but Dwight shared his concerns about Ned with Demelza. Oh, and I suppose that was Demelza sings! for the season.
Verdon/Fosse ep 3 Me and My Baby
Wonderful opening number, as someone who loves musical numbers - and compare the jaunty, sexy, hopefulness of Fosse’s going down the corridor with the nightmarish vision after he first left the editing suite. My grumble is why Verdon didn’t get such flights of fantasy. Is it because she wasn’t a director, just the woman who could cut through the paralysis of directorial doubt UNPAID?
Of course, it was more complicated than that. As Fosse was juggling editing Cabaret with directing Pippin, and Gwen was embarking on her first straight play - different medium - she’d turfed him out of their place ad he wasn’t respecting that. As she was busy, she needed his help looking after Nicole, but he was busy getting busy with other women - in one scene literally chatting his first choice’s friend up over the phone, in a phone booth, in a trenchcoat - the definition of seedy.
We got many Gwen flashbacks, explaining why she freaked out that Bob left Nicole in a hotel room with a man (who I think was trustworthy, but as Bob totally ditched his daughter for sex, he deserved to get shouted at.) The younger Gwen was clearly older than Nicole, but still, the way she’d got blamed for statutory rape and its outcomes hurt, and then she had to live wth the uselessness of her first husband-rapist. I loved how tapping into leaving her son did make her act like they’d do in straight plays at the time, though the director still had notes (mine would have been stop thrumming your fingers like you’re playing the piano on that poor boy’s head).
Which was of course the note that Bob had (viciously but accurately) given her.
We also saw how big her first success was, though I presume there was a journey beyond switching actresses from Gwen leaving home and her son and etting to Broadway. Still. It explained some of her professional Attitude, under that desire to please everyone.
This entry was originally posted at https://shallowness.dreamwidth.org/394186.html.