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merryapril
Reviews
Miss Scarlet & the Duke (2020)
Sadly, Eliza's becoming uninteresting
I loved this show the first couple of seasons, but it's losing its charm. The know-it-all Eliza shtick has become tiresome, especially with the increasingly diminished participation of William and Moses in the series. When they were around she was put in her place, often with comic effect. Do the writers realize their audience is predominantly women? And that we were attracted to the show in the beginning in part because of the tantalizing prospect of romance between Eliza and William? The character of Eliza isn't aging well, and she's becoming a stereotype of an ambitious woman with tunnel vision whose personality is brittle and off-putting to everyone around her. It's time she grew up - the petulance, sneering regard for others, and lack of desire for a more well-rounded life is making her too dull to be interesting.
Beecham House: Episode #1.5 (2017)
Renew Beecham House!!!
I'd think it would be within PBS' power, as well as in its interest, to at least lobby for, if not secure, financing to continue this series. The various plot lines are really picking up steam now, and with only one episode left, there surely will be unresolved issues at the end.
The production is beautiful, the cast is very fine, and the story is just right for Sunday evening fare. In a show like this, there's much more that could be mined, much more that deserves to be developed. Just Do It!!!
Our hero John Beecham is in a bind, literally, with treachery all around and at a time when family matters are pressing. Will Margaret Osborne be able to help him survive yet another crisis or, now that he's imprisoned and facing a possible death sentence for treason, will it take a more concerted effort?
It took me a while to get used to Lesley Nicol as an upper middle class woman, no doubt because of her endearing portrayal of Mrs. Patmore in Downton Abbey, but I'm enjoying her just as much now in Beecham House. The entire ensemble is filled with entertaining characters, and the late 18th C never ceases to be of interest. I don't want it to end!!!
The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
So tedious and disappointing
I rarely write reviews, but like others I'm suspicious of how many "10" ratings this series received, so I feel compelled to add my opinion:
The plot is primarily a dysfunctional-family drama in a macabre setting. And it runs way too long which, in order to fill 10 episodes, is probably why the writer created such a large family. I almost gave up after 3 episodes but stuck with it only because I'm not one to bale out. Plus, considering all of the highly-rated reviews, I mistakenly thought it would get better eventually.
BIG problem -- the specters that appeared weren't very scary. Honestly, did the man in the bowler hat frighten ANYONE over 6 years of age? Since we're all pretty much inured to the sight of human putrefaction thanks to all of the zombie-themed entertainment these days, the ghosts of Hill House just weren't terrifying enough, nor was the house itself. Maybe it would've been scarier to have left more to the imagination...
Overall though, the major blame lies with whoever decided 10 episodes was a good idea. Half as many could've been more than enough and would've likely resulted in better writing. While I'm not opposed to the idea of a riff on the classic novel or the 1960s film version, the immense popularity of both created, for me at least, a goodwill that ended up being milked dry by the overwrought plot. The final episode was incomprehensible in that the supposedly-sinister house which, in addition to its deadly history, caused the suicides of 2 main characters and the death of a third, was seemingly transformed into a creepy "event center" of sorts where dead loved ones reunited or communed with their mourners. W.T.F?!?!?! And THEN, as if that wasn't enough, at the very end, all of the troubled siblings apparently lived happily ever after.
Bottom line: anyone tuning into a show about the infamous Hill House expects their spine to tingle and terror to linger, but this series failed to deliver.