It truly is revenge that takes over in the third installment of the BBC mini series of the Fay Weldon 1983 novel, with Ruth (Julie T. Wallace) going out of her way to frame Bobbo for embezzlement. At a Christmas party, she bids farewell to lover Miriam Margolyes who is obviously upset by the claim they'll ever see each other again. Obviously Ruth is not just a she double for the revenge she wants but for the people that she meets and dumps along the way. A new plan requires a new position.
"Plain! She's damned ugly. I like ugly people", her new employer tells her, and as a nanny, she's quite formidable. Wallace goes from glamorous (but still looking like a clown which is obviously intentional) back to plain, and her plans are for an extreme transformation, hence her comment to Margolyes that she would not recognize her on the street if they were to pass each other by. This leads to some very squeamish sequences as the transformation begins.
This is the point where Mary sees her no longer the diva of the romance novelist trade, watching the awards she always won from her bedroom and seeing younger faces taking over. The tears that fall down her face truly have a profound effect on her, and when she is rejected by the Spanish butler she's taken for granted, it comes clear to her that she's losing her grip. The scenes of Ruth (using an alias as Polly) at her new job are a bit slow, but that serves a purpose. This is where the audience begins to get a clue of what she's up to, thinking to themselves, "Oh no she won't!" to which people who have seen it, "Oh yes she does! And then some!"
"Plain! She's damned ugly. I like ugly people", her new employer tells her, and as a nanny, she's quite formidable. Wallace goes from glamorous (but still looking like a clown which is obviously intentional) back to plain, and her plans are for an extreme transformation, hence her comment to Margolyes that she would not recognize her on the street if they were to pass each other by. This leads to some very squeamish sequences as the transformation begins.
This is the point where Mary sees her no longer the diva of the romance novelist trade, watching the awards she always won from her bedroom and seeing younger faces taking over. The tears that fall down her face truly have a profound effect on her, and when she is rejected by the Spanish butler she's taken for granted, it comes clear to her that she's losing her grip. The scenes of Ruth (using an alias as Polly) at her new job are a bit slow, but that serves a purpose. This is where the audience begins to get a clue of what she's up to, thinking to themselves, "Oh no she won't!" to which people who have seen it, "Oh yes she does! And then some!"
