The Durrells In Corfu - General Discussion

[Brattinella]

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fey

[maraleia]

6 minutes ago, Brattinella said:

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/fey

The reason why I asked is fey is oftentimes used in a negative way to describe gay men.

[SusanSunflower]

It's one of the problems with not knowing either how old these characters are supposed to be (in the show) versus how old they were in real life ... Larry, the oldest, was apparently 23 years old and married, whereas in the show he seems to be over 20 and rather untethered, particularly to an American audience under 40 who has never heard of the Alexandia Quartet (which I remember as an absolute literary sensation when I was a child). The books had stood up well when I read them in the 1970's, however, I'm not sure how well they'd be received in 2016 post-identity politics and "Orientalism" etc and LBTQ, etc. 

If you know that Durrell was a literary sensation on a scale of Ferrante, you can attribute his "feyness" to being a nacient genius artist/writer ... much as Gerry's fey (otherworldly) qualities presage his genius as a naturalist ... the middle boy remains a shapeless cipher and the daughter is just mostly disagreeable, without redeeming qualities but "she's drawn that way." 

I suspect the real family was more amusing, particularly when they'd been drinking (at least Larry and his mother), but part of the "dullness" is their lack of humor ... even of the exasperated "oh hell, the ceiling has collapsed on dinner -- again" variety.  

They're limited by Gerry's actual writings which are still often-read ... so I guess chickens and hen house are "out" ... as are a neighbor with a goat or cow for milk, or a handy bee keeper ... people and things I would assume existed on Corfu.  Apparently there are palm trees on Corfu -- part of why I had though it was situated (definitely) more Mediterranean ...  

It's hard to know how an (eccentric) 15 year old or 20 year old in 1930 would behave and / or what would be expected of them, 6 years after losing their father and having their lives upended and rudderless -- (curses!) this calls for exposition (oh noes!!)   I grew up with an unstable mother and it was hell ... even though I didn't realize "the half of it" (the fear and anxiety, the self-censoring, deferring, etc) until decades later ...  and yes, some kids in that situation do become stubbornly "selfish" as a way for force the parent into acting like a grown-up ... even if that wasn't my reaction. 

Shouldn't the two youngest boys and the daughter still be receiving something resembling an education? 

Edited October 26, 2016 by SusanSunflower

[magdalene]

From what I read about the "writing son" aka Lawrence Durrell he was a believer in "free love" (lots of women in his life). Four wives.   Very gifted and important writer.

Obviously he has only gotten to the "free love" part of all of this on this show.

Edited October 27, 2016 by magdalene

[HoodlumSheep]

I must be one of the only people that's getting a hoot out of the ridiculous (and quite bratty) children. They're so dysfunctional! I find it highly entertaining (poor Louisa, though, I'm sure they'll mature eventually). 

[Constantinople]

This reminds me of The Flame Trees of Thika, or it would if I had ever watched The Flame Trees of Thika.

[elle]

19 hours ago, Constantinople said:

This reminds me of The Flame Trees of Thika, or it would if I had ever watched The Flame Trees of Thika.

If you had ever watched The Flame Trees of Thika, you would not be making the comparison.

Not enjoying this version of the Durrells, need to find the older adaptations.  Otoh, Leslie Caron is as beautiful as ever!

Edited October 31, 2016 by elle

[NorthstarATL]

"She was probably ravishing until her family wore her down." I get such a kick out of the family's snark. And Margot finally has a job that suits her limited skill set. Then, again, I am rewatching this and allowing that this is not a reality TV show depicting the Durrells as they were.

[Brattinella]

I wish he would let his animals go.

Leslie Caron has always been my favorite, love her!

[SusanSunflower]

yes, so far his animals are baubles or trophies ... and he's primarily acquisitive, like a magpie.   The puppies need meat. The family has no money.  Most of the animals needs/want "live" food ... even live vegetable matter.  Unless the animal are injured and need to be confined to protect them from predators, to ensure they get continued care, until they heal  blah blah blah. The turtle, I think, was caught in sea water ... notoriously difficult to recreate a salt-water captive environment without motorized aeration ... flashbacks on too many dead tadpoles in nasty nasty smelly pond water ...   

The mother was shameless foisting her useless unskilled and silly daughter on the "only English speaking people she knows"  and expecting her to get paid !!!  The gun-toting son caught two very large birds ... which were unidentified ... I wonder what they were and why Gerry shows no interest or reaction to his older brother's killing ways. The rest -- just, never mind -- they're not "growing on me" though Larry seems better defined and inexplicably years older and a better companion (relatively speaking) to his mother, who does not deserve to companionship until she acquires better manners.  Not doing well with this show.  I'll shut up now. 

[HoodlumSheep]

I do hope those animals eventually get released. Hopefully. But then again, it might be due to the time period they're in, so keeping a bunch of animals in cages probably doesn't seem like a bad thing to them. And they're being studied. I don't know. No one seems too bothered so I'm guessing animal rights wasn't quite big of a thing back then and where they're at.

Gerry made another friend! Yay! Except he's a convict who gets weekends off???? Was that a thing back then?

I see Spratt has grown a mustache and ditched Maggie Smith for Leslie Caron. Funnily enough, Leslie's countess/lady (whatever her rank) character reminds me of Shirley Maclaine's character in Downton. The American grandmother whom never got along with Violet. Lol. That makes me chuckle a bit.

Leslie being Lugaretzia's favorite brings me joy. Just something about it. 

Spiros angrily yelling is always fun.

I like Louisa and Sven's back and forth.  Sven seems nice but I don't know much about his character besides what some people have spoiled (book spoilers, I think) in this thread. I'm trying to stay away from book spoilers...Either way, I'm happy Louisa has another adult friend (?) I guess. Although Spiro seems like her only true friend at this point. Her other friendships (?) feel mostly like friendly aquaintances at this point. 

Edited October 31, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[magdalene]

This show has quickly become my little Sunday night escape.  Another charming episode and the brats are growing on me - like weeds, heh, heh.

[izabella]

Leslie Caron!  Wow, I was not expecting to see her, but was so happy to meet the Countess!  I hope we get to see her regularly, and maybe Margo will mellow-out some by being around her. 

I had to reluctantly accept the more obnoxious behaviors of these people, but am starting to get into the show.  I love the Corfu setting, and I'm enjoying the locals. 

11 minutes ago, HoodlumSheep said:

Leslie being Lugaretzia's favorite brings me joy. Just something about it. 

I'm glad she likes him (he does bring home dinner, after all), because I haven't been able to warm up to him, even with his broken heart and sad pink bicycle.  Maybe it's that he has nothing to talk about but guns because that's all he's interested in.  Great for hunting rabbits.  Not so great at interpersonal skills and interesting conversation.   

It's ironic that Larry is all about being an author when it seems no one in this family likes to read.  I wish he were less of an ass.

[JudyObscure]

9 hours ago, izabella said:

I wish he were less of an ass.

I wish they were all less of an ass, particularly Margo because I don't care if she's 8 or 18, showing her disgust in front of sick people, stealing files from the doctor, redoing the filing system according to height without asking anyone, all amount to "asshole," rather than "charming young girl," to me.  I agree with Susan Sunflower about the mother abusing her new friendship with the doctor's wife, plus saying such rude things about the accordion to Sven. Her final remark to the prisoner about ,"I miss my husband, too, but I didn't murder him," was not funny, just gauche and stupid.

[NorthstarATL]

50 minutes ago, JudyObscure said:

Her final remark to the prisoner about ,"I miss my husband, too, but I didn't murder him," was not funny, just gauche and stupid.

But, see, that's not the way she delivered the line. To me, what she did was say "I miss my husband too" in order to empathize with him..but then she added, lest he think they had THAT in common "But I didn't murder him". It was far less of a condemnation than it was an explanation, or at least that's how I saw it.

10 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

do hope those animals eventually get released. Hopefully. But then again, it might be due to the time period they're in, so keeping a bunch of animals in cages probably doesn't seem like a bad thing to them. And they're being studied. I don't know. No one seems too bothered so I'm guessing animal rights wasn't quite big of a thing back then and where they're at.

I'm old. When we were kids we kept animals all the time, though usually they were set free at the behest of adults. My father was both a hunter and a huge conservationist and he taught us a lot. Gerry seems intent on studying animals and watches them in their natural setting as much as he takes them home.

Spoiler

It all culminates in his displaying his mini-zoo, which may or may not have really happened, but foreshadows his adult career.

[Constantinople]

1 hour ago, JudyObscure said:

I wish they were all less of an ass, particularly Margo...stealing files from the doctor, redoing the filing system according to height without asking anyone

I thought it odd that Margo could translate Greek to English, at least well enough to get the gist of the file, but she's supposed to dim enough that she thinks organizing patient files by height is a good idea.

11 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

Gerry made another friend! Yay! Except he's a convict who gets weekends off???? Was that a thing back then?

I take it the 1988 US Presidential election was before your time.

Edited October 31, 2016 by Constantinople

[kat165]

I'm loving this show and it's not even the setting that I'm drawn too. I haven't read the books but I did read about some of the real life people at Wikipedia. Poor Leslie does not have his own entry. And what's with him and those shorts? I'm really liking how bratty the kids are. Love the older son but that's mostly because he reminds me of a very young Shane MacGowan. That hair and those ears. And his usual wardrobe of boxers and open robe. I feel sorry for the mother.

[Constantinople]

For a point of comparison I took it upon myself to watch the first episode of the 1987 series.

I wouldn't say it was awful, but it could be difficult to watch at times.  It also gave me a renewed appreciation for the 2016 version

• the guy who plays Spiro the taxi driver acts as if he's channeling Brian Blessed from Black Adder, which is a problem because the guy who plays Spiro is Brian Blessed
   
• the background music is too intrusive and loud, particularly during nature shots.  It's as if the producers or editors or whomever felt they had to compensate for the lack of dialogue in those shots.  Also, the "theme" sounds like someone's idea of the Greek version of Andean flute music you hear at the mall.
   
• the actors who play Larry and Leslie look too much alike.  I don't know if it's historically accurate, but it can be a little confusing at first.
   
• 1987 Gerry and 1987 Margo seem blander than their 2016 counterparts.  Gerry is still running around looking at wildlife, but the 1987 version gives less of a sense of wonder about it.
   
• I didn't really get a sense of why the family moved to Corfu

To be fair, the 1987 episodes are half as long as the 2016 episodes so there's less time to develop characters, exposition dumps, etc in any given episode.

Interestingly, there's been little if any mention of alcohol and there's no sense of money troubles.  I also think I spotted an electric lamp on Larry's desk.  I suppose it could have been gas or kerosene, but the light didn't flicker.

Fun Fact: Both actresses who play Louisa also played the lady of the house in Upstairs Downstairs, Hannah Gordon in UpDown Original Recipe and Keeley Hawes in UpDown II: Electric Boogaloo.

Depressing Fact: Keeley Hawes would have been too young to play Margo in the 1987 series, but is now considered old enough to play Louisa in the 2016 series (though she's about 10 years younger than Louisa Durrell was when she moved to Corfu).

Edited November 1, 2016 by Constantinople

[SusanSunflower]

Louisa tasked Margo with searching the house for booze and getting rid of it ... even though such booze is the property of her two pretty much grown heavy drinking sons (and they do not have money to burn or pour down the drain) .... laffs and hijinks to look forward to.  Seriously, Louisa is what Margo is likely to "mature" into ...  Watching Louisa spy on Gerry and the convict ... as they stole the goldfish ... hijinks and laffs  ...  I rewatched the end (or watched it for the first time) I had walked away during the "stealing goldfish in memory of dear dead daddy" scene and missed Caron (who was charming). 

I've wondered about the "no electricity" matter also wrt running water and their immaculate wardrobe, spotless and generally wrinkle free. I guess because I live rurally and have a well and an electric pump I wonder about these things, having been frustrated during power-outages to not be able to take a nice long bath ... when the internet and TV and lights go down for hours.  No electricity, no running water (after water in the lines runs through by gravity), no bath.  The old lady helper probably isn't toting hot water from the boiler for either baths or laundry ... mysteries abound.  I was baffled by Larry's look of askance when the old lady provided Leslie's with a laden plate of food and a look of approval ... and nothing was said or came of it.  Again, why were they eating teeny tiny rabbits if there were large birds to be shot and eaten. Scavengers, crows and vultures, are not edible and those carcasses looked more like pheasants or even turkey-sized "birds" 

Edited November 1, 2016 by SusanSunflower

[Constantinople]

When Louisa first wanted to know about Kosti, I'm surprised she didn't ask about him at the police station.  Even if they didn't know, they'd probably be able to point her in the right direction.

I'm also wondering form where Leslie got the money for the bike he was going to give to Alexia.

I took it upon myself to watch the second episode of the 1987 series.  I'm putting it in spoilers, partly so as not to spoil anyone who hasn't seen it but mostly so you can skip over it if you don't care.

Spoiler

Occasionally there's a family scene or Brian Blessed imparting his Greek wisdom, but it's basically the Gerry show.  All of the other characters are either watching what Gerry does, talking about Gerry or reacting to something he's done. Unfortunately, 1987 Gerry just isn't as good an actor, or doesn't have the same screen presence, as 2016 Gerry.

I suppose it's not surprising that it's the Gerry show given that the 1987 series retained the title of the book, "My Family and Other Animals".  Nevertheless, I still greatly prefer the 2016 series.  All of the family members have had individual stories, which is reflected in the title of the 2016 series "The Durrells in Corfu".

Once again, there's the caveat that the 1987 episodes are half as long, so watching two 1987 episodes is the equivalent of one 2016 episode.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Constantinople

[HoodlumSheep]

Lots of things:

• Hopefully Leslie is done with his rebellious phase
• the bat funeral was hilarious--I love how eveyone was dressed in their Sunday best and the remark about it being grander than the father's funeral. And then he ended up stuffing it instead! Poor bat!
• I thought it was cute how Theo was so proud of Gerry's "in the 50's" answer for the 8x7 question. He was like, good, good that's close enough to being correct. I wonder if Theo is equally bad at math too???
• Leslie/Lugaretzia continue to be the best. Lugaretzia was hilarious when she was on the stand. Kill all the turkeys indeed. She is ride or die for the 'best child'
• The countess and spratt (Dennis) are fun. They're very laid back. Loved the ending where Larry had to read to him.
• Margo is still boy crazy.
• Sven looked very uncomfortable kissing Louisa...whatever happens I hope they stay friends. I like their back-and-forth banter.
• hmmm...I also kind of like Louisa and Spiros, but I'm still confused about if he's married or not.
• lol'ed at the sea captain keeping multiple flasks hidden in his coat.

[SonofaBiscuit]

Sven?  Sven!?  You have Spiros and Theo right in front of you, Louisa, and Sven is the one you choose?  I mean, I know I'm biased cause I already ship Spiros with Louisa, but OMG.  When he stated that he knew she had sold her wedding ring to help Leslie, and then returned the ring to her and told her "Don't ask," that was it for me.  Those two have to end up together (eventually), right??  

I love the Theo/Gerry mentor/mentee relationship.  When Louisa asked Gerry what 8 times 7 is, and Gerry replied, "Is it in the 50s?", Theo's response cracked me up.  Something like, "Well done.  It is indeed in the fifties."  Then, when Gerry was recounting how he stuffed the bat, Theo was beside him tallying the steps on his fingers as Gerry mentioned each one.  He's so proud of his little apprentice.

The kids can all be really awful, terrible human beings, but gosh, they crack me up.  When the turkey farmer was trying to tell Leslie that his dog had killed some turkeys, and Leslie was like, "Oh my God, he has rabies!", I LOLed.  Speaking of rabies, I hope the eldest boy didn't contract the disease from all of those bats in the outhouse.  That's the stuff of nightmares!

[meep.meep]

On 11/2/2016 at 6:18 AM, Constantinople said:

 

I took it upon myself to watch the second episode of the 1987 series.  I'm putting it in spoilers, partly so as not to spoil anyone who hasn't seen it but mostly so you can skip over it if you don't care.

  Reveal hidden contents

Occasionally there's a family scene or Brian Blessed imparting his Greek wisdom, but it's basically the Gerry show.  All of the other characters are either watching what Gerry does, talking about Gerry or reacting to something he's done. Unfortunately, 1987 Gerry just isn't as good an actor, or doesn't have the same screen presence, as 2016 Gerry.

I suppose it's not surprising that it's the Gerry show given that the 1987 series retained the title of the book, "My Family and Other Animals".  Nevertheless, I still greatly prefer the 2016 series.  All of the family members have had individual stories, which is reflected in the title of the 2016 series "The Durrells in Corfu".

Once again, there's the caveat that the 1987 episodes are half as long, so watching two 1987 episodes is the equivalent of one 2016 episode.

If you're going to watch other versions, there's a British TV movie called "My family and other animals" with a really good cast (Imelda Staunton, Matthew Goode, Russell Tovey, Tamzin Merchant....)

Perhaps in a later episode someone will point out to the little boy that taking baby animals out of their homes is actually cruel.  

Loved the purple dress and the non-reactions to it.  And I'm like Larry, if there's books to read, I'm going to figure out how to get to them.

[SonofaBiscuit]

22 minutes ago, meep.meep said:

Perhaps in a later episode someone will point out to the little boy that taking baby animals out of their homes is actually cruel.  

Loved the purple dress and the non-reactions to it.  And I'm like Larry, if there's books to read, I'm going to figure out how to get to them.

Yes, that's the one thing that bothers me about little Gerry.  At first, I thought he was just observing and studying the animals.  That's fine and educational, but he has no business caging up sea birds and bats, etc.  It does seem cruel (even though I know that's not his intent), and the family doesn't have enough food to feed themselves, let alone fifty million "pets."

LOL, I forgot about that horrible dress and everyone's reaction to it.  My mind must has wandered because I didn't even know who the drunken sailor guy was (was he the same guy Lawrence tried to set his mother up with earlier in the season?) or how she happened to get invited on his "yacht."  

[skyways]

What??? You guys at too calm. I'm still shouting even as I type - that whole purple dress/yatch scenes were HILARIOUS!!! I laughed and laughed myself deaf. Especially when Sven was there!!! HOOOhooo........haahaahaa.....................

Speaking of Sven, I always enjoy when he's rude to her. In fact more of that. I don't see what she sees in him and yes I know he's good looking but so unfunny.

[kat165]

Biscuit, I'm with you. Spiros is a much better choice. Isn't he married though w/ a family?

I'd love to see a 2nd season of this show.

Maybe it's the time difference in fashion but I didn't see what was so grand about that green dress. Maybe the material was nice but I couldn't tell on my tv screen? It kind of looked like a rag.

I loved the exchange between Louisa and her British friend about the handling teenagers and the way she compared the 2 eldest boys. I wish I could remember the exact quote but she called Leslie a twit. To me that sentence reflected the humor of the show.

Skyways, I don't see what she sees in him either.

[Constantinople]

38 minutes ago, kat165 said:

I loved the exchange between Louisa and her British friend about the handling teenagers and the way she compared the 2 eldest boys. I wish I could remember the exact quote but she called Leslie a twit.

I think the lines were something like
 

Quote

 

Florence Petrides: How was Larry at 18?

Lousia Durrell: Like a tall, evil goblin, but sort of fun.  Whereas Leslie, who I love, obviously, is a twit with a gun

 

[kat165]

Constant, thank you! That sounds more like it.

[HoodlumSheep]

I think Louisa and Sven would work better as vitriolic (?but not too extreme) buds. I love their banter, but I don't love them together.

the wedding ring scene with Spiros and Louisa was incredibly sweet, but Spiros' marriage status is still up in the air. I thought I saw a band on his ring finger (can't remember what hand it was though), but I don't know what that means for the character, because it could of just been the actor's wedding ring (if he's married).

??? Who knows.

I actually liked the purple dress, for the most part. I thought it looked nice except for the feathers and the back cape/draping. It would have looked so much better without those two things. Looked like a flapper dress. That sea captain continues to crack me up. 

Edited November 8, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[SonofaBiscuit]

I did go back and check, and Spiros has a gold band on his right hand.  You can see it in the scene where he's bribing the judge with stamps.  And I know that one of the children mentioned him possibly being married because they saw a family photo in his taxi.  I'm wondering if like Louisa, he's widowed.  

While I was checking out the Spiros scenes, I rewatched the one where he drives Louisa to her outing with the drunken captain.  "That's a yacht?"  chuckle chuckle chuckle followed by a serious face when Louisa gives him a stern look.  Hilarious.

And I just can't get over that lovely scene where Spiros returns Louisa's wedding band.  I was waiting for Spiros to slip the ring back on her ring finger for ~symbolic~ reasons, so I'm a bit bummed that didn't happen.  I'm so glad this show got renewed for a second season. 

[kat165]

Sonof, thanks for letting us know about the 2nd season. That's great news! This is such a charming show. I like all of the characters.

[HoodlumSheep]

Theo has a nice house...that is his house, isn't it? Liked the colorful walls. Nice and cheerful...just like him!

of course Leslie would be the one to have issues with Louisa remarrying.

larry is definitely not cut out to be a farmer, etc.

Spiros ❤❤❤

glad that Margot values her job/friendship with the Countess more than that guy. He was being needy and self-centered. drop him, girl! 

[NorthstarATL]

I loved that Louisa was all "I thought I might die, and then who would take care of my hapless brood?", and that the visiting relatives relaxed after a time. All the characters amuse me.

[JudyObscure]

I've been a hard sell, but they're growing on me.

[Constantinople]

I'm glad someone's telling Gerry there's a better way to take care of animals.  I just hope he starts setting the caged ones free.

[TVForever]

11 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

.Spiros ❤❤❤glad that Margot values her job/friendship with the Countess more than that guy. He was being needy and self-centered. drop him, girl! 

The beginnings of a sense of responsibility (about something, anything!), perhaps?

[SonofaBiscuit]

Louisa and Sven are already engaged?  That seems fast.  He's a nice man, but he's just so boring.  He doesn't have the openness and warmth of Theo or the passion and wit of Spiros.  I'm kinda hoping that they don't go through with the wedding, if I'm being honest.  

Couldn't believe that lady asked Louisa if she was sure there wasn't any electricity anywhere.  Hmm...just let me look over here.  Nope, I don't see any.  Ha!  

Now Louisa, don't get yourself killed while driving like a madwoman.  Leave the transportation to Spiros, as his eyes are "sufficiently on the road."  

If Louisa and Sven marry, does that mean we won't see as much of Spiros?  He's always chauffeuring Louisa places and helping her out of binds.  I imagine Sven won't like that too much... 

Edited November 14, 2016 by SonofaBiscuit

[pasdetrois]

I loved this episode - the show has hit its stride. I wish I could remember all the great dialogue. (Especially the butler's line about depression and chocolate.) And there's a quirky bit in almost every scene, which the actors handle so well. I loved the face slap when everyone was screaming in the countess' room.

Quite unusual in that day and time for a mother to fail to bat an eye at her child's enthusiastic and very noisy sex life. But then, this is the family that chucked everything to live precariously in Corfu.

The actress who plays Margo is an almost dead-ringer for Scarlett in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

There are a lot of taciturn Swedish men in my family, so I understand Sven's introverted nature.

Edited November 15, 2016 by pasdetrois

[Constantinople]

6 hours ago, pasdetrois said:

The actress who plays Margo is an almost dead-ringer for Scarlett in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Let's hope not too much of a dead-ringer

Quote

Guardian November 19 2001: Charlotte Coleman

Charlotte Coleman, who has died from an asthma attack aged 33, was the award-winning actress who played Scarlet, Hugh Grant's flatmate, in the film which projected eve-of-millennium Britain as a cosy, if angst-ridden, classless society - Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).

Edited November 15, 2016 by Constantinople

[magdalene]

For some reason I am doubting Louisa is actually going to marry Sven.  He is a nice guy and all but I just can't see him with this eccentric family.

[chitowngirl]

The opening credits just make me smile! I love this series

Season finale Sunday??? Nooooooo!!

Edited November 17, 2016 by chitowngirl

[Mumbles]

I think the moment I came off the fence and signed on to this show is when Larry got locked in the crapper and freaked out at the bats. It managed to be both psychopathic on Leslie's part, but also very funny (except for the dead bat.) And Gerald's line about loving all animals, even the ones that nobody loves...right to my heart. 

And yes I LOLed about Larry being a tall evil goblin, but sort of fun, at aged 18.

[JudyObscure]

Well yes we're all just starting to get into it and Sunday is the last night of the season. I wish I had somebody to slap!

[Constantinople]

On 11/16/2016 at 9:29 PM, chitowngirl said:

The opening credits just make me smile!

I too love the opening credits.

They make me regret not seeing Corfu when I visited Greece oh so many years ago.

[MostlyC]

Yes.  If/when I visit Greece, Corfu is on my list as a must see.

[HoodlumSheep]

All the feels! I can't believe the season's over!

-Louisa and Sven crashed and burned; at least they're staying friends by the looks of it

-Larry and Nancy are over. Corfu's had too much on an effect on Larry.

-I can't believe Louisa wrecked Sven's accordion! Not cool, Louisa!

-Leslie was hilarious as the man-child wedding planner! And him and Lugaretzia!!!

-Spiros continues to googly-eye Louisa and I don't know what to make of it!!! AAARRRGGGHH!!!

-there you have it; Theo is to blame (or is part of the reason) for Gerry keeping the animals in cages! Gerry was this close to releasing them! They continue to have an adorable relationship, though!

I have more to say, but Poldark is starting, so I'll finish my thoughts later!

** glad to see the countess making strides! Maybe we'll get to see her interact with the zany gang more.

-that poor nerd friend!!! He still likes Margot!! And I totally saw that quick flash of Margot and Max arguing/getting snippy with each other, so I'm taking it as that those two still aren't gonna be a thing (or if it happens, then it probably won't last)

this was my favorite show to watch on Sunday!! More enjoyable than Poldark, imo. Poldark has been pretty aggravating this season.

Edited November 21, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[NorthstarATL]

When I saw the season it was about midway through that they announced a second series, so I think they intended for this to be self-contained. I liked that, in the end, everyone seemed better acclimated, but that it was not entirely saccharine. No one found the love of his/her life, but no one was miserable either. Larry and Gerry both found their life's work, but weren't probably aware of it at the time. Margot got more grounded. And Louisa still worries for her brood, but I think she sees that uprooting them was the right decision both for her and them. I also liked the way she treated Sven. She wasn't all after-school special, but she wasn't mean either. Probably even enlightened for the times. As he said, Society was MUCH harsher on us back then! The kids who think that gay marriage being unrecognized by the Government is the height of intolerance really don't know much history.

[magdalene]

Well, I was right about Louisa and Sven not being right for each other, but oh so wrong about the reason.  Here I thought he was too straight for all these endearingly bent people.

[kat165]

I am so sad that this show is over the for the season. Six eps just wasn't enough.

I have not read the books. So, does anyone know if Sven was an actual person in their lives? I know that Larry was married to Nancy & that she'd gone with them to Corfu, but that they eventually divorced so I know the Larry/Nancy stuff veered off from reality. What else actually happened or didn't? Was Lugaretzia an actual person? And whatever became of Leslie? (Wiki does not enlighten) Looking forward to season 2.

[MostlyC]

I read "my family and other animals," and Sven doesn't make an appearance.  Nancy does not either, nor the countess (although maybe they do in other books).