S01.E03: Some Hope

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

Centered on a dinner party attended by the illustrious and profane elite of British society. Patrick, who is now thirty and trying to recover from his addictions, considers becoming a lawyer, having spent most of his inheritance and in need of a job. "Some Hope" sees Patrick interacting with the contemptible but always fascinating British aristocracy again, and discovering that there might indeed be some hope for him after all.

Promo:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Benedict Cumberbatch on the tea scene:

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Man, everyone on this show is the worst. If Julia wants to have sex with Johnny, fine, but did she really need to tell Patrick about it while she was having sex with him? Julia also sucks for being such a judgmental bitch. Bridget DESERVES having her husband cheat on her, impregnate his mistress, and replace her as the new countess because Bridget had the nerve to marry up?

I know almost nothing about Princess Margaret but I'm assuming there was some truth to her obnoxious behavior at dinner.

Nicholas is just as much a dick as he was in the previous episode so obviously he hasn't changed at all in the past 20 years.

On the plus side, Bridget looked gorgeous in that red dress. I'm glad she apologized to her mom and left her terrible husband.

Johnny seems like a good friend, so it's nice to see Patrick has some emotional support. I'm glad he finally told someone what his father did to him.

Edited May 27, 2018 by ElectricBoogaloo

[atlantaloves]

Now, THIS was a good episode, and frankly the first one I have really enjoyed. I love Cumberbatch so much I will literally watch anything he is in, and have been slightly disappointed in this series, only because it is so depressing and the characters are just plain NASTY.  Terrific cast, I didn't recognize Amanda Root at all, I guess we are all getting older! Whoa, Princess Margaret was that big a bitch huh? Naw! 

[tennisgurl]

Even when he was still in his druggie days, Patrick was still one of the nicer people in this social circle. What an impressive array of assholes who hate each other and yet still hang out at the same parties. Interesting seeing Bridget again,moved on from her sexy hippie 60s days, and while she was awful to her poor mom, and snobby, and unfeeling towards her daughter, I still felt bad for her, having her husband cheat on her, and ditch her for his pregnant mistress because he wants a male heir like this is Game of Thrones or something. She looked great in that dress though, and I am at least glad she ditched her husband, and he is already having regrets. 

I thought that Princess Margaret was pretty bitchy in The Crown, so its not surprising to see that older PM was a snobby bitch too. 

Johnny seems like a good friend, and its good to see that Patrick has someone in his life to support him. Its good that he told the truth to someone about his awful dad, even if it was hard. It was also interesting seeing him connecting a bit with the daughter, and emphasizing with her. 

[TexasGal]

Did I imagine it, or was young Patrick wearing blue contacts this episode?  

[Cheezwiz]

This was a great episode. I was surprised to see that it was focused heavily on Bridget's predicament, since I thought she was only a minor character, and wasn't expecting her to turn up again in the series. It was good to see that she recognized the error of her social-climbing ways and fled with her mother & daughter before it was too late. Her final utterance to HRH Princess Margaret as she left was priceless.

On 5/27/2018 at 3:03 AM, ElectricBoogaloo said:

I know almost nothing about Princess Margaret but I'm assuming there was some truth to her obnoxious behavior at dinner.

 

Yes indeed - Margaret's awful imperious behaviour at social engagements has been well documented. She was a haughty miserable cow, who loved lording her royal status over others. People were not allowed to sit until Margaret sat, and they were not allowed to leave until Margaret decided to call it a night. Being that she drank like a fish, she often kept people up until well into the next morning. She was a brutal cutting snob as well.

It was interesting that they depicted Patrick being triggered by her bullying at the party. I thought his tenderness toward Bridget's lonely little girl was lovely - he was clearly seeing himself at that age.

It was also cathartic seeing Patrick confess his past trauma to Johnny, and to interact with the kindly older gentleman who encouraged him to pursue something that utilized his talents. Probably the only two decent souls at the party. Oh, and Chilly Willy of course!

After a harrowing first couple of episodes, this one did indeed feel a bit hopeful.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Yes, I loved that he ran into Chilly Willy and they're both clean now!

[Kirsty]

I'm loving this show. That party had great drama!

The first thing that made me laugh out loud was Victor going "Remember: It's a party; you're not supposed to enjoy it" or whatever. And the second thing was when Patrick was the only person to sit down before Princess Margaret was seated!

Actually, I was amazed to see that Victor was still in Patrick's life. Sure, he's his godfather, but he was also his father's best friend and a huge arsehole.

Speaking of arseholes, I enjoyed all the awful people being either directly nasty or hatefully two-faced to each other, as well as massively snobbish about other people! It was a lot of fun. And I loved seeing how Bridget had changed. She spoke differently; her accent was much posher than in the previous episode. But she was a rubbish mother and a horrible daughter too. She had become one of them.

I was expecting Patrick to cave to temptation at the party. And I was a bit disappointed when he didn't, not because I don't want him to get better, but how many people in his situation would get clean and stay clean the first time? But then I'm confused about the timeline on this show. And I think this was supposed to be the final/successful time he got clean, not the first time. We appear to have skipped over a stay in a psychiatric hospital too. (I just looked it up and the first episode was set in 1982. Ooooh, an eight year gap during which Patrick probably went on and off the drugs multiple times before this. That explains it!)

Julia's an entertaining character. Great to see Jessica Raine playing more interesting women since her Call the Midwife days. I loved Call the Midwife when I used to watch it, but Jenny Lee was a very dull protagonist. And what a great role (Bridget is) for Holliday Grainger too.

I love all the period-accurate costumes, decor, drugs, and even television shows in this one. And I liked all the echoes of the past here -- the child on the stairs, the child coming to the door, the bully at the table (Princess Margaret/David Melrose), the broken glass -- all leading to Patrick finally telling someone about the sexual abuse. The literal fireworks after Patrick told Johnny was a cute touch too!

Edited June 8, 2018 by Kirsty

[susannot]

1. Yes indeed - Margaret's awful imperious behaviour at social engagements has been well documented. She was a haughty miserable cow, who loved lording her royal status over others. People were not allowed to sit until Margaret sat, and they were not allowed to leave until Margaret decided to call it a night. Being that she drank like a fish, she often kept people up until well into the next morning. She was a brutal cutting snob as well.

 

Interesting.  Can you elaborate or provide a link?  Why did she think she was such a big deal?  Or are the British, as they appeared to be in this episode, so awed by even ridiculous members of the royal family?  We have our problems as Americans but I don't think we have dinner parties like that.

 

Loved this episode for all the reasons given--Johnny, the tender behavior to the little girl, the woman fleeing her asshole husband.