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TV catch-up
Dec. 19th, 2010 09:26 pmFinally got through this year's Sarah Jane Adventures, which I'll probably have something to say about at some point - mostly, I'm very glad that the series has moved away from the 'alien automatically means bad' mindset of S03 - and now I'm halfway through (read: two episodes into) Garrow's Law.
They didn't hold back this season, did they? Episode 1 was about the slave trade and episode 2 was about a sodomy trial. And our arc plot is 18th-century divorce! The writers are wonderfully stark about the whole thing, neither interjecting 21st-century moral soapboxing nor overdoing the horrific nature of what went on, and as a result the tragedy and drama shine through all the better. All of this serves to remind me that I must read up on the historical William Garrow at some point; I'm unsure just how much the need for good telly is getting in the way of the facts, but if even half of it is true then he was utterly amazing.
Episode 1 was mostly carried by Danny Sapani's incredible non-verbal performances - especially in the courtroom. It wasn't emotionally satisfying, but that probably means that it was historically accurate.
Episode 2...
Meanwhile, the arc plot... oh, I love how Garrow's Law handles its chief romance. I assume that it's historically accurate because it's just not how TV does things - when was the last time you saw 'We love one another, but you're married, so we will never do anything inappropriate' appear in a TV show, let alone be stuck to with such determination?
It's a small pity that they're only making four episodes a year, but if it keeps the quality to this standard, I absolutely cannot complain.
They didn't hold back this season, did they? Episode 1 was about the slave trade and episode 2 was about a sodomy trial. And our arc plot is 18th-century divorce! The writers are wonderfully stark about the whole thing, neither interjecting 21st-century moral soapboxing nor overdoing the horrific nature of what went on, and as a result the tragedy and drama shine through all the better. All of this serves to remind me that I must read up on the historical William Garrow at some point; I'm unsure just how much the need for good telly is getting in the way of the facts, but if even half of it is true then he was utterly amazing.
Episode 1 was mostly carried by Danny Sapani's incredible non-verbal performances - especially in the courtroom. It wasn't emotionally satisfying, but that probably means that it was historically accurate.
Episode 2...
"You will commit the crime again."This episode, you guys. All the more poignant because of how very true it was back then.
"Not until your release from prison."
Meanwhile, the arc plot... oh, I love how Garrow's Law handles its chief romance. I assume that it's historically accurate because it's just not how TV does things - when was the last time you saw 'We love one another, but you're married, so we will never do anything inappropriate' appear in a TV show, let alone be stuck to with such determination?
It's a small pity that they're only making four episodes a year, but if it keeps the quality to this standard, I absolutely cannot complain.
