Mr. Darcy, Who?
Oh my goodness! I loved this miniseries so much! I wish it was a full-length show. The only other BBC miniseries I've seen is Pride and Prejudice with Colin Firth, and while I enjoyed that one a lot, this one was my favorite out of the two. But to be fair, I have a capricious relationship with Pride and Prejudice; I just don't see the big fuss over it. I know a lot people think North & South is very similar to Pride and Prejudice, I did not think so. North & South dealt with so many other themes: moving to a new place, feelings of alienation and isolation, loss and death, the gaping social divide (I know, I know Pride and Prejudice also dealt with differences in social status, but trust me in North & South the difference is a lot starker), etc.
The setting and tone of the show was a lot darker and grittier than what I was expecting for a period piece set in the Victorian Era, but I liked it. Bring on the grit! The story was set in a cotton mill town where it was the working class versus the "Masters" of the cotton mill. The depiction of poverty was truly grim and heartbreaking. The show maintained a perfect balance between the interpersonal problem: the love/hate story between Margaret and Thornton and the larger societal problem: the social class war between the laborers and the Masters of the cotton mills.
The show opens with Margaret and her family leaving behind their southern home in Helstone to move to Milton in the North. In her search to buy a house, Margaret comes across Mr. Thornton, a cotton-mill owner, beating up an employee for smoking. Margaret is appalled and indignant; Thornton is angry and annoyed, and so begins their love/hate relationship. I just loved the interactions between these two; and the awesome soundtrack just made it even more perfect!
Another thing I liked about this miniseries was that it didn't neglect its side characters. Case in point, I loved Nicholas and Bessy Higgins, a father-daughter duo that worked in the cotton mills. Nicholas was such a dynamic character; I'm so glad that he wasn't made into a one-dimensional bitter, old mill worker. One of my absolute favorite character interactions was between Nicholas and Thornton as they slowly overcame their prejudices of each other and started respecting each other.
There are many reasons to watch this miniseries; the amazing acting, the beautiful soundtrack, the gritty reality of the cotton mills, the lovely romance and the awesome characters. I know that was just a bunch of adjectives, but it really is all that! I leave you with this:
Another thing I liked about this miniseries was that it didn't neglect its side characters. Case in point, I loved Nicholas and Bessy Higgins, a father-daughter duo that worked in the cotton mills. Nicholas was such a dynamic character; I'm so glad that he wasn't made into a one-dimensional bitter, old mill worker. One of my absolute favorite character interactions was between Nicholas and Thornton as they slowly overcame their prejudices of each other and started respecting each other.
There are many reasons to watch this miniseries; the amazing acting, the beautiful soundtrack, the gritty reality of the cotton mills, the lovely romance and the awesome characters. I know that was just a bunch of adjectives, but it really is all that! I leave you with this:
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