S06.E03: Dis-Moi Oui

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Diana holidays on the Fayed yacht with Dodi once more, but with Dodi drained by a bitter lawsuit lodged by his former fiancée, the novelty is starting to wear off for Diana whose thoughts turn towards reuniting with William and Harry upon her return to London. As the holiday enters its final days, Fayed steps up the pressure on his son – not merely to pursue the romance but to propose. A fateful diversion to Paris sees matters come to a head – against the backdrop of an intensified and aggressive media pursuit. Meanwhile, at Balmoral, Philip initiates William into the art of deer-stalking.

Dropping Thursday, November 16, 2023.

[Spartan Girl]

Oy. This episode had the all subtlety of Mou-Mou pushing Dodi and Diana together. The parallel to William’s first hunting trip, Diana getting therapy and trying to change her life, it, all ending with that.

I may not be the right person to say this, as I love animals and I loathe hunting, but I’m not really sure a hunting trip is a healthy way to cheer up a moody teenager. Just saying.

Dodi is a fuckboy, no question. Even so, I can’t help feeling bad for him. I did like how kind Diana was when turning him down. Not to mention how understanding she was when he hadn’t actually stood up to his dad. She’d been done that road trying to please everyone, she knew what it was like.

God, she deserved so much better from everyone. 😭😭😭😭

Edited November 16, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Helena Dax]

Wow. I wasn't expecting that so soon in the season!

I'm curious about some of the things that were shown here although it was only the two of them. I guess his dad and her therapist have talked openly about it? Is it true that he proposed and she rejected him?

I usually like Anne, but her advice to cheer William up made me roll my eyes. Even so, it seemed to work, so what do I know about royals' sensitivities? 

It's interesting that the film "The Queen" also used a buck as a symbol of Diana.

[Roseanna]

Well, that was a surprise - not a great romance or an attempt in order to make the Pakistani doctor jealous, but a summer fling and friendship of two people who were astray and helped each other.

Of course Diana's therapists or astrologer or whoever she might be, was first the voice of reason by saying that it was was only about a drama, adrenaline and depence, the antithesis to adulthood. Also, that Dodi's relationshio with his dad wasn't healthy (a smart point: one should always notice how a person interacts with other people).

6 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

I may not be the right person to say this, as I love animals and I loathe hunting, but I’m not really sure a hunting trip is a healthy way to cheer up a moody teenager. Just saying.

 

6 hours ago, Helena Dax said:

I usually like Anne, but her advice to cheer William up made me roll my eyes. Even so, it seemed to work, so what do I know about royals' sensitivities? 

Well, William seemed to be quite happy - it was a test of manhood to him: he proved himself to be as good as his dad and grandfather.

Also, he had fired a good shot, i.e. killed the deer instantly, unlike that guest in the  neighboring farm who only wounded the deer in The Queen.  

[Sailorgirl26]

Oof. That was hard to watch. You just keep hoping against hope even though you know the outcome. 

[greycoupon]

Absolutely a rough watch when you know the end.  Diana and Dodi made such good healthy progress FINALLY.  I have no clue if Dodi really pro;osed but I loved how clear Diana was to everyone, especially the boys, that she wasn't marrying him.  And the racism was nothing new.  I continue to hate how Mou Mou is a mustache twirling villan.   

[Snazzy Daisy]

The relentless machinations by Mohamed Al-Fayed to push for D&D union are unbelievably intrusive.

Quote

“It’s a perfect little house, waiting for the perfect couple.”

Seeing the amount of media frenzy that Diana and Dodi have to endure in their final days, it’s worse than a nightmare. With Mohamed micro-managing their every move, they have lost control of their lives.

They should’ve listened to their security team’s advice to stay put at The Ritz. Down at the bar, Henri Paul thinks he’s off-duty for the rest of the night. 😣

 

Edited November 17, 2023 by Snazzy Daisy

[dubbel zout]

Ironic that Diana was wearing a seatbelt on the way back from Villa Windsor but not the night of the fatal accident.

I'm glad they put the accident so soon into this season, as it had been hanging over the show ever since Elizabeth Debicki took over the role. (Or really, since Diana first showed up in the series.)

That ring was fugly.

I really liked the scene where Diana and Dodi gave each other life advice.

2 minutes ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

Down at the bar, Henri Paul thinks he’s off-duty for the rest of the night.

That's part of the tragedy: The crash was a drunk-driving accident.

[formerlyfreedom]

Personal opinion- that ring is hideous. And definitely not an engagement ring. 

[Spartan Girl]

54 minutes ago, saoirse said:

Personal opinion- that ring is hideous. And definitely not an engagement ring. 

I was thinking the same thing. And it was literally called “pick me”? That’s sad.

Well, at least Dodi had the common sense to propose to her in private, because a public one in front of all those people was the last thing she wanted even if she hadn’t been having a breakdown. And that’s pretty good for somebody who had been kind of love bombing her.

”Perfect little house for the perfect couple.” Yeah I’m sure Diana would love a dream house formerly owned by Nazi sympathizers. 🙄

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

I really liked the scene where Diana and Dodi gave each other life advice.

So did I. While Diana did not to be in that family mess, I did kind of like their friends with benefits relationship. 

 

1 hour ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

Seeing the amount of media frenzy that Diana and Dodi have to endure in their final days, it’s worse than a nightmare. With Mohamed micro-managing their every move, they have lost control of their lives.

Seriously. Every time the paps started chasing them and pounded on Diana’s window, I wanted to scream. They had no shame.

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

That's part of the tragedy: The crash was a drunk-driving accident

Exacerbated by the relentless pursuit by those vultures.

Edited November 17, 2023 by Spartan Girl

[Snazzy Daisy]

24 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

I was thinking the same thing. And it was literally called “pick me”? That’s sad.

What actually happened to that Dis-Moi Oui ring? Mohamed didn't mention anything about it when he was looking at Dodi's belongings from his apartment. We saw the gold watch.

[Roseanna]

14 hours ago, greycoupon said:

Absolutely a rough watch when you know the end.  Diana and Dodi made such good healthy progress FINALLY.  

Only I can't believe they did irl.

The screenwriter has written a beautiful fairy tale in order to make Diana's death to seem even more tragic as if the reality wasn't enough, even making a woman who evidently was still astray (as shown by her fling with a man like Dodi) to "wake up" in the last minute.

By beginning the season with the car crash, everything that happened before seems fateful whereas irl all was just everyday. We know that Diana and her sons knew that they spoke with each other last time, but they didn't.

Although I wrote "make Diana's death even more tragic", according to Aristotetle's classic theory the victim of the tragedy can't be wholly innocent for then we would feel only horror at the fate's unjustice, nor wholly bad because then we wouldn't feel pity towards him/her. Instead, he/she must be otherwise a good person but make an error of judgment whose consequence is fatal (f.ex. Oedipus kills an unknown man who is his father and that murder causes calamities to his city). Only then we feel both horror and pity and get katharsis. (Of course there are more theories about tragedy, but even now Hollywood usually follows Aristotetle's.)

Thus, the real story was in fact a classical tragedy: Diana had played with the media, not understanding the dangers of it.

But of course that didn't cause her death in the car crash that was the result of such random things as a drunken driver who decided to leave the paparazzi beehind by driving too fast, not using the seat belt and the refusal to use official security and trust in Dodi's that had no experience of serious media harassment.

One more "what if": they could have spent the night in Ritz and her baggage could be brought there.     

[MadyGirl1987]

8 hours ago, Roseanna said:

Thus, the real story was in fact a classical tragedy: Diana had played with the media, not understanding the dangers of it.

I agree. That is the crux of her real story, which is neglected here. Her story is the classic someone playing with forces they don’t fully understand and in the end getting destroyed by it when they can’t control them. She used the press and its attention to gain attention and affirmation she wanted and to get back at the royals. She was unable to control the intensity of the press however, and the press and public just became more hungry and intense, helping lead to all the press intrusiveness she faced and the part they played in her death. In a metaphorical sense she was the lion tamer attacked and killed by the lion she thought she could tame. The show seems to paint her as just a victim of forces beyond her control, in this case that she was manipulated by Mohammed Al-Fayed into a relationship with Dodi.

[dubbel zout]

11 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

What actually happened to that Dis-Moi Oui ring?

It's part of the Dodi/Diana shrine at Harrod's.

[iMonrey]

14 hours ago, Snazzy Daisy said:

The relentless machinations by Mohamed Al-Fayed to push for D&D union are unbelievably intrusive.

Quote

"Unbelievable" might be the key word here. It's hard to know how much of this is fictionalized. They really painted Mohamed as the villain in these last three episodes. You would think he was the sole reason Dodi and Diana were killed if this show were your only reference. 

Still, I have to admit, this one got me right in the feels. Fictionalized or not, the part where Diana is telling her boys she'll be home the next day was just heartbreaking. 

[AZChristian]

24 minutes ago, dubbel zout said:

It's part of the Dodi/Diana shrine at Harrod's.

I didn't realize that!  We saw the memorial at Harrod's several years ago, and completely missed seeing the ring.

[peridot]

I'm surprised that Diana didn't laugh in Dodi's face when he gave her that cheesy, silver-plated poem. 

I was disgusted by Dodi's behavior throughout the episode - dragging Diana out for ice cream when she didn't want to go out, actually proposing to her after a few weeks, begging her girlfriend to talk to his dad, etc.  You know this is fiction, since a normal person would be pissed off and not be forgiving that your fling seduced you on the orders of his dad.

I have no words for Mou Mou's actions, either. 

I can't believe those photographers had no shame with their behavior.  They were terrorizing that woman.

[Straycat80]

The hardest part for me was watching the paparazzi hounding Dodi and Diana, those people had no souls. 

[Spartan Girl]

2 hours ago, peridot said:

I was disgusted by Dodi's behavior throughout the episode - dragging Diana out for ice cream when she didn't want to go out, actually proposing to her after a few weeks, begging her girlfriend to talk to his dad, etc.  You know this is fiction, since a normal person would be pissed off and not be forgiving that your fling seduced you on the orders of his dad.

Well, it wasn’t all his dad. If you think Dodi wasn’t willing to drop his fiancée when he and Diana started flirting and he thought he had an actual shot with her, think again. His dad was pushing for the marriage, yeah, but my point stands.

Maybe I’m getting soft, but I liked how nice Diana was turning Dodi down and explaining that he shouldn’t marry her just to make his dad happy. It almost felt like the conversation she should have had with Charles before the wedding all those years ago, even if her face was already on the tea towels. Only she’d been too young and in love to see the writing on the wall. So it showed a tremendous amount of maturity on her part, and especially in how she could see and understand he couldn’t find the courage to do tell his dad just yet. There was no way they were going to public fake getting married, but had things not gone the way they did, she would have helped tell him in person. Which probably would be a better way to do it anyway.

[tennisgurl]

I'm glad that they got us to Diana's death at the midpoint of the season and are giving us a break soon after, that was hard to watch. Dodi and Diana being absolutely hounded by the press that way, slamming on the windows, it seems like a nightmare, even without Mou Mou trying everything he can to push Diana and Dodi into marriage. I was so exhausted watching this even before we got to the big climax. 

This season seems to be the most "this seems made up" of all the seasons, even knowing that every season has certainly had a lot that didn't actually happen. Was Mou Mou really basically responsible for Dodi and Diana's deaths? The show seems to be pushing him as the real cause, even more than their driver having a few drinks before driving them or the paparazzo chasing them around Paris, and the real villain of the story, which seems...iffy to me. 

I have no idea if anything like that conversation between Dodi and Diana really happened, but I like to think that it did and that they both had a moment of peace before it ended. Dodi was a loser who treated both his fiancé and then Diana awfully, but I did feel for him trying so hard to make his father actually care about him, Diana said all of the right things to him. 

Diana telling her boys she would see them tomorrow really hurt.

Edited November 17, 2023 by tennisgurl

[Roseanna]

15 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Mou Mou trying everything he can to push Diana and Dodi into marriage. 

I have thought about Mou Mou's actions and they seem wholly stupid to me. He could force Dodi but not Diana.

How on earth could pictures about the kiss push Diana into marriage? She didn't live in the age and culture where she had "lost her honor" and had to save it by marrying. Because of pictures the media and public became more intrusive, and Mou Mou couldn't protect her at all.

Any man of sense would have done just the opposite: to make all he could that Diana's privacy was ensured and let the romance to blossom in its own time. 

[SoTheresThat]

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

This season seems to be the most "this seems made up" of all the seasons, even knowing that every season has certainly had a lot that didn't actually happen. Was Mou Mou really basically responsible for Dodi and Diana's deaths? The show seems to be pushing him as the real cause, even more than their driver having a few drinks before driving them or the paparazzo chasing them around Paris, and the real villain of the story, which seems...iffy to me. 

I have no idea if anything like that conversation between Dodi and Diana really happened, but I like to think that it did and that they both had a moment of peace before it ended. Dodi was a loser who treated both his fiancé and then Diana awfully, but I did feel for him trying so hard to make his father actually care about him, Diana said all of the right things to him. 

You're right about the "seems made up".  How would anyone know that Mou Mou called the paparazzi?  Nobody knows if Dodi proposed, so anything to do with that is made up.  Anything that passed between Diana and Dodi in private will never be known.  There's a lot of what transpired that summer that can never be known, so the writers had to get creative with these episodes.  This show is not a documentary, it's fictionalized.

I wonder if (even though it's moot now) Diana ever traveled in a vehicle with tinted windows?  Seems like that might have been able to keep the paps away to an extent.

 

Edited November 18, 2023 by SoTheresThat

[Paloma]

1 hour ago, SoTheresThat said:

I wonder if (even though it's moot now) Diana ever traveled in a vehicle with tinted windows?  Seems like that might have been able to keep the paps away to an extent.

Except that they either knew where she was going (maybe bribing hotel staff or other people for info) or waited for her to leave when they knew she was at a restaurant, hotel, or other location, then followed her. Maybe it would helped to wear a disguise (wig, etc.) and go in a plain car, nothing fancy--but she shouldn't have had to do that.

[PurpleTentacle]

I don't think there is any indication that Diana and Dodi actually tried to turn their lifes around, Dodi trying to get free from his father and Diana deciding she would focus on the boys. But it was a nice sentiment. That conversation in the room of the Ritz was a nice note for them to go out on. I guess we can allow ourself this piece of fan-fiction.

21 hours ago, Roseanna said:

The screenwriter has written a beautiful fairy tale in order to make Diana's death to seem even more tragic as if the reality wasn't enough, even making a woman who evidently was still astray (as shown by her fling with a man like Dodi) to "wake up" in the last minute.

I don't know. For me it somehow made it less tragic. Them going out in a good place with each other and their plans for the future. It was weirdly comforting.

Maybe because I know this is a lie. If it was real and the real Diana had been about to turn her life around, then yeah, it would make it more tragic.

9 hours ago, Straycat80 said:

The hardest part for me was watching the paparazzi hounding Dodi and Diana, those people had no souls. 

Welcome to capitalism, where every soul has its price.

3 hours ago, SoTheresThat said:

You're right about the "seems made up".  How would anyone know that Mou Mou called the paparazzi?

I guess the Paparazzo would know. But I doubt this happened. It seems very made up and the Paparazzi were just really resourcefull at finding Diana at the time. There was big money to be made. It's far more likely that some of the staff talked to make a few extra bucks.

[MJ Frog]

13 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Maybe I’m getting soft, but I liked how nice Diana was turning Dodi down and explaining that he shouldn’t marry her just to make his dad happy. It almost felt like the conversation she should have had with Charles before the wedding all those years ago, even if her face was already on the tea towels.

I agree. I thought that whole conversation was lovely. 

[Scarlett45]

I don’t blame Dodi’s fiancé for suing him for lost wages. You tell me to quit my job and turn down earnings in a very time sensitive career (modeling) because we are going to be married and you’ve agreed to support me in a certain lifestyle, and then you dump me right before the wedding?!! Yes I think he owed her at least for the money she lost in that 6months or whatever it was she didn’t work at his request. Not as if he didn’t have it, and he’s the one that broke the promise. Or let her keep the engagement ring for her trouble. No you can’t sue someone for falling out of love with you, but you can for monetary damages after a broken contract. 
 

Why would Diana want to marry Dodi- she’s right, he just ended an engagement! She turned him down gracefully rather than “dude stop being a thirsty fuck boy.”

[aghst]

My recollection of the media reports at the time was that the paparazzi chased them and caused the driver to be reckless with tragic consequences.

But this episode suggests that because they were going back and forth between the hotel, Dodi's apartment and wherever else they had to go, the driver was drunk by the time they set out on that fateful drive.

Again, is this true or is Morgan taking license?

In any event, there didn't seem to be a big reason to drive so fast.  Those scooters would strain to keep up with the car above 50-60 MPH.

But the al-Fayeds look bad, forcing her to take a detour to Paris when she wanted to go back to London right away, just so he could try to propose and they were going back and forth in Paris all day.

I mean why stop in Paris?  They could have sent an employee to pick up the ring in Paris and bring it down to St. Tropez or have it by the time they left for London.

Was Paris going to make Diana feel more romantic and more likely to accept the proposal?  Not with the way the day was going.

Edit to add:  Yeah I thought the hunting thing was distasteful but they've depicted it many times, how the Royal Family loved hunting even though they also loved animals.

I don't think it's much of an accomplishment though.  They have this huge expansive estate and they rely on professionals to track trophy bucks and they line up the shot for the royals who only pull the trigger.

The royals don't bother with dragging their prize home or dressing it or doing anything with the carcass.  There's no Tywin Lannister among them -- he could dress a slain buck.

Diana expressed distaste that William had to go through that, asked him if he had blood smeared on his face and whether he wiped it all off.

Maybe the gloomy weather in Scotland makes people more bloodthirsty, even though they're surrounded by spectacular natural beauty.

And the height of hypocrisy is that they think their hunting trophies are better or noble or more earned while it's revolting when Japanese guests of the lodges on neighboring estates shoot bucks.

Edited November 20, 2023 by aghst

[GHScorpiosRule]

And I think a better title for this episode would have been I’m Sorry” since it seemed that is all Dodi was saying to Diana every other line in every scene with them.🙄🙄🙄🙄

[formerlyfreedom]

Folks, please stick to the episode. To discuss what ‘really’ happened, please go to the Season 6: History topic. Thank you.

[Roseanna]

8 hours ago, aghst said:

But the al-Fayeds look bad, forcing her to take a detour to Paris when she wanted to go back to London right away, just so he could try to propose and they were going back and forth in Paris all day.

How could Dodi "force" Diana? He made a suggestion but she had a full liberty not to accept. Although a private jet was no doubt more comfortable, if she had decided to end the relationship (and in the media frenzy), it would have been better do it ASAP. 

Maybe she was too courteous to say no or she wanted one more day to enjoy all the luxury he could offer her instead of spending a lonely evening in her apartment.

On 11/17/2023 at 4:13 AM, Snazzy Daisy said:

Down at the bar, Henri Paul thinks he’s off-duty for the rest of the night. 😣

Evidently he had never heard of drivers who got caught by the police next morning after the party.

[GHScorpiosRule]

4 hours ago, Roseanna said:

How could Dodi "force" Diana? He made a suggestion but she had a full liberty not to accept.

Well, she did ask him why. She also told him why she wanted to return to London-to call her sons. She may not have emphatically said "No" but she didn't want to detour to Paris. Maybe she should have been more forceful in her not wanting to take a detour. She was pretty upset that she missed talking to William and Harry because of all the delays and running from the paparazzi.

[aghst]

She had booked a commercial flight but Dodi said she can't fly with the public.

So opting for the private jet means going through Paris.

 

Also a commercial flight meant at least a 90-minute drive to Nice airport or 2 hours to Marseille airport.

St. Tropez has a smaller airport which isn't for airline jets but private jets can probably land and take off there.

[BusyOctober]

That ring was hideous.  If I was Diana I would have told Dodi  “I will say yes to you when you come back with a box from Cartier or Tiffany’s.

[Salacious Kitty]

4 minutes ago, BusyOctober said:

That ring was hideous.  If I was Diana I would have told Dodi  “I will say yes to you when you come back with a box from Cartier or Tiffany’s.

Didn't Dodi say that Diana had picked it out? Or liked it? Something like that.

[rur]

1 hour ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Didn't Dodi say that Diana had picked it out? Or liked it? Something like that.

He was rather insistently asking her to point out something that she liked. I got the impression that she just pointed at the first thing she saw and said, "that one." I would prefer to  think she would have had better taste than to thoughtfully choose something that ugly. 

[sistermagpie]

On 11/16/2023 at 10:40 AM, Helena Dax said:

Wow. I wasn't expecting that so soon in the season!

I'm curious about some of the things that were shown here although it was only the two of them. I guess his dad and her therapist have talked openly about it? Is it true that he proposed and she rejected him?

No reason to suppose any of those private conversations were true. The ring was real, I know. I hope it didn't look like that! But we don't know anything more than that, I don't think. There was always a rumor she was pregnant as well.

 

On 11/16/2023 at 9:23 PM, dubbel zout said:

That ring was fugly.

 

On 11/16/2023 at 9:50 PM, saoirse said:

Personal opinion- that ring is hideous. And definitely not an engagement ring. 

OMG, what a hideous ring. And even here they set it up as if she just pointed a the first thing she saw and said it was pretty. Then Dodi wound up looking pathetic again by dragging her to Paris and trying to buy it himself, turning it into a romantic gesture that could only fail.

On 11/17/2023 at 10:42 AM, MadyGirl1987 said:

I agree. That is the crux of her real story, which is neglected here. Her story is the classic someone playing with forces they don’t fully understand and in the end getting destroyed by it when they can’t control them. She used the press and its attention to gain attention and affirmation she wanted and to get back at the royals.

Gotta say, that doesn't really work for me, because while Diana did learn how to use the press to her advantage, she did that after they descended on her in the first place. She never needed to whip them up into a frenzy on purpose.

On 11/19/2023 at 8:23 PM, aghst said:

My recollection of the media reports at the time was that the paparazzi chased them and caused the driver to be reckless with tragic consequences.

That was the first narrative, but it was quickly proven the paps couldn't be totally blamed. The driver was drunk and driving too fast. (And if she'd been wearing a seatbelt she'd also have lived.)

I was impressed at the way they showed Dodi in this episode, the way he proved every single second that he could never have married this woman. He was completely out of his league, always trying to do something and causing trouble he didn't know what to do with. He was completely unprepared to deal with Diana in any situation other than locked in a private space, and this whole ep kept finding ways to show him failing at every situation. Even when he wasn't making bad decisions, he kept getting upset and obviously melting down and obviously should have been letting Diana control things instead. He was like a little kid on a Make-a-Wish date with Diana who insisted on trying to pretend he was in charge.

Obviously we don't know what happened in the car, but it's hard for me to imagine Diana being one to suggest trying to outrun the photographers. But I can believe Dodi the notice, to whom this is all new, telling the drive to speed up.

His father, too, as portrayed here is as inept as Dodi, for all his claims of being the impressive one. He was like a loser junior high friend claiming to be a great pick up artist giving advice to his shy but actually more in touch with reality friend.

 

[jschoolgirl]

16 hours ago, sistermagpie said:

. Then Dodi wound up looking pathetic again by dragging her to Paris and trying to buy it himself, turning it into a romantic gesture that could only fail.

I was impressed at the way they showed Dodi in this episode, the way he proved every single second that he could never have married this woman. He was completely out of his league, always trying to do something and causing trouble he didn't know what to do with. He was completely unprepared to deal with Diana in any situation other than locked in a private space, and this whole ep kept finding ways to show him failing at every situation. Even when he wasn't making bad decisions, he kept getting upset and obviously melting down and obviously should have been letting Diana control things instead. He was like a little kid on a Make-a-Wish date with Diana who insisted on trying to pretend he was in charge.

Obviously we don't know what happened in the car, but it's hard for me to imagine Diana being one to suggest trying to outrun the photographers. But I can believe Dodi the notice, to whom this is all new, telling the drive to speed up.

 

As I said last season, Dodi frequently reminded me of Fredo Corleone.

Edited November 21, 2023 by jschoolgirl

[Ohiopirate02]

16 minutes ago, jschoolgirl said:

As I said last season, Dodi frequently reminded me of Fredo Corleone.

More like a Great Value Fredo Corleone.  I am not impressed with the actor playing Dodi especially when you compare him to John Cazale, but that may be due to the direction given.  I am finding all the Diana-Dodi scenes to be missing something, and I cannot pinpoint what that something is.  

[jschoolgirl]

3 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

especially when you compare him to John Cazale, but

Absolutely!

[Sir RaiderDuck OMS]

20 hours ago, Ohiopirate02 said:

I am finding all the Diana-Dodi scenes to be missing something, and I cannot pinpoint what that something is.  

The two actors have zero chemistry together. I just never bought Diana being romantically interested in the Dodi portrayed here.

I loved Diana's cringing when Baba said "And here's a house for the two of you," followed by Dodi's cringe when he saw Diana's reaction: even though he didn't hear what his father said, he could guess that she didn't like it.

[dubbel zout]

59 minutes ago, Sir RaiderDuck OMS said:

I loved Diana's cringing when Baba said "And here's a house for the two of you,"

Al-Fayed completely misunderstood the feelings of the BRF with regards to the Windsors. There was that episode last season where he expected some senior member of the family to come and claim some of the Duke's personal items/items of royal interest and is crushed it's some secretary instead. (I think this part was pretty factually accurate. He thought he could curry favor by restoring the house to its original glory and offering it to the Queen, who wanted no reminders of her Nazi Uncle David, the man who changed her life forever because of his own selfishness.)

Diana may have been something of a loose cannon, but she wasn't so stupid she was going to live in Villa Windsor, with or without Dodi. Also, I doubt she would want to live in France. I have a hard time thinking her sons would want to live there, too.

[Sweet-tea]

On 11/19/2023 at 7:23 PM, aghst said:

But this episode suggests that because they were going back and forth between the hotel, Dodi's apartment and wherever else they had to go, the driver was drunk by the time they set out on that fateful drive.

Again, is this true or is Morgan taking license?

This was true. The driver was drunk. His alcohol level was .22. The show did a good job of explaining how it happened as he thought he was off for the evening. I wish he would've said no when he was told he was needed anyway. 

I'm glad they didn't show the car crash. It would've been too much for me. It was hard enough watching this. I also wondered why they didn't have tinted windows on the cars. It was stressful watching Diana go anywhere the way she was hounded. I don't know if it was this bad or creative license (would they really pound on the windows?) but the show was well-directed. I felt the tension. 

ED was great in the scene with Dodi on the phone with his father. I could tell by her expression that she knew he wasn't really talking to him. It was subtle but telling. She has grown on me in this role. At first I wondered why they needed two actresses playing Diana, but now I see it. Diana's appearance changed a lot in 10-15 years. Her face became more angular, and she lost that shy, girlish expression. She became more sophisticated. Even if they had aged her, I don't know if Emma Corrin could've played her at this life stage as well as ED. 

 

 

[Roseanna]

On 11/23/2023 at 3:11 PM, Sweet-tea said:

ED was great in the scene with Dodi on the phone with his father. I could tell by her expression that she knew he wasn't really talking to him. 

Before that it  was shown that he hung up his mobile.  

Edited November 24, 2023 by Roseanna
changing a letter

[dubbel zout]

I think that was for the viewers, as he did it surreptitiously.

[sadie]

For all their money could Al Fayed not have hired better security? Why not drive around in a van or something where no one could see in? Or was part of it that Mou Mou wanted them seen together? And at some point who cares that they are snapping the millionth picture of you? All the crouching and putting her head down and the speeding trying to out run them? It was making me so anxious I had to take a break while watching. What a tragedy, for what, to this day it breaks my heart.

[Sweet-tea]

1 hour ago, dubbel zout said:

I think that was for the viewers, as he did it surreptitiously.

Yes. That was my take. He hid from Diana that he had hung up the phone. But she still figured out he wasn't saying all that to his father. I think she knew how codependent Dodi was that he couldn't take a stand that easily. 

Edited November 23, 2023 by Sweet-tea

[funnygirl]

I don't care how many diamonds or how expensive that ring is, it is a gaudy eye sore. 

Paparazzi are vultures and relentless, but did tinted windows and white windowless utility vans not exist in 1997? (note: they did!) I don't understand how someone so caught after like Diana didn't even attempt to travel as inconspicuous as possible. That's the fault of the security team, but still. 

The loss of Diana so young is a tragedy, and how it happened and the supposed sequence of events (whether or not the show is even remotely accurate, or else whatever the actual truth is) that lead up to it are frustrating. It's like, this didn't have to happen. It shouldn't have happened. And yet it did. 

I'm glad she got to talk to her boys one last time. 

[turbogirlnyc]

Did Dodi grow up in America? I'm asking because of the actor's accent. I was young when this all happened so I don't know a lot of details. 

The so called "phone call" between Dodi and his father near the end was odd? It sounded like he was speaking to a lover, not a father. Not necessary at all. 

I read a comment earlier about Dodi's father being portrayed as a villain due to racism. Racist against an American, which is what I consider Dodi since he speaks like me? OK, sure. However, I thought this deviated from the usual "Diana's death was a setup by the Royal family" story. IMHO, it still makes sense. 

[sistermagpie]

1 minute ago, turbogirlnyc said:

Did Dodi grow up in America? I'm asking because of the actor's accent. I was young when this all happened so I don't know a lot of details. 

 

Was just talking to somebody about this. Apparently the actor didn't have anything to go on because Dodi was very private. He had like a 35 second clip of him talking and went from that.

So I don't know if for some reason he had an American accent or maybe he tried to have one in the US and it worked in that tiny clip? Because it seems like surely he should have had an English accent? Why would his father the anglophile raise him in the US?

[turbogirlnyc]

1 minute ago, sistermagpie said:

Was just talking to somebody about this. Apparently the actor didn't have anything to go on because Dodi was very private. He had like a 35 second clip of him talking and went from that.

So I don't know if for some reason he had an American accent or maybe he tried to have one in the US and it worked in that tiny clip? Because it seems like surely he should have had an English accent? Why would his father the anglophile raise him in the US?

I don't know. But it's an odd choice for an actor if he was raised in England. Definitely an American accent. And not regional, just basic.