S01.E01: TBA

[Meredith Quill]

Quote

TBA

[BetterButter]

 

[Haleth]

I loved, loved this!  Really captured the charm and spirit of the book. 

[paigow]

Thankfully, not a lot of bad Russian accents and Rostov sounds like young Kenobi...

[anniebird]

I thought this was wonderful - no fake Russian accents, just Ewan McGregor and his endless charm.

[paigow]

I am confused by the handling of Nikolai... It seemed like he was supposed to get a big public execution instead of just shot at night with nobody else around...

[Macbeth1966]

I am really enjoying this.  I loved the novel so much.  💖

29 minutes ago, paigow said:

I am confused by the handling of Nikolai... It seemed like he was supposed to get a big public execution instead of just shot at night with nobody else around...

I am not surprised.  When Rostov was waiting to see how it would go for him - the person before him was practically shot in front of Rostov.

If it was only a few people that they killed- they would have made examples of the people getting killed.  But it was a lot more than a few.  A great deal more.

[paigow]

1 hour ago, Macbeth1966 said:

If it was only a few people that they killed- they would have made examples of the people getting killed.  But it was a lot more than a few.  A great deal more.

Nikolai was a high profile target [ex-royalty] who warranted a public execution for propaganda reasons...

[paigow]

Glad that the narrator is a young girl rather than a surly teenage boy apprentice who tries and fails to kill Rostov on the bank of a lava river...

[Macbeth1966]

18 hours ago, paigow said:

Nikolai was a high profile target [ex-royalty] who warranted a public execution for propaganda reasons...

They didn't publicly execute the Tsar.  

[mledawn]

Really enjoyed this episode - Ewan McGregor is doing a great job. I like that they're just going with English accents so we don't hear awful put-on Russian accents.

Enjoying the H!ITG! of English actors, too.

[lucindabelle]

Nikolai is a prince but in Russia not all princes were royalty. 
 

Spoiler

doesn’t Nina disappear halfway through the book? She leaves her daughter. 

 

Edited April 2, 2024 by lucindabelle

[Haleth]

@lucindabelleThat should probably be spoiler tagged. 

[lucindabelle]

Oops sorry thank you

 

i must say most of this looks exactly as I pictured. I never had a great mental image of the Count so this is fine. Didn’t his moustache get shaved off entirely though?

I didn’t expect or remember the stairs to go around an open courtyard. Brr.

Spoiler

Halecki isn’t the same guy who ends up his party movie loving friend, right?

 

did we meet the awful waiter this early?

 

I don’t really mind the changes they’ve made though. I do wonder if people who haven’t read the book understand the significance of the coins.

 

did they say who paid for his meals in the book? I always wondered about that. 

 

 

Edited April 2, 2024 by lucindabelle

[meep.meep]

The stairs go around the lobby as described in the book.  Most big/grand hotels have big lobbies for people to sit in.

[christie]

I read the book, which I enjoyed and, when I saw this advertised, I was really looking forward to ot but I'm just not feeling it. Ewan McGregor isn't selling the Count to me.

[paigow]

23 hours ago, lucindabelle said:

Nikolai is a prince but in Russia not all princes were royalty.

Prince implies Royal Family blood... Google Translate fail... 

[lucindabelle]

11 hours ago, meep.meep said:

The stairs go around the lobby as described in the book.  Most big/grand hotels have big lobbies for people to sit in.

The stairs to the servants quarter I meant.

 

as for Russian princes, no, it’s not really royal. It just doesn’t have that connotation the way it would in any other European country. It’s a translation fail. A Russian prince is what we’d probably call a duke. It’s a nobleman but not royal. Right below princes are counts. 
 

 

[paigow]

FYI - Actual episode title: A Master of Circumstance

[snarktini]

On 4/2/2024 at 8:22 PM, lucindabelle said:

The stairs to the servants quarter I meant.

Same thought here -- I don't remember a description of having to go outside to reach his room either and it seemed odd. I knew he was tucked away but this feels like it was changed to get the film drama of being sent up and away to the boonies. (Or, make that Siberia lol)

I try not to get too distracted by these things, as books and films can have purposeful differences, but his room stands out as not benefiting from the transition. In the book, he takes more of this things from the suite than he can fit in the new quarters and totally stuffs the tiny room so he can barely maneuver, including two armchairs. They wanted it to look austere, and that's a choice, but I preferred the other in my head :)

Man, his minder HATES him. If looks could kill.

I'm glad I know the story, it helps in the little moments like the gold coins and understanding what was going on with the new waiter, the shift in culture and service.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 4/26/2024 at 9:17 PM, snarktini said:

I'm glad I know the story, it helps in the little moments like the gold coins and understanding what was going on with the new waiter, the shift in culture and service.

Can you explain the coins?  The have not recurred in later episodes.  I have not read the book.

Edited May 4, 2024 by EtheltoTillie

[ProudMary]

2 hours ago, EtheltoTillie said:

Can you explain the coins?  The have not recurred in later episodes.  I have not read the book.

The series is unrolling the story in a similar manner to what the book did. You're not yet supposed to understand anything about the coins, so don't worry about them now. They will come into play before the end of the series. Just pay attention to small stuff that seems unimportant as you watch the show because it all comes together at the end. 

Trust me, you don't want to be spoiled.

[EtheltoTillie]

2 hours ago, ProudMary said:

The series is unrolling the story in a similar manner to what the book did. You're not yet supposed to understand anything about the coins, so don't worry about them now. They will come into play before the end of the series. Just pay attention to small stuff that seems unimportant as you watch the show because it all comes together at the end. 

Trust me, you don't want to be spoiled.

Thank you!  I'm all caught up in episodes.