Home Fires - General Discussion

[dcalley]

I'm just glad Boris is allowed in the shelter.  He's still the only one I like.

I did wonder why he was there, though. He went to the community meeting introducing everyone to the public shelter?

[pasdetrois]

I'm finding it hard to believe that a married wing commander would so blatantly carry on with subordinate staff during a time of war in a small gossipy village.

[proserpina65]

I did wonder why he was there, though. He went to the community meeting introducing everyone to the public shelter?

It kind of seems like Alison takes Boris almost everywhere she goes, so yes, I guess.

[dustoffmom]

Forgive me, I seem to be having an elder moment <smile> but who the heck is Boris again?

[Brattinella]

The dog!

[jordanpond]

Sometimes people do things they know they shouldn't because of an attraction they find difficult to resist. That's why affairs happen even with people who've been raised in loving homes. And, in her defense, she did seem quite reluctant about the hotel room issue.

True, true. I would guess that many young women who get involved in extramarital affairs never thought they'd get involved in something like this. I'm just finding it hard to believe that Laura isn't resisting this more, and isn't trying to find a young man whom she can date openly, who would be free to marry her, etc. And combined with what Pasdetrois said above (sorry, I can't seem to add this second quote) about this situation being extremely risky for Richard, I'm just not finding this affair storyline to be as realistic as most of the others. Edited November 4, 2015 by jordanpond

[albaniantv]

Plus there is that extra frisson of being found attractive by the boss, and one in uniform. (Is that 2 frissons?)

[Milz]

How far is the base from the town?

[Pickles]

The last episode is this Sunday?! I guess it comes back for a season two?

[editorgrrl]

The last episode is this Sunday?! I guess it comes back for a season two?

There were 6 episodes in season 1, and it was renewed.

[elle]

Can someone explain the ending of episode 6 for me?  Were those American bombers going for a daylight raid or something else?

[SFoster21]

They were probably supposed to be bombers headed for London.

The coastal air fields were bombed first; then London was blitzed for several months.

Some planes are bombers; others are fighters.

Edited November 9, 2015 by SFoster21

[dustoffmom]

The show started saying it was May 1940.  So they couldn't have been American as we weren't really involved yet.  The Blitz technically begin in Sept of 1940, however, previous to that the Germans had been bombing the surrounding airfields.  I'd say it was likely supposed to be one of the earliest daytime raids on London.

Edited November 9, 2015 by dustoffmom

[whatsatool]

So all those planes were German?

[heisey]

I think the planes were British.  If they were German planes, the air raid sirens would have been going off, and people would have been heading for the shelter, not standing out in the open.  The planes probably were heading for the coast, to provide air support for the evacuation of Dunkirk.  The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) retreating to Dunkirk was mentioned during the episode.  Also, the RAF officer who had been staying at the vicar's house left during the episode.

Edited November 9, 2015 by heisey

[albaniantv]

Interesting episode where folks pretty much owned up as best they could to their worst visible sin!

[JudyObscure]

This last episode finally grabbed my attention, so I'm glad there are more seasons to come.

 

My favorite character, Alison Scotlock  rides off in a police car without so much as her coat and purse -- the big meanies.  At least Teresa knows and understands all, and can take care of the cottage and Boris until she gets back.  I hope she gets back.  After "Crimson Fields," we all know how harsh they can be on the less than patriotic. Speaking of which, I hate how awful they are to Spencer for following his conscience. It makes me less sympathetic to the butcher's wife than I should be. Because her son is probably dead, all young men should be, is that it? Would that help?

 

Well, I'm glad Pat got rid of Jim without having to kill him.  She deserves some guilt free time to clean her kitchen whenever she feels like it   and bake enough pies to make Mildred Pierce look lazy.  Put  some Big Band music on the radio and rock out, girlfriend!

 

I'm glad the Vicar's wife was able to resist the handsome one so she can have a clear conscience, too.

 

Too bad the Wing Commander's wife told off the wrong person, I guess, in her anger, she wanted to cause as much pain as possible and it worked.  Now the innocent farm boy gets blamed for something he didn't do.  Is he falling in love with the blind girl?

 

I like the series best when we have more of the common folk and less of the two "ladies." One who can't walk without smugly strutting and one who makes every word she says seem as prim and prissy as a little girl playing tea-party.

[Milz]

After watching WWII dramas (Danger XUB, Foyle's War, Land Girls), WhyTF is Mr. Cameron moving out of the countryside and  to the coast where the land invasion would most likely occur and where bombing raids to destroy the coastal air bases would occur???

 

Anyhow, I'm happy Pat is free (at least for now). I so wanted to see her celebrate with a whiskey when she got home.

 

Is it wrong for me to hope for the NAZI to capture and torture Bob?

 

I don't know if Wing Commander Two-timer's telling the truth or not. His wife could have confronted him and demanded he break it off with Laura. Using the excuse of "My wife found out and she's suing for divorce and she's naming you and so we can't see each other anymore because her private investigators will photograph us and it's her fault I have to break if off with you for now...."

 

Spencer's conscientious objector status. He could join the Royal Engineer's bomb disposal units.

[attica]

WhyTF is Mr. Cameron moving out of the countryside and  to the coast where the land invasion would most likely occur and where bombing raids to destroy the coastal air bases would occur???

 

I'm fanwanking that they're moving to a northern/western coast. UK has lots of coastline. ;)

 

I liked the dolly shot of Pat as she walked home from the bus stop. You could see her shoulders come down from around her ears (metaphorically) with every step. What a relief!

[CindyBee]

Spencer's conscientious objector status. He could join the Royal Engineer's bomb disposal units.

 

If not the bomb disposal units he could at least become a fire fighter as objectors were put to work in the fire brigades.   I watched a documentary on the Blitz recently on the worst night, December 29, 1940 and a couple of the fire guys were objectors.  And just as brave as the guys on active duty.

Edited November 9, 2015 by CindyBee

[SonofaBiscuit]

Reverend Collingborne is a lovely man, BUT if something SHOULD happen to him, I would not be opposed to his wife pairing up with the handsome lodger that tried to kiss her.  

 

Stan Jr. continues to be a fine young man, keeping Laura's secret, telling his mother that she did a good job with the farm paperwork, teaching Isobel to milk the cow, etc.

 

Fingers crossed that Bob goes "missing" in the field, never to be heard from again.  I look forward to seeing Pat shine in his absence.

 

Oh goodness, the butcher's wife is going to have a baby?  That poor, poor child.  I can imagine her hovering over the child, freaking out if she has to be separated from him/her (for school, etc.), having a coronary if the child gets a little scrape or bruise, etc.  The woman has some major problems, and I'm not sure that a child to replace the one she lost is what she needs right now.  She needs therapy!  

[elle]

I think the planes were British.  If they were German planes, the air raid sirens would have been going off, and people would have been heading for the shelter, not standing out in the open.  The planes probably were heading for the coast, to provide air support for the evacuation of Dunkirk.  The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) retreating to Dunkirk was mentioned during the episode.  Also, the RAF officer who had been staying at the vicar's house left during the episode.

That makes sense.  I did not know the timeline and could not see the detail on the planes to properly identify them.  I agree that they are more likely to be British rather than German, for the reason you mentioned and also for the looks of pride and lack of panic of the townsfolk.

[Driad]

 

For those of us who do not know English geography, where is this town?  How does its position relate to London and the Channel?

[proserpina65]

Can someone explain the ending of episode 6 for me?  Were those American bombers going for a daylight raid or something else?

I thought it was the RAF from the local bases being moved to the coast.

[Brattinella]

I THINK this town is in Yorkshire, the north of England, but I'm not sure.

[elle]

I thought it was the RAF from the local bases being moved to the coast.

And that makes sense too.  The other detail I wondered about was the time of day when the planes where over head.  Wasn't the Dunkirk evacuation pretty much done at night?

[JudyObscure]

I looked up Episode one and it says this takes place in "rural Cheshire." Cheshire being the county in North West England where Liverpool lies. So I guess when Teresa came from big bad Liverpool it was just a city vs country thing and not a big regional difference. It's far from London and the southern coast, but close to the west coast where there was lots of fear of invasion from the Germans.

[Sandiscot]

 

he could at least become a fire fighter

 

Last week he said he had volunteered for firefighting.

 

While this area is relatively far from the south coast and the English Channel, it is adjacent to Liverpool, where there were huge docks which were a major target for bombing raids. Shipbuilding and arrival of food shipments from all over the world which the Germans tried hard to stop.

[BusyOctober]

I haven't read the book, so until the next season, am just going to pretend Bob gets beaten to a bloody pulp in a London pub some night for being an ass to the wrong guy. I hope Pat gains some confidence and becomes a renowned speaker on behalf of the WI & meets a dashing soldier who treats her well.

If Laura is "named" in the officer's divorce, does that mean it will be part of the public record? So the whole village could find out about her affair? That would be devastating for her and her mother. Of course, the officer will just get relocated and continue his career, but I'm guessing she would be fired for "immoral" behavior.

Mim certainly has some coping issues. I wonder if something happened years ago re. a lost baby or death of a child to make her so afraid/protective of her only (up until next season)son? I mean, obviously every parent dreads having anything happen to their kids, but Mim seems to have parental anxiety dialed up to 11.

Poor Alison. Maybe she can turn in all her shady clients in exchange for leniency.

[magdalene]

 

If Laura is "named" in the officer's divorce, does that mean it will be part of the public record? So the whole village could find out about her affair? That would be devastating for her and her mother. Of course, the officer will just get relocated and continue his career, but I'm guessing she would be fired for "immoral" behavior.

I can answer that one. Not only would she be named, along with the husband as the guilty party she would be dragged through the court proceedings. She would be utterly ruined and her whole family probably would be as well. A high price to pay for trusting the wrong man and for sleeping with a married man. Girls in that position sometimes had to become prostitutes in small communities because they became outcasts and nobody would hire them. Of course this being war time, she could escape from the scandal to London and maybe try and start over there. Of course her poor mother has to live in that village.

[dcalley]

If Laura is "named" in the officer's divorce, does that mean it will be part of the public record? So the whole village could find out about her affair? That would be devastating for her and her mother. Of course, the officer will just get relocated and continue his career, but I'm guessing she would be fired for "immoral" behavior.

Yes, I thought she was crying because she knew everyone would find out.

 

Wouldn't a dog weighing less than you probably pass out first in a gas leak?

[morakot]

The book is a non-fiction history of the WI -- the show is stories based on that information, I'm assuming.

[Brattinella]

As soon as I finish the Leah Remini book, "Jambusters" is next on my list. (The true story of the WI)

[morakot]

If you can get it, read Bombers and Mash which is about life on the home front -- how to live with rationing, and air raids.

[dustoffmom]

 

If you can get it, read Bombers and Mash which is about life on the home front -- how to live with rationing, and air raids.

Amazon has it in paperback, by Raynes Minn.  It's not cheap though!

[pasdetrois]

The silhouettes of those planes looked like American B-17s, and the sound was right, but my dad's bomb group wasn't in England until May 1943. So they may have been English Lancasters. England held a Remembrance Day this past week, at UK WWII airfields.

 

I felt such satisfaction at the mother slapping the daughter, who has behaved like a stupid schoolgirl (and the wing commander is a cad).

 

Let's hope Pat gets to report back to her telephone operator job, laze about in the evening with trashy novels and a dirty kitchen, and do great deeds with her WI pals. If her husband is killed, maybe she'll even get a widow's benefit. It's a win-win situation.

[jah1986]

I was so happy for Pat when she put that louse on the bus, I hope she finds some happiness.

 

I thought Laura was crying because she knew everyone including her father would find out, I think him finding out is far worse for her at this point.  I didn't get why the wife is just filing for divorce now if her husband has a history of cheating.

 

Poor Allison, I just hope they don't ask her about the money and then go after the WI to give the money back since it was obtained through illegal activity.

 

Looking forward to next season already.

[Diffy]

Pasdetrois:  America did not enter WWII until after Pearl Harbor and the first American troups did not arrive in the UK until January 1942.

 

Trying to remember my history -- as far as I could tell, this is the summer of 1940 and the end of the "Phony War."  Hitler invaded the Netherlands, Luxembourg, and then Belgium to scoot around the supposedly impregnable Maginot line and invade France.  Sarah's RAF lodger talks about the inevitability of France falling at one point.  He seems to have been psychic because it was a surprise to practically everyone else.  Including Churchill!

 

So the planes were probably heading for France and Dunkirk at the end of May,1940.  The evacuation of the British Expeditionary Forces from Dunkirk took about a week with civilian volunteers sailing over in small boats to pick soldiers up from the beaches.  The Germans had bombed the docks at Dunkirk so troop ships couldn't get close to land, and the RAF provided air cover.  This was a huge deal for my mother's family, who lived on the south coast of England, because everyone who had a boat sailed over to France to help including a couple of her teenage brothers.  They survived.

 

Catching anachronisms:  Those planes looked like Lancasters but they weren't used until 1942.  The RAF used mostly Hurricanes and Spitfires in the Battle of Britain, and that started in July, 1940 I think. 

 

Also, I'm interested in the Spenser conscientious objector story line in this show because it adds dimension and COs did exist.  I like that he is a sympathetic character but in 1939 a CO would either have been in prison or sent to do heavy labor somewhere.  He wouldn't have been hanging around the village, romancing Clare, and doing his old post office job.

 

I am so glad they sent Bob the abusive husband off as a war correspondent.  That actor's excellent performance gave me the chills and I hope Bob never comes back.  It looks as though they are writing out Francesca Annis too for the second series, and that does disappoint me.

 

I'm looking forward to series 2 of Home Fires.  I want to find out what happens to poor Alison and whether Pat comes into her own without Bob.  

 

[CindyBee]

I am so glad they sent Bob the abusive husband off as a war correspondent.  That actor's excellent performance gave me the chills and I hope Bob never comes back.  It looks as though they are writing out Francesca Annis too for the second series, and that does disappoint me.

 

I'm looking forward to series 2 of Home Fires.  I want to find out what happens to poor Alison and whether Pat comes into her own without Bob.  

 

I had to look up who played Bob--  Its Mark Bazeley.  Great job, Mark in making everyone hate Bob.  I won't miss Bob but I'll miss Mark's work if indeed Bob is kept at the front next season.

 

I'm looking forward to second two too as there are alot of characters that can be expanded on so I hope the writers are up to the task!

[Milz]

 

 

Wouldn't a dog weighing less than you probably pass out first in a gas leak?

 

I thought the same thing. But Mr. Milz informed me that Boris is on ground level and gas rises, so Boris might have been in a clean air zone while the much taller Alison was not. (How accurate Mr. Milz is, I don't know.)

 

If anyone likes old black and white movies about the home front, "Mrs. Miniver" starring Greer Garson and Walter Pigeon won 6 Oscars, including Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Picture.

[Catherinewriter]

Mily, you you're not wrong, or if you are, so am I. And I'm with everyone who wants good things for Pat. The only problem I have is that I wish she could have stood up for herself. But all of us need help at times, so that will have to do. Who called the Foult guy to get him to hire Bob. And is Bob really all that good a reporter?   Die, Bob

 

Those were RAF planes. Yes, of course if they were Germans, everyone would have been heading for the shelter. (And who has a basement large enough for a whole town, for god' sake.) The planes were probably heading for Europe.

 

Can't wait for next season. The sixth episode really felt anti-climactic. 

 

Do watchers ever try to imagine what it was like living under bombardment. Every time I read a book about war, I wonder how brave or cowardly I would be

[CindyBee]

Mily, you you're not wrong, or if you are, so am I. And I'm with everyone who wants good things for Pat. The only problem I have is that I wish she could have stood up for herself. But all of us need help at times, so that will have to do. Who called the Foult guy to get him to hire Bob. And is Bob really all that good a reporter?   Die, Bob

 

It was Frances who called the war office guy and got him to offer Bob a job on the front lines as a reporter.    

[Brattinella]

Mily, you you're not wrong, or if you are, so am I. And I'm with everyone who wants good things for Pat. The only problem I have is that I wish she could have stood up for herself. But all of us need help at times, so that will have to do. Who called the Foult guy to get him to hire Bob. And is Bob really all that good a reporter?   Die, Bob

 

Those were RAF planes. Yes, of course if they were Germans, everyone would have been heading for the shelter. (And who has a basement large enough for a whole town, for god' sake.) The planes were probably heading for Europe.

 

Can't wait for next season. The sixth episode really felt anti-climactic. 

 

Do watchers ever try to imagine what it was like living under bombardment. Every time I read a book about war, I wonder how brave or cowardly I would be

Yes, I have imagined that and I feel for the poor folks who had to endure it!  I think I would just be in a puddle of tears.

[dcalley]

Do watchers ever try to imagine what it was like living under bombardment. Every time I read a book about war, I wonder how brave or cowardly I would be

I know I would have claustrophobia/panic attacks in the bomb shelter! Maybe if I had Joyce Cameron's private one I'd be OK, but maybe not.

[SonofaBiscuit]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the dog.  When Alison was gassing the house in an attempt to kill herself, I thought, Surely she tied Boris outside, because she wouldn't want to kill her beloved dog as well, right?  RIGHT?!  Nope.  Why, Alison?  Why would you do that?!  BAD.

[JudyObscure]

I thought, Surely she tied Boris outside, because she wouldn't want to kill her beloved dog as well, right? RIGHT?!

I know. I wonder if the writer actually ever had a dog. All the times Alison went to the door to meet strange men with books, I would wonder where Boris was. Most dogs answer the door with you and have to be held back a little to keep from charging the visitor, either with jumps and kisses or menacing barks, depending on the dog.

And I'm with everyone who wants good things for Pat. The only problem I have is that I wish she could have stood up for herself.

I was always afraid she would stand up for herself and Bob would kill her. Thank God and Greyhound he's gone.

[captain1]

I expect that Bob will unexpectedly come back and find Pat on hands and knees, scrubbing something in a manner not pleasing to him, and beat the shit out of her. I hope not, but I think so.

[albaniantv]

I'm hoping, like others, that Bob does not return from the war, but if he does, I have faith that our Pat will have packed up her old kit bag and gone to London or beyond to develop her many skills and talents. She might be too proud to admit his abuse but she's too smart to wait around for more of it.

 

jah1986 I wondered too why file for divorce now, but perhaps Laura was the first tryst she actually had full information required by the courts, including names and dates of the adultery. Takes work to nail down all those details, especially without paying an investigator. Also, the wife said this is a regular occurrence, so she was done thinking anything would change. Why not cut your losses while still young, establish that you are the injured party and collect alimony? Women had few chances to restart their lives, especially in a small town, so her best chance is to make a claim, collect and clear out.

[Luckylyn]

I was under the impression that he'd been more discrete in his past affairs and this was the first time he'd been careless enough that his wife could gather concrete information. 

[Milz]

 

 

jah1986 I wondered too why file for divorce now, but perhaps Laura was the first tryst she actually had full information required by the courts, including names and dates of the adultery. Takes work to nail down all those details, especially without paying an investigator. Also, the wife said this is a regular occurrence, so she was done thinking anything would change. Why not cut your losses while still young, establish that you are the injured party and collect alimony? Women had few chances to restart their lives, especially in a small town, so her best chance is to make a claim, collect and clear out.

 

That would make sense during peacetime, but she should play the odds that her husband will die on a mission and she'll be the recipient of his death benefits, pension, owner of his properties, etc.