"Don't go, Jane!" (my thoughts on Part 2)
Seeing as I didn't have the strong negative reaction to Part 1 that many of my fellow JE 2006 viewers seemed to share, I didn't need this episode to redeem the show for me. Having said that, I really really liked it! There were some moments - changes to the book - where I felt uncomfortable and awkward as they really didn't seem to suit the story, but now that I have viewed it, erm, NUMEROUS times through, these are really insignificant when compared with all the good bits (and most of the episode is good). Again, my non-existant hat is off to Toby and especially Ruth Wilson, who is the first actress I have seen that actually manages to capture Jane. She just lights up the screen - you can't tear your eyes off her! But nor can you tear your eyes off Toby... particularly in a certain scene where he has a certain article of clothing unbuttoned... *ahem* yes. (*cough* Mr. Darcy eat your heart out *cough*)
As I was saying to a friend of mine, I feel like we finally have an adaptation that remembers this is Jane's story. As distracting as Rochester is (and he is, oh yes, how he is!) it is primarily about Jane, and in the book, we get her narrative voice telling us her reactions to things. This is where other versions have failed - we get the scenes, but we don't have much to go on in terms of how Jane feels about them. Here, Jane's feelings are unmistakable. We have her reaction to the fire scene (a wonderful, squee-worthy gem of a scene when she realizes she's in love) and we get her reactions to his absence, to learning of Blanche Ingram, and to the news of his return. Without saying too much more, we get Jane's narrative voice, but not through voiceover - we get it through her expressions in these little scenes. We get her actually *crying* (imagine that) when Rochester finds her on the stairs after she's heard herself abused by the Ingrams. In other versions you never believe him when he insists she's depressed. Here we see it clearly.
I could go scene by scene in this episode, but I won't. A few things to laugh about. The ridiculous "riding costume" Rochester wears has been compared to Rupert the Bear, and as Bronteana has said, it is damning evidence. What were they THINKING? Also, the "twins" are hilarious. I believe they're meant to replace Louisa and Amy Eshton from the book, but as their father, Mr. Eshton, is made a young scientist in this production, they naturally cannot be his daughters. Anyway, they're quite cute and I giggle every time they respond, "THE SUPERNATURAL!" to Rochester's suggestion of a game in which things may happen "that we might not be able to explain." Of course it doesn't help that he gives this gorgeous, shit-eating smile afterwards. *le sigh*
I wish I could laugh at the ouija board and the revised gypsy scene that gives a new meaning to the term voyeurism, but I can't. Except in enjoyment of them, of course. Because I actually do enjoy them. They are more or less in the spirit of the novel, and I frankly don't care terribly about the house party section of the book, so it doesn't matter that they've tinkered with it. And they've left my favorite bits in tact, like "I wish I were on a quiet island with only you" - revised slightly of course, but it's there! Toby Toby Toby! You are incredible in this scene, you break my heart. The Mason bit was slightly rushed through, but very atmospheric. As Jane is lead up to the North tower, my heart was pounding like crazy in spite of the fact I knew what she was going to find there. I wish they hadn't cut the scene in the garden aftewards, but I'm not terribly torn up about it.
They kept the money banter scene!!! Okay, so there is no walking up Egyptian pyramids, which I confess disappointed me slightly, but it was still good. Toby and Ruth sparkled - really, magnificent acting from both in that scene. And, can I just say, "Don't go, Jane!" - I think every woman watching that part just melted into a little puddle of goo. I know I did.
All in all, this was damn good. I hadn't expected to enjoy this next part so much - or at least not more than the first part. I am absolutely itching for part 3 - PART 3!!! We all know what THAT means! The acting is just so superb. It is moving without being stagey, the characters are true to those in the book even with the changed dialogue. The fire scene was... well, HOT. Very hot. You came away from it as excited as I first felt when I read that scene in the novel. They've also kept the cliff-hanger style ending as we catch a glimpse of what is locked up in the North tower. Ooh, spooky! But erm, back to the acting. There is a curse on the characters of this particular novel, and that is that the main characters are described as plain and unattractive. Well, I challenge you to find me one adaptation that stays true to that description! (Okay, Ciaran Hinds was pretty foul, but that was mostly his godawful portrayal.) Because this one certainly doesn't. Oh, Ruth Wilson's Jane is by no means gorgeous, but she is striking. And she's quite attractive with her hair down. As for Toby, even the Rupert the Bear clothes and the shaggy dog hairdo can't uglify him. He is sex personified in the fire scene, and it doesn't help either that he's been compared with Wolverine from X-men. Mmm-mmm! Still, I'm not complaining! And it's not just because I like to look at a smoldering, sexy man when I watch period dramas (okay, that is mostly it, but moving on...) but I also genuinely believe his look is true to character. Rochester was ugly not because of his individual features (read the book, my friends, and tell me if any of his features are by themselves ugly) but because his stern, dark appearance did not match contemporary ideas of male beauty. Fair, gentler, Grecian features were in vogue at the time, and as we are constantly reminded, Rochester is no Apollo. But in Toby we get (brown hair aside!) a Rochester that matches the book's descriptions - stern and melancholy at the same time, but with a beautiful smile and at times a teasing/playful or ironic expression. Toby was born to play this role. He's going to be enormous after this, just wait and see!
As I was saying to a friend of mine, I feel like we finally have an adaptation that remembers this is Jane's story. As distracting as Rochester is (and he is, oh yes, how he is!) it is primarily about Jane, and in the book, we get her narrative voice telling us her reactions to things. This is where other versions have failed - we get the scenes, but we don't have much to go on in terms of how Jane feels about them. Here, Jane's feelings are unmistakable. We have her reaction to the fire scene (a wonderful, squee-worthy gem of a scene when she realizes she's in love) and we get her reactions to his absence, to learning of Blanche Ingram, and to the news of his return. Without saying too much more, we get Jane's narrative voice, but not through voiceover - we get it through her expressions in these little scenes. We get her actually *crying* (imagine that) when Rochester finds her on the stairs after she's heard herself abused by the Ingrams. In other versions you never believe him when he insists she's depressed. Here we see it clearly.
I could go scene by scene in this episode, but I won't. A few things to laugh about. The ridiculous "riding costume" Rochester wears has been compared to Rupert the Bear, and as Bronteana has said, it is damning evidence. What were they THINKING? Also, the "twins" are hilarious. I believe they're meant to replace Louisa and Amy Eshton from the book, but as their father, Mr. Eshton, is made a young scientist in this production, they naturally cannot be his daughters. Anyway, they're quite cute and I giggle every time they respond, "THE SUPERNATURAL!" to Rochester's suggestion of a game in which things may happen "that we might not be able to explain." Of course it doesn't help that he gives this gorgeous, shit-eating smile afterwards. *le sigh*
I wish I could laugh at the ouija board and the revised gypsy scene that gives a new meaning to the term voyeurism, but I can't. Except in enjoyment of them, of course. Because I actually do enjoy them. They are more or less in the spirit of the novel, and I frankly don't care terribly about the house party section of the book, so it doesn't matter that they've tinkered with it. And they've left my favorite bits in tact, like "I wish I were on a quiet island with only you" - revised slightly of course, but it's there! Toby Toby Toby! You are incredible in this scene, you break my heart. The Mason bit was slightly rushed through, but very atmospheric. As Jane is lead up to the North tower, my heart was pounding like crazy in spite of the fact I knew what she was going to find there. I wish they hadn't cut the scene in the garden aftewards, but I'm not terribly torn up about it.
They kept the money banter scene!!! Okay, so there is no walking up Egyptian pyramids, which I confess disappointed me slightly, but it was still good. Toby and Ruth sparkled - really, magnificent acting from both in that scene. And, can I just say, "Don't go, Jane!" - I think every woman watching that part just melted into a little puddle of goo. I know I did.
All in all, this was damn good. I hadn't expected to enjoy this next part so much - or at least not more than the first part. I am absolutely itching for part 3 - PART 3!!! We all know what THAT means! The acting is just so superb. It is moving without being stagey, the characters are true to those in the book even with the changed dialogue. The fire scene was... well, HOT. Very hot. You came away from it as excited as I first felt when I read that scene in the novel. They've also kept the cliff-hanger style ending as we catch a glimpse of what is locked up in the North tower. Ooh, spooky! But erm, back to the acting. There is a curse on the characters of this particular novel, and that is that the main characters are described as plain and unattractive. Well, I challenge you to find me one adaptation that stays true to that description! (Okay, Ciaran Hinds was pretty foul, but that was mostly his godawful portrayal.) Because this one certainly doesn't. Oh, Ruth Wilson's Jane is by no means gorgeous, but she is striking. And she's quite attractive with her hair down. As for Toby, even the Rupert the Bear clothes and the shaggy dog hairdo can't uglify him. He is sex personified in the fire scene, and it doesn't help either that he's been compared with Wolverine from X-men. Mmm-mmm! Still, I'm not complaining! And it's not just because I like to look at a smoldering, sexy man when I watch period dramas (okay, that is mostly it, but moving on...) but I also genuinely believe his look is true to character. Rochester was ugly not because of his individual features (read the book, my friends, and tell me if any of his features are by themselves ugly) but because his stern, dark appearance did not match contemporary ideas of male beauty. Fair, gentler, Grecian features were in vogue at the time, and as we are constantly reminded, Rochester is no Apollo. But in Toby we get (brown hair aside!) a Rochester that matches the book's descriptions - stern and melancholy at the same time, but with a beautiful smile and at times a teasing/playful or ironic expression. Toby was born to play this role. He's going to be enormous after this, just wait and see!