Review: Nicholas Nickleby (2001) Episode 1

I know. I said the reviews would be posted on Wednesdays. But I was too excited to wait, and had just finished rewatching this series, so here you go: the first review posted on this blog, three days ahead of schedule! *insert excited squeal here*

To start the blog on a high note, I decided to start by reviewing a drama I loved. And since there are already plenty of reviews of Pride and Prejudice floating around on the internet, and because this version of Nicholas Nickleby is surprisingly little-known, I chose it.

(When I said "a high note", I meant that it's a series I like and won't have many bad things to say. I don't mean it's a jolly, cheerful series. It isn't. At all.)

(As a side note before we start, the music of this miniseries is really beautiful. That has no bearing on the rest of the review, but it's something I liked so I thought I'd mention it.)

First things first: a bit of information on the miniseries.

Its full title is The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby. That's quite a mouthful, so it's not really surprising it's usually shortened to Nicholas Nickleby.

It's based on Charles Dickens' third novel, and its plot revolves around a young man called -- guess what? -- Nicholas Nickleby. More about the plot later. All about the plot, in fact.

Lastly, we'll wrap up the introduction with a few of the actors you may recognise:
James D'Arcy (Edwin Jarvis in Agent Carter) plays Nicholas
Sophia Myles (Reinette/Madame de Pompadour in Doctor Who) plays Kate
Charles Dance (Mr. Tulkinghorn in Bleak House) plays Ralph
Tom Hollander (Osborne Hamley in Wives and Daughters, or Cutler Beckett in Pirates of the Caribbean if you prefer) plays Mr. Mantalini
Pam Ferris (Mrs. General in Little Dorrit) plays Mrs. Squeers
Oh, and Tom Hiddleston (Loki in Thor, in case someone's been living under a rock, and William Buxton in Return to Cranford) has a minor role

Now, onto the story.

(WARNING! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!)

Nicholas's father has just died, so the family -- Nicholas, his sister Kate, and their woefully foolish mother -- go to London to ask Nicholas's uncle Ralph to help them. Ralph, a cruel miser and an early sort of Scrooge figure, offers what they think is help but actually makes their situation much worse.

Nicholas's father's funeral

Kate (left), Mrs. Nickleby (centre) and Nicholas (right)

Newman Noggs (left) and Ralph Nickleby (right)

This is where the story starts to get dark. Of course it gets dark, it's Dickens. No one would expect it to be all sunshine and happiness. If you're considering watching this film, fair warning: it contains scenes of child abuse, attempted sexual assault, hints of one-sided incestuous lust (I can't see any other way to interpret Ralph's "offer" to Kate), some innuendo and... shall we say, suggestive behaviour (bit of an understatement there), and a suicide.

Anyway, as I was saying, this is where the story gets dark. First we're introduced to one of the vilest villains who ever crawled onscreen.

KILL IT! KILL IT WITH FIRE!

Wackford Squeers, schoolmaster at Dotheboys Hall, is probably the most loathsome character in the series. And considering some of the characters in this series, that's saying a lot. He, aided by his equally vile wife and children, takes delight in tormenting the unfortunate boys sent to the house of horrors he calls a school.

Ralph sends Nicholas to Squeers' school as an assistant teacher. This is the start of Nicholas's troubles.

Dotheboys Hall. Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.

Nicholas arrives at Dotheboys Hall and is introduced to the nauseating Mrs. Squeers (ugh) and the Squeers' horribly abused servant (read: slave), Smike.

Nicholas and Smike. Poor, poor Smike 😢

The next morning Nicholas discovers the full extent of the abuse the Squeers heap on their "students".

Nicholas's reaction, and some of the Squeers's victims at Dotheboys Hall

And then, just to make things even worse, Squeers' daughter Fanny falls in love with Nicholas. Ugh. Poor Nicholas. There are some characters who you feel sorry for when they fall in love with someone who'll never love them in a million years (*sob*John Chivery*sob*). And then there are the characters like Fanny, who are so vile that you feel sorry for the objective of their "affections".

Meanwhile, Ralph has found a job for Kate. Uh-oh, you say. Look at the place he sent Nicholas! What sort of place has he sent Kate to?

At first Kate's job doesn't seem bad at all. She's working in a dressmaker's and she's been befriended by Miss Knag, a woman who's worked there for years. All right, so her employers, the Mantalinis, are a bit odd, but they're practically saints compared to the Squeers.

But then Miss Knag becomes jealous of Kate. And in a stunning display of petty spite, she orders all the other dressmakers to shun Kate.

Kate's still not as badly off as Nicholas, though. Nicholas refuses Fanny's declaration of love in no uncertain terms (yay!), and she immediately goes from loving him to hating him.

Then Smike runs away, only for Squeers to catch him and drag him back. It's when Squeers is about to beat Smike that Nicholas finally has enough. He stops Squeers by punching him. Several times. Go Nicholas! (Though this isn't as awesome as the novel. where Nicholas actually beats Squeers with his own stick!)

Nicholas sets off for London, and is soon joined by Smike in one of the most heartwarming scenes in the series.

Aww 😭

Nicholas and Smike are on their way to London when a mysterious man appears at Dotheboys Hall and scares Fanny half to death (if only it was wholly to death... 😈). He wants to know about Smike. Hmm, wonder why...

Nicholas and Smike arrive in London and go to Newman Noggs, Ralph's clerk, looking for news of Kate and Mrs. Nickleby. Meanwhile, the Squeers have written to Ralph and told their version of events, including accusing Nicholas of theft. Ralph goes straight to Mrs. Nickleby with this story, only for Nicholas to arrive in the middle of it.

Nicholas confronts Ralph

The confrontation ends with Ralph threatening to abandon Mrs. Nickleby and Kate unless they refuse to have anything to do with Nicholas. Nicholas leaves London, taking Smike with him.

Kate is still working at the Mantalinis', but all is not well. Mr. Mantalini has wasted most of the money his wife's business has earned, and they are forced to sell it to Miss Knag. You've probably forgotten who Miss Knag is (it wouldn't be a Dickens novel without dozens of characters...), but she's jealous of Kate. And her first act upon taking over the business is to fire Kate.

Nicholas and Smike meet and join an acting troupe, while Kate goes to Ralph to ask for help.

Now Kate's part of the story gets even darker. Ralph invites her to a dinner with some of his friends. She accepts, not realising what his "friends" are like. One of those friends is Sir Mulberry Hawk, who harasses Kate throughout the dinner and attempts to rape her after it. This is a scene that's incredibly hard to watch, and when I'm watching the series I quickly skip past it.

In the final scene of the first episode, Nicholas and Smike, unaware of what's happening in London, have just performed in a production of Romeo and Juliet. Things finally seem to be going well for them... But is it going to last?

(This is a Dickens novel. Of course it's not going to last.)

So, what did I think of it?

Answer: I love it. There are parts that make me cry, parts that make me shudder, parts that make me furious, parts that make me go "aww!"... I've watched it so many times I could probably recite the script. The characters, the acting, the music, everything about it combines to make what's probably the most accurate adaptation of the novel that's been made yet. And even if you've never read the novel, it's a great series.

Is it perfect? No. There are some scenes that I really, really wish weren't in it (mostly involving Mrs. Squeers and Sir Mulberry Hawk). And it's a major part of both the book and the series, and it makes perfect sense for it to be so graphically depicted, but the sheer misery and hopelessness that fills the scenes set in Dotheboys Hall make them really hard to watch.

There's one little thing that annoys me every time I watch it, though. How does Mr. Brooker disappear so fast? I mean, I know it's to make him extra creepy, but it's so hard to believe he could vanish into thin air in a matter of seconds like that. It's a silly thing to be annoyed about, but for some reason the minor details are very distracting when something doesn't seem right about them.

Can it be watched online? Yes, here's a link to Episode 1 on Youtube.

Rating: 8/10. It doesn't get 10/10 because of the things mentioned, but it comes close!

Review of Episode 2 here. Warning: Episode 2 is even sadder than Episode 1.