I finished North and South* (BBC)...
Disc Two... (For Disc One, see here)
Episode 3
Poor Margaret...she's very graceful, but through the second half of the third episode she really seemed like she was sleep walking...to be surrounded by so much death and sorrow, and not to have any close friend nearby to turn to! First Bessie, then her mother, than Leonards and Boucher. To see Higgins grief and Boucher's wife's grief over their losses. Dealing with the fear of putting her brother in danger, and the grief over her family's loss.
And then to not be able to tell John why she was at the station with a man - she obviously cares what he thinks and regrets being so harsh toward him.They are both doomed to misunderstand one another because they can't talk to each other and when they do they bungle it so badly. They leap to unfortunate conclusions! It's so sad...
The scene in London was awful - the cruelty and evilness of the comments being made was very annoying
I love the end of ep 3 that echoes the end of ep 1 where John Thornton strides through his factory amid a flurry of white fluffs of cotton, like a man in a snowstorm.
...
Now I've finished with the entire miniseries.
The end left me in tears...
To start with, one of my favorite things about episode four, is the relationship that evolves between Nicholas Higgins and John Thornton...the understanding that they come to is beautiful, and their scenes just warmed me to no end.
When Higgins comes to Thornton to beg for a job, for the sake of Boucher's six children, who he's pledged to support, Thornton turns him down and rather harshly. Higgins responds:Higgins: I was told to ask you by a woman. Thought you had a kindness about you.
Thornton almost instantly regrets it, or at least thinks twice of his harsh words to Higgins after he leaves. And moments later, as Higgins strides across the yard below, Thornton asks the foreman how long Higgins had waited to speak to him, and the expression on his face as he realizes...and then he walks along the narrow alley to find Higgins' home! The conversation between them in the apartment is lovely:Thornton:Are these your children?
Higgins: No, but they're mine now.
Thornton: Did your daughter teach them to read?
Higgins: I think they're teaching her.
Thornton: These are the children you mentioned yesterday?
Higgins: You didn't believe me?
Thornton: I spoke to you in a way that I had no business to. I did not believe you. I couldn't have taken care of a man such as Boucher's children. I have made enquiries and I know now that you spoke the truth. I beg your pardon.
Higgins: Boucher's dead, and I am sorry. And that's the end of it.
Thornton: Will you take work with me? That's what I came here to ask.
Higgins:You've called me impudent...a liar, a mischief-maker. But for the sake of these children, you think we could get along?
Thornton: Well, it's not my proposal that we get on well together.
Higgins: Work is work. I'll come. And what's more is, I'll thank you, and that's a good deal from me.
Thornton: And this is a good deal from me. [he extends his hand to Higgins; they shake]
YAY!!! I love this scene so much. But Thornton has one last question to ask as he leaves Higgins' flat:Thornton: Was Miss Hale the woman who told you to come to me? [Higgins just stares back at him] You might have said.
Higgins:And you'd have been a bit more civil? [Thornton turns to leave and Higgins smiles]
And then, directly after, Thornton comes to see Margaret's father.Thornton: I thought you might like to know that I've taken Higgins on.
Margaret: I am glad of it.
Thornton: I didn't know that it was you that urged him to come to me.
Margaret: Would it have made you more or less likely to give him a job?
Thornton: [shakes his head as he considers her] I don't know. I'll not withdraw it, though, if that's what worries you.
Margaret: I wouldn't think you capable of that. [she looks down and seems to shrink into herself] I have a better opinion of you than you do of me, at the moment, I feel.
Oww! She seems so humbled in this scene. But then I'm quite annoyed with her when later, after her father asks her about whether or not she'd entertained a proposal from Thornton, she confesses to it, but tells him that "I've done nothing that I wouldn't do again." She looks so sad as she says it, and I wonder what she can say that and still be honest with herself.
The understanding between Higgins and Thornton - the looks that they exchange as Thornton looks down on the departing men in the yard, Higgins' comments to Margaret about how hard Thornton works to all hours of the night, and Thornton talking to the young boy in the yard - and then the scheme that is hatched between Higgins and Thornton for some kind of a workers' cafeteria is *wonderful.* Later, I love the way that Higgins almost looks after Thornton and tries to get him to eat when he's been working hard all day...their growing camaraderie is so heartwarming.
This final episode is just too full - the death of her father is so sad (and when Margaret leaves Milton for London after her father's death, and she stops the carriage to say goodbye to Nicholas Higgins and his daughter, I cried. Owwww....), but in a way, it grants her freedom to become more of who she is, particularly after Mr. Bell leaves her and makes her an heiress.
When Mr. Bell leaves Thornton, I love the deep feeling in Thornton's pose - one hand over his face, refusing to look up. And then later, when his mother finds him sprawled over his desk in complete exhaustion. I just want to hug him.
In the mill, after it closes, I love how Thornton remembers Margaret there, the first time he saw her, and they parallel this with Margaret's first memories of Thornton when she stands in the mill again, empty and still. I also love that last conversation between Margaret and Mrs. Thornton - and Margaret's hand on Mrs. Thornton's arms, and the way she turns away.
The ending is just gorgeous: Thornton striding through green grass to let you know where he is (they do a lovely job of contrasting North and South through colors and landscape)...and the train scene at the end. I love Thornton with his collar undone (finally, and it looks SO HOT), and the look of hope on his face, and tenderness. GAH! The expression on his face through this entire scene is so swoonworthy, and "you don't need Henry to explain" - that tone of voice is also...words are failing me, I'm afraid.
Thornton: You're coming home with me?
Sweeter words could not be said - that plus the look on his face!!!
Margaret is a bit of a problematic heroine, but I liked her nonetheless, although it did take me a while to warm up to her. When I realized how much tragedy she was coping with, how much death she'd seen in Milton, how much sadness and grief, I had a lot more sympathy of her and her foolishness, but I also don't excuse Thornton because he was very harsh and judgmental not just with her, but with others. But when brought to see reason, he was always very fair. I must say, he was the character to follow in this series, and I LOVE him!
All images are from the North & South BBC site, hosted by me
I must end now, despite the fact that this isn't very complete. I just have no words left. I loved it, I loved, I loved it.
And for more, and better thoughts, see koalathebear's review here, and dangermousie's extensive thoughts here.
And for even more goodies, see here for koalathebear's sound clips of the series. Sublime!
ETA: And because her posts and discussions are too good to miss, here is a link to all of koalathebear's North & South posts.
ETA2: These will be linked in koalathebear's main N&S tag, but I'm linking these GORGEOUS picspams separately: Train Platform Scene, "Look back. Look back at me" scene,
*This is not the Patrick Swayze miniseries, but the BBC miniseries based on Gaskell's book.
Episode 3
Poor Margaret...she's very graceful, but through the second half of the third episode she really seemed like she was sleep walking...to be surrounded by so much death and sorrow, and not to have any close friend nearby to turn to! First Bessie, then her mother, than Leonards and Boucher. To see Higgins grief and Boucher's wife's grief over their losses. Dealing with the fear of putting her brother in danger, and the grief over her family's loss.
And then to not be able to tell John why she was at the station with a man - she obviously cares what he thinks and regrets being so harsh toward him.They are both doomed to misunderstand one another because they can't talk to each other and when they do they bungle it so badly. They leap to unfortunate conclusions! It's so sad...
The scene in London was awful - the cruelty and evilness of the comments being made was very annoying
I love the end of ep 3 that echoes the end of ep 1 where John Thornton strides through his factory amid a flurry of white fluffs of cotton, like a man in a snowstorm.
...
Now I've finished with the entire miniseries.
The end left me in tears...
To start with, one of my favorite things about episode four, is the relationship that evolves between Nicholas Higgins and John Thornton...the understanding that they come to is beautiful, and their scenes just warmed me to no end.
When Higgins comes to Thornton to beg for a job, for the sake of Boucher's six children, who he's pledged to support, Thornton turns him down and rather harshly. Higgins responds:Higgins: I was told to ask you by a woman. Thought you had a kindness about you.
Thornton almost instantly regrets it, or at least thinks twice of his harsh words to Higgins after he leaves. And moments later, as Higgins strides across the yard below, Thornton asks the foreman how long Higgins had waited to speak to him, and the expression on his face as he realizes...and then he walks along the narrow alley to find Higgins' home! The conversation between them in the apartment is lovely:Thornton:Are these your children?
Higgins: No, but they're mine now.
Thornton: Did your daughter teach them to read?
Higgins: I think they're teaching her.
Thornton: These are the children you mentioned yesterday?
Higgins: You didn't believe me?
Thornton: I spoke to you in a way that I had no business to. I did not believe you. I couldn't have taken care of a man such as Boucher's children. I have made enquiries and I know now that you spoke the truth. I beg your pardon.
Higgins: Boucher's dead, and I am sorry. And that's the end of it.
Thornton: Will you take work with me? That's what I came here to ask.
Higgins:You've called me impudent...a liar, a mischief-maker. But for the sake of these children, you think we could get along?
Thornton: Well, it's not my proposal that we get on well together.
Higgins: Work is work. I'll come. And what's more is, I'll thank you, and that's a good deal from me.
Thornton: And this is a good deal from me. [he extends his hand to Higgins; they shake]
YAY!!! I love this scene so much. But Thornton has one last question to ask as he leaves Higgins' flat:Thornton: Was Miss Hale the woman who told you to come to me? [Higgins just stares back at him] You might have said.
Higgins:And you'd have been a bit more civil? [Thornton turns to leave and Higgins smiles]
And then, directly after, Thornton comes to see Margaret's father.Thornton: I thought you might like to know that I've taken Higgins on.
Margaret: I am glad of it.
Thornton: I didn't know that it was you that urged him to come to me.
Margaret: Would it have made you more or less likely to give him a job?
Thornton: [shakes his head as he considers her] I don't know. I'll not withdraw it, though, if that's what worries you.
Margaret: I wouldn't think you capable of that. [she looks down and seems to shrink into herself] I have a better opinion of you than you do of me, at the moment, I feel.
Oww! She seems so humbled in this scene. But then I'm quite annoyed with her when later, after her father asks her about whether or not she'd entertained a proposal from Thornton, she confesses to it, but tells him that "I've done nothing that I wouldn't do again." She looks so sad as she says it, and I wonder what she can say that and still be honest with herself.
The understanding between Higgins and Thornton - the looks that they exchange as Thornton looks down on the departing men in the yard, Higgins' comments to Margaret about how hard Thornton works to all hours of the night, and Thornton talking to the young boy in the yard - and then the scheme that is hatched between Higgins and Thornton for some kind of a workers' cafeteria is *wonderful.* Later, I love the way that Higgins almost looks after Thornton and tries to get him to eat when he's been working hard all day...their growing camaraderie is so heartwarming.
This final episode is just too full - the death of her father is so sad (and when Margaret leaves Milton for London after her father's death, and she stops the carriage to say goodbye to Nicholas Higgins and his daughter, I cried. Owwww....), but in a way, it grants her freedom to become more of who she is, particularly after Mr. Bell leaves her and makes her an heiress.
When Mr. Bell leaves Thornton, I love the deep feeling in Thornton's pose - one hand over his face, refusing to look up. And then later, when his mother finds him sprawled over his desk in complete exhaustion. I just want to hug him.
In the mill, after it closes, I love how Thornton remembers Margaret there, the first time he saw her, and they parallel this with Margaret's first memories of Thornton when she stands in the mill again, empty and still. I also love that last conversation between Margaret and Mrs. Thornton - and Margaret's hand on Mrs. Thornton's arms, and the way she turns away.
The ending is just gorgeous: Thornton striding through green grass to let you know where he is (they do a lovely job of contrasting North and South through colors and landscape)...and the train scene at the end. I love Thornton with his collar undone (finally, and it looks SO HOT), and the look of hope on his face, and tenderness. GAH! The expression on his face through this entire scene is so swoonworthy, and "you don't need Henry to explain" - that tone of voice is also...words are failing me, I'm afraid.
Thornton: You're coming home with me?
Sweeter words could not be said - that plus the look on his face!!!
Margaret is a bit of a problematic heroine, but I liked her nonetheless, although it did take me a while to warm up to her. When I realized how much tragedy she was coping with, how much death she'd seen in Milton, how much sadness and grief, I had a lot more sympathy of her and her foolishness, but I also don't excuse Thornton because he was very harsh and judgmental not just with her, but with others. But when brought to see reason, he was always very fair. I must say, he was the character to follow in this series, and I LOVE him!
All images are from the North & South BBC site, hosted by me
I must end now, despite the fact that this isn't very complete. I just have no words left. I loved it, I loved, I loved it.
And for more, and better thoughts, see koalathebear's review here, and dangermousie's extensive thoughts here.
And for even more goodies, see here for koalathebear's sound clips of the series. Sublime!
ETA: And because her posts and discussions are too good to miss, here is a link to all of koalathebear's North & South posts.
ETA2: These will be linked in koalathebear's main N&S tag, but I'm linking these GORGEOUS picspams separately: Train Platform Scene, "Look back. Look back at me" scene,
*This is not the Patrick Swayze miniseries, but the BBC miniseries based on Gaskell's book.