My Mother And Other Strangers - General Discussion

[dcalley]

Quote

Set in Northern Ireland during World War Two, My Mother and Other Strangers follows the fortunes of the Coyne family and their neighbors as they struggle to maintain a normal life after a huge United States Army Air Force (USAAF) airfield, with 4,000 service men and women, lands in the middle of their rural parish.

Compelling weekly stories, many of them based on events of the time, are held together by an ongoing love story that enfolds and imprisons Rose Coyne (Hattie Morahan, Sense & Sensibility), the parish school teacher and a pillar of the local community, in a dangerous love triangle between her husband, Michael (Owen McDonnell), and the charming USAAF liaison officer, Captain Dreyfuss (Aaron Staton, Mad Men). Meanwhile, the Coyne’s children, sixteen year old Emma, Francis, ten, and Kate, seven, have no idea of the strains under which their parents’ marriage creaks.

Premieres Sunday, June 18 at 8/7c. Five episodes. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/my-mother-and-other-strangers/

[skyways]

I have watched this. Just my kind of show. I hope it has been renewed?

[JudyObscure]

Loved the premiere.  It's so sad to see how the American airmen were hated.  My husband is USAF.  We were stationed in England in 1990-93 and lots of that animosity was still there.  We would be ridiculed and mocked or else, the less creative ones, would just walk by muttering that they hated Yanks.

I'm glad "Ken Cosgrove," from Mad Men is going to play the officer, he has a nice gentlemanly way about him.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 5/29/2017 at 0:45 PM, skyways said:

I have watched this. Just my kind of show. I hope it has been renewed?

Was this on before?  

Anyway I liked it. Lots of tension. 

[Brattinella]

I liked it, too.  Sad story about the goodbye letter, though.  Great characters, hope they will run the whole series.

[skyways]

No Gussiek I saw it through 'ways and means' aka secret unnamed websites we are not allowed to reveal.

[HoodlumSheep]

This is kinda like Homefires, but in Ireland.

I thought some of the stuff was awkwardly done, but it could be improved upon. Like there wasn't a whole lot of chemistry between the cast imo.

We'll see. I'll give it another episode and see if it's something i'll continue to watch.

[howiveaddict]

Good show.  It's uncanny how much Hattie Morahan sounds like Emma Thompson. Especially since they both played Eleanor in Sense and Sensibility.   

[HoodlumSheep]

After episode 2...i'm really on the fence about this. Thay was one cheesy speech by rose. 

The barney stuff is painfully cringeworthy. I can literally feel myself curling into a ball, preparing to brace myself for the awkwardness of it all everytime he appears on screen. Like, how old are you dude? Late teens? Or are you supposed to be in the same grade as the girl? I find it hard to believe you're only sixteenish. Spying and lurking behind stone walls and doors to admire and spy on your crush??? Are you 5?

I don't care for any of these characters.

I wish that angry ruffian had been tossed in jail too. 

And francis doesn't do much of anything. And his little friend...i'm awaiting tragedy to befall him at the dump he's not supposed to go to.

I feel kinda bad for being harsh, and should probably just drop it, but I'll probably be back here next week discussing the next episode. It happens to air before Grantchester so we've just been sort of watching this one too.

Edited June 26, 2017 by HoodlumSheep

[skyways]

Barney stuff is so hilarious especially the way Emma 'laughs' at him in gentle mockery. I saw chemistry between the cast. Obviously the captain and Rose are headed somewhere............

[JudyObscure]

I'm a little unsure about this one, too.  As with many British productions the casting choices are a mystery to me.

The way Emma acts around boys she's attracted to is almost as embarrassingly obvious as Barney is toward her, and she's supposed to be the smart one!   I get that  she's only sixteen but that grinning from ear to ear and turning around to look back at them is  so little girlish.

Francis seems to have one expression and I can't understand  a word he says.  On the other hand, I can understand everything his lively little friend says, so that helps. 

Last week Francis got angry at his mother and said something about how superior acting she is and I must admit she seems to be sneering at everyone else most of the time and, yes, as her husband said this week, she does make decisions without asking him.

Maybe I'll see something soon to cause me to warm to Rose a little more.  Right now I don't see what anyone really likes about her, other than that fickle mob of fishermen who liked her speech. 

 This is how I felt about "Corfu," in the beginning and I ended up liking all of them.

[HoodlumSheep]

2 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

This is how I felt about "Corfu," in the beginning and I ended up liking all of them.

I've been comparing this to the durrells too, mainly with emma and margo (but at least margo has shown development and she's entertaining). I enjoyed the durrells from the start though. While the children were (and still are) bratty at the start, it was in an incredibly entertaining way. Pair that with the personal charm of the show and the witty and funny dialogue, and the show becomes a very enjoyable one.

This however...lacks the charm and appeal. The kids are terrible. The grown-ups aren't likable. The closest thing resembling a favorite character i have so far is the old, mustachioed leader of the evil-ish goons. And we know nothing about him besides him being a bitter fisherman who likes to stir up trouble once in a while. :/ oh, and he doesn't like yanks, likes to visit the bar and knows about the corned-beef nonsense that i'm still kinda confused about.

[proserpina65]

The only character in whom I had any interest in the first episode is the American airman who took the daughter to the pictures.  And he's gone.  No one else is the least bit interesting or likeable.  So I'm out.  At least between this non-starter and Grantchester's descent into awfulness, Sunday nights are looking pretty free.

[Jolie]

This totally reminded me of the Durells but without the charm and likeability of the characters. Not sure I like anyone except Ken Cosgrove which just makes me miss Mad Men.

If we weren't constantly reminded that Emma is "smart", I'd think she was a little slow with that goofy grinning she does.

That said, I'll still watch. There's always hope it might get better.

[Pickles]

I am going to stick with this show, but it is not my favorite. This last episode with the fishing story line was a little dull for me. I agree about the daughter grinning like a loon at any young man she likes. 

[HoodlumSheep]

Another episode, another night i'm wondering why I'm torturing myself by watching this show.

A few things I actually liked this episode (gasp!):

• the creepy poetry theatre event, that was unfortunately marred by all the shots of that awful kid whimpering.
• The introduction of the shady priest. he seems interesting, though not too bright. You think people wouldn't notice the church suddenly getting a FRESH COAT OF WHITE PAINT right after a bunch of white paint was stolen?????? I do kinda want to see him try to hunt down the paint 'thieves' though. That'd be interesting.

I just want to punch that kid in the face so badly. He's just so...urghhh. Uggghhh. I just can't with him. Also still not a fan of what rose is pulling with the officer. I can't even root for her. It's not like I can actively root for her to cheat on her husband when he's not exactly evil personified (as of yet), you know?

Also, that melted pin/button thing is totally gonna be found. And the officer is getting on my nerves by popping up at the coyne's house every 2 minutes to tell rose a useless piece of info in order to see her. Just stop.

And that one hooligan guy seems to have issues concerning the name tillie (sp?) or something. He looks like he could go bonkers and murder someone. He has my permission to off any one of these characters because i don't care about a single one of them. 

Edited July 3, 2017 by HoodlumSheep

[JudyObscure]

The Tillie fight was baffling to me, too.  Other than that I liked this episode a little more that the others so far. At least we had a bit of a story arc with the poem about the stolen eye, in the beginning, and the end with everyone giving up their precious stolen items.

[mojito]

Tillie's southern accent. Yikes. 

[HoodlumSheep]

14 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

The Tillie fight was baffling to me, too.  Other than that I liked this episode a little more that the others so far. At least we had a bit of a story arc with the poem about the stolen eye, in the beginning, and the end with everyone giving up their precious stolen items.

Yeah, this was the best episode so far (but too bad that's not saying much in this case). The poem and storyline were tied together well. 

[Brattinella]

I am really liking everyone in this series, but I am SO TIRED of watching "Mother" make SHOCKED FACE and crazy eyes in every scene!

[SusanSunflower]

ugh ... yes, funny how false eyelashes and heavy mascara make for crazy eyes ....  very strange .... Downton Abby had the similar problems with inappropriate make-up or make-up poorly matched (episode to episode and season to season) -- intra-episode it was usually okay ... you'd think ... it would be one of those sentinel continuity check items. 

Edited July 10, 2017 by SusanSunflower

[Brattinella]

I never considered a makeup problem; thanks for the input.

[elle]

55 minutes ago, Brattinella said:

I am really liking everyone in this series, but I am SO TIRED of watching "Mother" make SHOCKED FACE and crazy eyes in every scene!

Yes, I seem to recall that "Eleanor" of S&S had a similar affectation.

That red lipstick!  From what I've read, that was worth its weight in beefsteak. 

I'm not the most observant person, I do not recall Kate from the first episode.  She was there, right?  I thought it was very sad the little girl Maisie died even though she was rushed to the hospital.  Then to find out that the mother works for the Coynes, how uncomfortable that must be.

Who else thought the lieutenant would be Tillie?

I have never understood "Heathcliff" as a romantic ideal. 

[HoodlumSheep]

Can i just say how much i hate the camera work in this show???? So many awful angles. 

Rose managed to ascend into a new level of terribleness that i find hard to put into words. She's so awful. That terrible speech she gave her sister about dreyfuss and michael and heathcliff...*gags* You are absolutely right, rose. You 100% do not deserve your husband. 

As much as we only saw like 5 minutes of tillie in the last episode, i feel like they purposefully made her extra dumb in this episode??? I mean, she was quite the chatterbox before, but she also was a smart, capable nurse last episode. She didn't seem as dumb as they made her out to be this episode. She deserves better.

Rose and dreyfuss are so painfully awkward and not in a good way. Just stop please.

And emma trying to use barney to make the doc to be jealous? Also awful.

Funny how they've glossed over how barney must be feeling at the loss of a family member...

[JudyObscure]

17 minutes ago, HoodlumSheep said:

I mean, she was quite the chatterbox before, but she also was a smart, capable nurse last episode. She didn't seem as dumb as they made her out to be this episode.

Come to think of it, I've seen dumb, American chatterboxes in  many British productions and, when you stop to think about it, the reason the Americans are rattling on so inanely is that the Brits are just staring at them in silence  with their mouths hanging open.  Who wouldn't be reduced to nervous chatter? The gang at Downton Abbey used to all sit around the table with their hands in their laps when Mother-in-law visited from America, like they'd never seen anyone eat before.

[JudyObscure]

22 hours ago, elle said:

I have never understood "Heathcliff" as a romantic ideal. 

I can understand a young girl thinking that Heathcliff's howling angst and dramatic speeches were the ultimate in romantic love, but a married woman should be mature enough to know that a man who is solid and reliable is worth much more.  Rose doesn't seem to realize that she's doing the very same thing with Officer Dreyfus that she did when she first met her husband -- superimpose a lot of romantic qualities on his good looking form  based on very little evidence.  They met on the misty beach, he looked handsome in his uniform, he quoted a few lines of poetry, and boom, he's everything she ever dreamed of.

[SusanSunflower]

I always thought the attraction of Heathcliff -- for Cathy -- was that because of their shared childhood, there was no pretense, that Heathcliff knew the "real" Cathy and she knew the "real" Heathcliff ... in contrast to her husband's pedestal and the expectations of "society" (ie her husband's family) ... it wasn't that she wanted to "slack off", but that she felt the freedom to be more of herself, show more enthusiasm, humor, etc. (sides of herself) ... because he was her "other half" ... so, I think in this way they completed each other and intimately knew eachother as no one else ever could/would. 

Edited July 11, 2017 by SusanSunflower

[mojito]

Quote

Who else thought the lieutenant would be Tillie?

Maybe a better question should be, "Who didn't think the lieutenant would be Tillie?"

I've read that the US southern accent is easier for Brits than any other accent (I guess besides maybe New England). But Tillie....No, the actress is not ready to play an American. It does provide me some amusement, though. Except for Russell Crowe's awkward Maine accent in "A Beautiful Mind", and Tillie's god-awful accent, Brits (and Aussies) fool me all the time with their American accents. (By the way, it used to strike me as funny that Angela Lansbury and Jane Seymour did well with their American accents except for Angela's pronunciation of "murder" and Jane's pronunciation of "doctor". You'd think they would've avoided pursing their lips and gotten those words down pat.)

This show lacks interesting characters and for me, only has one storyline that I can remember from week to week. There's just nothing compelling about anyone on this show.

Edited July 11, 2017 by mojito

[Brattinella]

23 minutes ago, mojito said:

Brits (and Aussies) fool me all the time with their American accents

I know!  They are just wonderful!

[nx74defiant]

On 7/9/2017 at 7:23 PM, Brattinella said:

I am really liking everyone in this series, but I am SO TIRED of watching "Mother" make SHOCKED FACE and crazy eyes in every scene!

I had the same problem with this actress when she was in The Bletchley Circle.

[SusanSunflower]

oh, the other attraction of Heathcliff as a romantic model is that he recreated himself, became fabulously wealthy, well tailored, traveled, mannered, educated in order to -- if not win-back Cathy --  to prove that he was not the dirty urchin that many still saw him as ... he was "manly" and brave, even courageous ... in large part so that he could return to do his damage to those who underestimated and wronged him ...   the distortion of his personality and his cruelty aren't part of his allure .. but his passion to prove himself and impress Cathy might be considered noble 

[elle]

On 7/10/2017 at 8:01 PM, mojito said:

Maybe a better question should be, "Who didn't think the lieutenant would be Tillie?"

I've read that the US southern accent is easier for Brits than any other accent (I guess besides maybe New England). But Tillie....No, the actress is not ready to play an American. It does provide me some amusement, though. Except for Russell Crowe's awkward Maine accent in "A Beautiful Mind", and Tillie's god-awful accent, Brits (and Aussies) fool me all the time with their American accents. (By the way, it used to strike me as funny that Angela Lansbury and Jane Seymour did well with their American accents except for Angela's pronunciation of "murder" and Jane's pronunciation of "doctor". You'd think they would've avoided pursing their lips and gotten those words down pat.)

This show lacks interesting characters and for me, only has one storyline that I can remember from week to week. There's just nothing compelling about anyone on this show.

It is a better question!

Thoughts about accents - all the Irish sound Scottish to me in this show, maybe it is all the "och" and "aye"  I wanted Vera to counter Tillie's comment about sounding different than the others by pointing out how much different she sounded from the other Americans.  Funny that you pointed out Angela Lansbury way of saying "murder".  That show is a go to for me when I have to stay up late for some reason, now I am listening for when she says that word.   She doesn't seem to sound different to me but it may be because she is usually saying "murdered".

I agree with you about the lack of interesting characters.  So far, Vera has been the character about which I would like to know more, and Maisie's mom (sorry I do not know her name).  Is it wrong for me to expect more interaction between the locals and those from the base?  Right now it seems as if the base is occupied by about 5 people.  We've seen more locals but only hear from about 5 of them.  Were things this black and white in the book?*

11 hours ago, SusanSunflower said:

oh, the other attraction of Heathcliff as a romantic model is that he recreated himself, became fabulously wealthy, well tailored, traveled, mannered, educated in order to -- if not win-back Cathy --  to prove that he was not the dirty urchin that many still saw him as ... he was "manly" and brave, even courageous ... in large part so that he could return to do his damage to those who underestimated and wronged him ...   the distortion of his personality and his cruelty aren't part of his allure .. but his passion to prove himself and impress Cathy might be considered noble 

I appreciate your thoughts on Heathcliff, SusanSunflower!   I do not think that any analysis of the character will vary my opinion, where some (not necessarily you) see passion, I see obsession and possessiveness in Cathy's character as well.

That is why the mom's fascination with this fictional character is so frustrating to me because she knows to where this madness leads.  Maybe that is supposed to be the point, a moment of happiness as the cost of so many lives destroyed?  No.

 

* A little research indicates that there is not a source book but rather based on the desire of The writer, Barry Devlin, who himself grew up in the small village of Ardboe on the shores of Lough Neagh, stated that he wanted to create an "exotic love story" set in the familiar surroundings of a place he recognised. (wikipedia page)

I found this page about Cluntoe Airfield in Ardboe.  My question about seeing so few airmen in the village is answered here:

As Robert says of relations between Americans and locals:

“Oh, they got on very well. Yankee dollars again came into the picture. There used to be a farmer called Devlin. Well he used to have hens and ducks and things and he would boil a bucket full of eggs and arrive at the picket post or get permission to go down. And he would have sold the bucket of eggs in ones and twos and threes to the soldiers. And the same with the drink of course, bottles of whiskey and that, they bought that up. Good whiskey, poitín too. They didn’t socialise an awful lot. Well they did but there was no social life, there was only the local pubs. It was a wee small place, they wouldn’t have sat in that talking to old local farmers with their old fashioned jargon. They had their canteen and their own social place, which was built to their standards and their way of going.” 

Edited July 13, 2017 by elle

[SusanSunflower]

The story of Healthcliff probably became "obsolete" as control of women's choices (as to suitable partners, etc.) faded.  Plenty of Romeo and Juliet heartbreaking stories because Catholics couldn't marry Protestants and so forth ... Being from "the wrong side of the tracks" and having been "born on the wrong side of the blanket" destroyed lives ... 

Cathy knew and believed in Heathcliff ... and she was right ... but it was too late and she was married ... and he was still a swarthy adoptee with no pedigree (iirc). This was still in a time when respectable people (meaning rich) did not work ... and certainly Heathcliff's fortune was tainted by his being "in business" ...  The acceptance of self-made men arose as the middle class (the professional classes like the Forsythes) grew in number and quite deliberately "became respectable". 

I've always had a number of questions about social attitudes about, say, adoption and "bad blood" -- concerns that became almost completely archaic in my lifetime but which persist in other cultures (like castes) ... a person without pedigree was a considered mongrel, capable of anything, likely bad, even evil. 

Heathcliff was deeply wounded and scarred by being mistreated after the death of Cathy's father and then being denigrated by Cathy herself (because he stormed away and did not hear what she said next). 

I find it so curious that he was then written as a truly twist, cruel, and even evil person ... no redemption, no atonement, no happy ending.  His story would not end that way today. 

eta: I remember being very disappointed by Romeo and Juliet in 10th grade ... not romantic in my book 

Edited July 13, 2017 by SusanSunflower

[elle]

Reading the comments section on the article about Ardboe, I learned of the horrific rape/murder of Patricia Wylie, 7 years old, by an American serviceman who was later hanged for the crimes.  There are no words.

[meowmommy]

On 7/10/2017 at 10:01 PM, mojito said:

Except for Russell Crowe's awkward Maine accent in "A Beautiful Mind", and Tillie's god-awful accent, Brits (and Aussies) fool me all the time with their American accents. (By the way, it used to strike me as funny that Angela Lansbury and Jane Seymour did well with their American accents except for Angela's pronunciation of "murder" and Jane's pronunciation of "doctor". You'd think they would've avoided pursing their lips and gotten those words down pat.)
 

To be fair, plenty of American actors and actresses butcher their attempts at Southern accents.  Angela Lansbury always sounds English to me, but because her character was based in Maine, somehow that was supposed to be an acceptable variant on the local accent.

[JudyObscure]

On ‎7‎/‎10‎/‎2017 at 10:01 PM, mojito said:

Except for Russell Crowe's awkward Maine accent in "A Beautiful Mind",

John Nash was born and raised in Bluefield, West Virginia.  I lived there for awhile and that's pretty much how we sounded no matter where we went later.  My cousin went from there to Yale and he still has that hillbilly twang. So  Russell didn't do too bad and he looked so good in that white t-shirt, too. ;)

[HoodlumSheep]

Is that it? Is that the end??? There was no 'next time...'

If that's the case, then what an atrocious trainwreck ending to a garbage series. Good riddance. I don't think i've ever watched something on pbs that was this terrible.

I wish rose and dreyfuss a long, miserable life together. May their guilt devour them for all eternity. One of the worst "romance" stories i've ever been priveleged to watch on a television series, especially something that aired on pbs. Literally nothing about their relationship was romantic. Urgh.

This episode was a mess. Between the doctor kid suddenly calling barney a peasant and then emma blowing up at him and let me tell you i wanted to slapmher when she had the audacity to claim barney as "my peasant." Don't you dare. You have seen barney as nothing more than your toy. The delivery of that line even proves it. 

And poor tillie. I don't care if she was showing more attitude this episode, she didn't deserve that whole garbage with those two chewing herout just because tillie wasnt keeping rose up to date with dreyfuss' every move. You awful grown-ups are acting like a bunch of 2 yr-olds. 

And the poor old guy. No wonder he hates the yanks. They stole away his house and land and life basically by dropping an airbase on his property.

Garbage. Absolute garbage. And yes, i am aware i could have stopped watching this show, but i didn't expect it to eclipse it's own terribleness by a hundredfold.

[wonderwoman]

6 minutes ago, HoodlumSheep said:

Garbage. Absolute garbage. And yes, i am aware i could have stopped watching this show, but i didn't expect it to eclipse it's own terribleness by a hundredfold.

I wasn't never in love with the series, and while garbage may be a bit harsh, the ending was certainly disappointing. 

[skyways]

I loved it.

[elle]

1 hour ago, HoodlumSheep said:

Is that it? Is that the end??? There was no 'next time...'

I thought it was just my PBS station that missed the preview, it has happened to me before.  There were only five episodes to the season, I thought this one was episode 4.  I do ask myself why I am watching this show.  You know the old joke about rolling one's eyes so much you think you sprained something, that was me.  Of course, Dreyfuss' wife has a mental illness.  Of course they would be irresistibly drawn to one another, racing down the same road to meet in the pouring rain.  Rose should have been quoting Jane Eyre instead of WH.

What was the going on with Michael and the cousin about the bar licence?  I understood that the cousin paid for the licences and that he planned to up and sell them to the highest bidder.  It seemed as if there was something else going on, some backstory I missed. 

[HoodlumSheep]

8 hours ago, elle said:

What was the going on with Michael and the cousin about the bar licence?  I understood that the cousin paid for the licences and that he planned to up and sell them to the highest bidder.  It seemed as if there was something else going on, some backstory I missed. 

They didn't really delve into the brother thing. I don't think, my mom and i got distracted halfway through the episode by a very fast, scuttling spider, so we spent several minutes trying to deal with that. :/

Something about him being an alcoholic and I think something about him unable to keep a...drapery?? shop open. I think that's what they said? Or some kind of shop. Basically he's the disastrous family member who drank all his money and responsibilites away. So the responsible Michael probably didn't get along with him too well.

I think that's all they really said.

Anyone know if that was Tillie's actress who was actually singing (lip-syncing) the jingle bells song? Or was it dubbed basically. Anyways, it was a bit off. I feel like she was dragging some of the words/stressing the wrong vowels, etc. Etc. It just seemed like a strange arrangement. Oh well. It's probably better than what I could sing.

It's morning and i'm still angry about this show. Just thought i'd update people.

Edited July 17, 2017 by HoodlumSheep

[JudyObscure]

I think Tillie was doing her rendition of the Andrews Sisters/ Bing Crosby arrangement https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlPNPl3p8Y4.  Those deliberately off key notes were considered a cool thing back then.  They make my teeth grind.

I'm mixed about the episode.  I loved the children's reaction to the party. Sometimes large, loud, garish and American is a good thing. I didn't like Seamie's mother getting beat up in the middle of everything, he's my comic relief.  I thought Rose's unstoppable  declaration of love at the party was good.  I didn't like that she couldn't at least wait until morning to go to Dreyfuss instead of plunging out in the rain.  His mentally ill wife seemed too convenient, plus the way Rose acts sometimes, leaving her for Rose might be a case of "out of the frying pan into the fire." Michael losing the pub and his wife at the same time was heart breaking.

[Pickles]

I thought the ending was ridiculous. So, Rose is going to leave her children? How is that going to work? The Dad will just raise them, while he no longer has a way to make a living? And Rose will do what? Follow the captain to his next posting? But, they can't get married, since they are both already married and his wife is mentally ill. I guess Rose just plans to abandon her family, hope the captain's wife kills herself and then she and the captain can live happily ever after.

Rose's saucer eyes were off the charts in this episode.

[saber5055]

This is my new favorite show, and I was disappointed there was no thread here for it. I figured I was the only one watching. Then I find it just now, hidden inside "Masterpiece." I loved, loved, LOVED this show and am sorry last night was the last episode. I hope it comes back for another season. Here it comes on before Grantchester, which used to be a favorite but now this show makes that show pale in comparison. Maybe it's the weekly procedural I'm tired of, plus the stupid Sidney/Amanda storyline. But anyway: I loved a show being about PEOPLE and not about solving some crime in 20 minutes every week. I liked the development of the characters. I liked the hidden crush Rose had on Dreyfus. What I did not like: Rose's huge eyeballs! Holy cow. I imagined if she were my wife that would be one of those little irks that would grow into a gigantic "I can't stand you anymore" as time went on. (I also had to look up that the actress wasn't Emma Thompson. Instead, it's her twin!) I also didn't get Rose running out of the house at night, in the rain, right after her husband gives her that ring. Like that freaked her out somehow? Like the ring would mean they're now married for real? And conveniently meeting Dreyfus in the middle of that isolated road was a bit too contrived. Was he driving to her house again, while her husband was home? So the ending, okay, I didn't like it. Plus I knew if Rose and Dreyfus got together, they would become the same as Rose and her now-husband ... boring. I also wondered why Tillie and her girls were singing like a USO show to a bunch of little kids when the kids, IMO, would rather see a puppet show or magic act or something. Well, I guess it's 'bye, my favorite show. It's off the schedule for next Sunday. But I have to add that Remember Me scared the beejezus out of me. It made me practically jump off my couch, and I was laying down!

[Pickles]

It was so unrealistic to me that Dreyfus and Rose were in love. How much time had they spent together? One lunch and a few conversations here and there, some walks on the hills, etc. I can see infatuation, but love? They don't even know each other! She doesn't even know about his wife. I get that she is unhappy in her life, but to proclaim her love for him seems over the top. Is she just so desperate to escape her husband, the town, etc that she has fallen in love with Dreyfus? I think I am too practical. Lol.

[LiveenLetLive]

1 hour ago, Pickles said:

Rose's saucer eyes were off the charts in this episode.

ugh...in general I like the actress, but her goo-goo eyes have got to go, lazy acting IMO. What I did like is how insane yet exquisitely painful an attraction like this can be (I'm sure that many a married person have gone through this "forbidden" attraction thing, resisting takes every ounce of your strength--yep been there before) I think that the show captured the intense longing and craziness of the situation, I would be interested in how they resolve it, I do hope that they get another season.

[Brattinella]

2 hours ago, saber5055 said:

Remember Me scared the beejezus out of me.

Me, too!  It is so odd to see one of my favorite Pythons do a scary dramatic role. 

Edited July 17, 2017 by Brattinella

[elle]

8 hours ago, HoodlumSheep said:

They didn't really delve into the brother thing. I don't think, my mom and i got distracted halfway through the episode by a very fast, scuttling spider, so we spent several minutes trying to deal with that. :/

More exciting than the show, for certain!  I hope it turned out okay for the spider, I'm a spider saver myself -catch and release.

Thank you for trying to make sense of the pub ownership crisis.  After reading other comments, I realised that what I've been watching are vignettes of life in the town that the only storyline has been the so-called attraction between Rose and Dreyfuss.   That is why it seems that some story lines just seem to pop up and drop.  Or I'm just not paying attention.  The story about Seamie's father seemed to come out of the blue.

As to the attraction, so-called, between Rose and Dreyfuss.  I never saw it, especially on his part until this last episode.  Rose seemed to imprint some romantic ideal on the American and let her emotions sweep her reason from her.  Dreyfuss seemed to me just bland.  While Trixie may have had her eyes on him too, she was being a good friend and warn him away from a very bad situation.

We won't see it though, which is fine, I would rather not watch this family imploded.

(After reading the comments, I am glad I stayed away from "Remember Me"!)

[Kat57]

Im new to the forum so hope I'm not repeating what others have written.  I like the show a lot but the Rose/Dreyfus "relationship" is ridiculous.  The idea of those two getting together is so unrealistic, the conversation with Vera made me laugh and the ending was just wrong!!  

As I think was mentioned earlier, so Rose and her new man are going to up and leave Ireland and live happily ever after?  Does she think Michael will let her take his children away?  What a mess.......even though I like the show not sure I want a second season.  

[HoodlumSheep]

8 hours ago, Pickles said:

It was so unrealistic to me that Dreyfus and Rose were in love. How much time had they spent together? One lunch and a few conversations here and there, some walks on the hills, etc. I can see infatuation, but love? They don't even know each other! She doesn't even know about his wife. I get that she is unhappy in her life, but to proclaim her love for him seems over the top. Is she just so desperate to escape her husband, the town, etc that she has fallen in love with Dreyfus? I think I am too practical. Lol.

In-show it started in October, I think. Maybe september, but i'm pretty sure it was october. And it's only Christmas now. THREE MONTHS. LESS than three months, they've known each other and are apparently so, so much in love with each other. They didn't even see each other everyday. Just atrocious.

They should have focused on the villagers and the town happenings instead of the crappy "love" story. More of the shady priest, more of getting a glimpse of how barney may have felt after his little niece?sister? died. Heck, give me the supposed drama between michael and his cousin (who we didn't even get to see in the flesh) or more of the grumbling fishermen folk. As for the rose/dreyfuss stuff...no thank you. What a waste.

Definitely needed to focus more on the "and other strangers" part, and definitely less on the (terrible) "mother" half of the title.

Edited July 18, 2017 by HoodlumSheep