Monday, April 30, 2018

Countdown to Thirteen: Cranford: Series 2, Episode 2 – “Return to Cranford: Part Two – October 1844” (2009)


It’s nice to report that Peggy, Jodie Whittaker’s character, does get quite a bit less milquetoasty in the second half of series 2, which is a relief.  While she’s still not a character I have a huge amount of interest in, it does make the whole thing a little less trite, less one-note love interest who’s beloved by the dashing young man Because Reasons (a few spoilers.)

Surprisingly, the hubbub over the railroad has pretty much completely vanished since Part One.  William, Peggy’s would-be beau, is still obsessed with trains and the future, but everyone else in town has moved on to more pressing matters, like the arrival of an aristocrat and the effect that will have on their social circle (or not have, if the lady’s hostess has anything to say about it.)  Meanwhile, William’s father is appalled at the thought of his son wanting to marry someone who isn’t from an old well-to-do family, and all the expected keep-the-lovers-apart dramatics ensue.  Peggy and William, however, aren’t giving up without a fight.

That fight is where we see more of Peggy’s personality.  It’s a sort of strength that fits with her character as we’ve seen it, more of the Fanny Price variety – timid but resolute, standing up to a man of a considerably-higher class.  Mr. Buxton tries numerous tactics to get Peggy away from William, but while Peggy has no intentions of dragging William down to ruin if that’s the situation Mr. Buxton is trying to force, she doesn’t let him strong-arm or try to scare her into giving up the man she loves.

There are still a ton of clichés here:  the roadblocks thrown in the path of the young lovers, the handsome heir having to choose between his money and his lady, the quiet dignity of the young heroine standing up to the classist antagonist, and so on and so forth.  Nothing that we haven’t seen executed far better in a Jane Austen novel, and as such, the plot doesn’t hold too much of my interest, but I am still pleased to see Peggy being less of a wet blanket.  She strikes a good balance between fighting for what she wants and being realistically cowed by Mr. Buxton.

Also, I was really charmed here by Erminia, the Buxtons’ ward played by Michelle Dockery.  It would’ve been super easy to paint her as Peggy’s snobby rival, a father-approved choice for William to have to resist.  However, the moment she hears Mr. Buxton suggesting William would be better off with her, she shuts the idea down right quick.  Not in a mean way exactly – not looking down on William as not good enough/handsome enough/rich enough/whatever for her – but in kind of a delightfully dry way, ironically pointing out that neither should be forced to inflict themselves on the other.  A wonderful little scene, and I love it.

It might seem silly to repeat my wrap-up info, since Whittaker’s part here is only two episodes long and I just did all this last week.  But, first- and last-episode wrap-ups are the way I do actors’ TV reviews, so here we are.

Accent Watch

Northern.

Recommend?

In General – Not necessarily.  Masterpiece/ITV fans will probably enjoy it, but there are plenty of better options for getting that fix.

Jodie Whittaker – Again, not necessarily.  Although Peggy does get more interesting in the second half, there just isn’t a whole lot to this character worth checking out.

Warnings

Brief violence and some drinking.

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