LiveenLetLive

I came here to rant about the women not being aged at ALL, the men are grizzled and look like they have been in constant battles for 20 years and the women are as dewy fresh now (gray wigs not withstanding) as they were 20 years ago (in terms of the show's timeline.) It drives me nuts, Lagertha and Torvi would both look like pieces of rawhide at this stage, LOL. Man I miss Travis he was so good as Ragnar.

James 1 is commonly accepted as being homosexual, love letters between James and the Duke of Buckingham still exist and pull no punches that their relationship was sexual.

Yes it is accepted pretty much that King James preferred men (believe me I have known a couple of gay men who produced children that you would never guess had ever touched a woman let alone have intercourse with her, James was expected to do his job and father heirs and so he was clearly up for it--pun intended!) Cummings being camp and mildly flirting with Ryan is about as close as they could get to the essential truth of King James considering that DW is still a children's program technically, Speaking of which, I don't believe that historically James I is considered a bad Monarch so I was slightly offended by his portrayal (I am a Yank but I love history so have watched various docs on the British Monarchy). I did not like this episode, too preachy and the Doctor seemed shocked on how women were treated in previous time periods---even though he/she has traveled for centuries and has landed back in various centuries where women were subordinate and expected to keep quiet and keep docile? The clothing issue really bothers me too especially Yaz with her trousers, believe it or not in the 19thc and early 20thc women could be cited for indecency if they wore trousers. Just blech on this one as far as I am concerned.

Yeah this episode was about as subtle as the NotTrump one--I don't suppose that the audience would NOT conflate Kerblam with Amazon eh? It was OK, not great like last week's IMO, but fine as a filler episode, there were some pretty funny lines and I like to laugh so that scored points with me, I especially liked Twirrly taking measure of the always frantic Doctor and suggesting that she browse blood pressure meds (hahaha, middle aged folk joke.)

I had actually skipped most of the Capaldi era, I hated PC in the role and that whole business when he took over at trying to transition from that special not quite love connection between the Doctor and Clara was ham handed IMO---blech! I am loving Jodi, and the 3 companion set up makes a family which I like very much indeed.

Damn I haven't cried so much over a Who episode since Tennant's tenure which had plenty of five hankie story lines, As a lover of History I have a rough idea of the horror that happened at the time of the Partition, the cinematography and the score were so, so beautiful, as was the actor who played Prem, yeah I am being shallow but what a dish. Loved this episode, loved the subtle nod to the current political divide---LOVE.

Meh, the politically correct elements in the episode had all the subtlety of being hit by a sledgehammer, the weakest episode so far IMO, they did get me teary at the end with the eulogy/prayer. The creature was adorable and reeked of merchandising opportunity, LOL. Was this episode meant to be a salute to Star Trek btw? It really struck me as similar to various original ST storylines.

LMAO---this! I almost fell off my chair when Jackie said that he was 48---how old is Jackie supposed to be? Lori Metcalf is 63. I hardly recognized Broderick, yes he was in costume, but he has picked up some weight? It was the voice that gave him away.

good catch, pity the writers didn't make that clear, I liked the episode but they did seem all too eager to get American's love of gunfire into it somehow no matter how artificially.

bwahahaha

I am assuming he was a psychopath who was also a racist of some sort, I am hoping we see more of him and get more of his story.

I must admit that I felt ashamed because this is American history, sigh, still loving Jodie. I found the episode quite moving. I just looked up photos of Parks and her husband, Raymond Parks was quite dark skinned actually.

Still loving JW as the new Doctor, her meeting the Tardis at the end was perfection (yes the new interior will take time) but she captured the feeling of intimately entwined partners meeting again after a separation very well, so far, better than I thought possible, and best of all, no potential romantic partner!

Ok I think that I was under the influence of Dido Bell's precarious position in upper English society when thinking about that character, LOL, as for Becky, I think that we can say that Thackery has a grudging respect for her.

Same here, did not like Capaldi at all, too frail (he and I are the same age btw.) Jodie hit the right note, I love that she is not distractingly gorgeous and is rather tomboyish in all the right ways, it appears to be that this season will be good. The ONLY Capaldi episode that I can say unreservedly that I loved.

But there were white West Indian Families as well, for example, the writer Jean Rhys and Alexander Hamilton were both from the region, did Thackery really describe her as mixed race? I've read the book but long ago. At any rate, now that it is over, I must say that I really enjoyed this production---although what a waste of that hott husband of Becky's. The costuming was beautiful---those Hats!

The bidding war over this book demonstrates the sad state of fiction at the moment I am afraid---the only meme that Barton was missing was making Cornelia a transsexual, (/snerk)

didn't read the book but I do know the answer to your question--->NO, Nella never meets the miniaturist, that scene, lame as it is was invented for the series.

I wish I could love your post twice. BTW, I might point out that the action takes place over 4 MONTHS, so Nella goes from naive country girl who one would assume had no idea what homosexual meant to loving helpmate of the asshole who married her to be his beard and then couldn't do at least his duty that most men in that situation would--father an heir and be done with it, I have known gay men who you would not believe could ever have sex with a woman who did and produced children, the real Johannes would indeed have remained a bachelor or completed the pretense by impregnating his wife. Also who in the hell was the miniaturist and what was her "gift/curse" apparently Barton never came up with the answer in the book and the series couldn't come up with one either!

Well now that the last part has aired, what in the hell? I read this drama described online as a"romance," huh? between whom? Johannes and Nella? clearly not, although the last part suggested an almost romantic closeness between the pair....Blech I just ended up confused, as Nella stuck loyally with Johannes their growing closeness seemed like a love story except of course it never could be because Nella didn't have the right equipment--it just came off as both confused and maddeningly anachronistic, that very modern speech Johannes gave, I mean oh please, ultimately the "message" was grrrl power comes to Delft or wherever it was set, LOL--what rubbish IMO. In this group I belong to on facebook on English drama someone commented that there are many "happy" marriages that are sexless...although possible & clearly such situations occur, LOL, is it really likely that a young woman who has never had any experience with a man (especially since Nella clearly showed interest in having a husband in the fullest sense--that aggressive kiss she gave him) really be interested in such an arrangement? clearly Ms Barton was trying desperately to sell her girl power theme and came up with this twaddle.

Ok I just watched most of PBS episode 2 (zoomed past the dog) and I feel that I can finally say this--it is highly unlikely that IRL a gay man like Johannes would not go through the motions to at least father an heir, James 1 of England has basically been accepted as being primarily homosexual with open male favorites and love letters between him and one of his most passionate inamorata remain and these leave little question of a physical relationship between them, nevertheless, he was able to father several children with his wife because it was his duty to do so, and I doubt that a man like Johannes wouldn't go through the motions in 17thc Holland to at least provide himself with a son (preferably) to inherit his business--the ridiculous modernity of his speech on the subject to 18 year old Nella and her overly mature and knowing replies would certainly not be out of place now, but Barton stuck this into historical fiction that doesn't include time travel (no I don't watch Outlander but I am aware of the time travelling theme), hahaha. I won't go further now, but next week's conclusion drives me nuts for several reasons. LOL---yes, I know I should just be a-historical and "enjoy" this damn thing without questioning the plot!

The author, 31 year Jesse Barton threw everything against the wall including a "I am what I am" undercurrent that seems very modern to me, she added a soupcon of mystery and padded the story with boring historical minutia and it worked, there was a bidding war on the book-->reviews on Amazon are mixed and for many of the reasons we have discussed, The questions in your first line sums the issues up in a nutshell, I missed last night and thus missed the dog murder for which I am glad.

Tonight's episode was very good---jeesh I wish I could remember how Thackeray wrote Becky, did he dislike her? admire her ability to survive? she is probably up there with the most unlikable heroines in English History.

Although I did watch the final BBC episode (which can be found online, there were only 2 parts when it aired,Masterpiece has divided into 3) I missed the whole Rezeki thing and don't know if I can face it! I am a dog lover. zoey all your questions will be answered next week. Of course that is when The Miniaturist switches into melodramatic, somewhat pretentious, Anachronistic overdrive IMO.

That would have been just as obvious as having Johannes be gay, LOL, I was shocked by the ending twist only because I'll admit that I was waiting for an actual romance and was thinking that having him be gay was just such a modern meme, especially after the kissing scene which seemed to be getting relatively steamy between the 2 until Nella tried to touch him or whatever, not to mention the fact that probably most young women of a certain class prior to the 20thc would have been innocent of sexuality with Mother's being reluctant to even explain the "mechanics." For example, Effie Gray who married English critic and writer John Ruskin in the mid 19thc knew that something was wrong in the marriage but had NO idea that her marriage remained unconsummated after several years of marriage, and the writer Edith Wharton begged her mother to explain what was meant to happen on her wedding night but ended up not knowing a thing until after she married as her mother refused to discuss it with her. Nella's forwardness with Johannes did not seem realistic to me but I haven't read the book and maybe it was explained better in it?