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Wow, what a terrible piece of television
OK on reflection: loved Andrew Scott. Liked the bits which were true to the book. Liked, despite everything, Davey. Central performances miscast (tho Fanny good). Weirdly slow. Don't like the music. Some bizarre makeup/hair choices. Script uneven.
Alconleigh all wrong, terribly Homes & Gardens. Why no attempt to make it look like winter. Also didn't like the Fanny/Linda romance/sexual tension (& I don't say this lightly). Emily Mortimer should be Emily or Sadie not Bolter.
If you haven't read the book: Linda is really really loveable in it, not awful. Needs much more Davey (also if you're doing "Fanny is in love with/fancies Linda", you need to point out that Davey is in love with her. Go the whole hog).
Unexpectedly full marks to Freddie Fox who is much too slight & beautiful for Tony but is ACTING it manfully & it's a great performance.
I don't think the music's at all necessary, and it seems a weird "Gen Z can't identify unless we do hipster/ironique soundtrack" flex. But just – would you ever guess from that ep that it's one of the funniest books ever written?
That said, I'll be watching the whole thing, because we are in a barren televisual season, and it may improve, and I may remember I like Lily James, and I want to see Hicham play Fabrice
Also I wish we'd had more of the children, I adore the children
