Episode #1.3 (8 Apr. 2012)

Not wanting to accept that Magwitch is his benefactor Pip goes to Satis House where,not only is it confirmed but he is horrified to learn that Estella is marrying Drummle,to destroy him,the... See full summary »

Director:

Brian Kirk

Writers:

Sarah Phelps (screenplay), Charles Dickens (novel)

Stars:

Ray Winstone, Douglas Booth, Harry Lloyd

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Ray Winstone	...	Abel Magwitch
Douglas Booth	...	Pip
Harry Lloyd	...	Herbert Pocket
Jack Roth	...	Dolge Orlick
Mary Roscoe	...	Hannah
Tom Burke	...	Bentley Drummle
David Suchet	...	Jaggers
Gillian Anderson	...	Miss Havisham
Vanessa Kirby	...	Estella
Paul Ritter	...	Wemmick
Frances Barber	...	Mrs. Brandley
Susan Lynch	...	Molly
Paul Rhys	...	Compeyson
Steve Lately	...	Mike
Perdita Weeks	...	Clara

Storyline

Not wanting to accept that Magwitch is his benefactor Pip goes to Satis House where,not only is it confirmed but he is horrified to learn that Estella is marrying Drummle,to destroy him,the continuation of her adopted mother's plan for her to break men's hearts,Pip having been the guinea pig. Back in London his snobbery must be put aside when Herbert tells him that,as a lifer returned illegally to England to see Pip,Magwitch will be hung if caught and plans are made to smuggle him on board a ship. Discovering that Estella's mother is Molly,Jaggers' housekeeper whom he saved from the gallows,he forces the lawyer to tell him that Magwitch is the girl's father. Pip thwarts an attempt to kill him by Orlick,who boasts that he attacked Pip's sister,but Orlick,after the reward for Magwitch's capture,is in league with Compeyson,another ex-convict and Magwitch's sworn enemy,as well as the man who jilted Miss Havisham. As Pip rows his benefactor to safety they are intercepted by soldiers led by...

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Release Date:

8 April 2012 (USA)

Company Credits

Did You Know?

Quotes

Miss Havisham: The broken heart. You think you will die, but you just keep living, day after day after terrible day.

User Reviews

A good ending

As IMDb does not seem to be allowing us to comment on the serial as a whole, I am doing it one episode at a time.

This is the finale, and it's pretty good. I still don't think Douglas Booth was a good choice for Pip (as I explained at length in my review of episode 2), but I'll leave that aside here.

The story is simplified and stripped back, which we have to accept in a three-hour adaptation of a very long book. The revelation of the real benefactor is pretty well handled, and the demise of the bogus benefactor, while perhaps a bit too melodramatic, is not out of character for Dickens. The river scene is well done.

It's a shame Joe doesn't marry Biddy (She doesn't exist in this version). In fact Joe gets pretty short shrift altogether. It's also a pity that we are never told the reason why Pip ends up without any money - but these defects are not too severe.

As for the final scene, we should recall that Dickens himself came up with two versions of it and seemed unsure about how to end the book. I think it is well handled here.

The previous BBC version of 1999 was better overall, but this one is still well worth seeing.