Review: Cranford (2007) Episodes 4 & 5

(Review of the first three episodes here.)

Episode 3 ended with Miss Matty grieving Mr. Holbrook. Episode 4 starts a short time later.

Mr. Holbrook's belongings are being auctioned. At the auction Miss Pole buys a picture of him to give to Miss Matty (aww 😊), and Dr. Harrison buys a piece of furniture that turns out to be a lady's sewing box. He's embarrassed when his landlady Mrs. Rose tells him what it is, so he offers to let her use it. Bad idea, Dr. Harrison!

If he only knew the trouble that thing would cause...

Mr. Carter sends Harry to take a letter to Lady Ludlow. Harry opens the letter and reads it, and loses it shortly after. Lady Ludlow is not happy. She's even more unhappy to learn Harry can read, and that Mr. Carter taught him. So she gives Harry a job in the cowshed, and asks Miss Galindo to take Harry's job with Mr. Carter.

Miss Pole comes to visit Mrs. Rose, with the news that Queen Victoria has had a new baby: Princess Alice.

(I love interesting historical facts, so now I'll go on a brief tangent. Princess Alice (1843-1878) was the third of Victoria and Albert's nine children, and the first to die. She married a German prince and had seven children, two of whom died before her. One of Alice's daughters, Princess Alix, became Empress Alexandra of Russia. Yes, the last Empress of Russia. And another daughter, Princess Victoria, was the grandmother of Prince Philip.)

Now, enough history. Back to Cranford. Miss Pole sees the sewing box. She immediately recognises it as what Dr. Harrison bought at the auction, and jumps to the conclusion that Dr. Harrison gave it to Mrs. Rose because he's in love with her. Naturally, the first thing Miss Pole does is run and tell Mrs. Forrester. (It never ceases to amaze me that she didn't tell the whole town 😃)

Dr. Harrison hasn't a clue about this. He visits Sophy's father to ask permission to court her.

On his way back from the rectory, Dr. Harrison meets Miss Tomkinson. She still thinks he intends to marry her sister, so she tells him that she has set aside a dowry for Caroline. Poor Dr. Harrison doesn't know why she's telling him this.

Mary has been having headaches, so she goes to Dr. Harrison. He tells her that she has a problem with her eyes, and asks Dr. Marshland -- an expert on eyes (and on causing trouble for his friends) -- to see her. He diagnoses far-sightedness, and gets her a pair of glasses.

Miss Matty has shares in a bank that has just failed, leaving her with almost no money at all. With Mary's help she tries to conceal how bad her financial situation is from her friends. Poor Miss Matty 😢

Trouble is brewing for Lady Ludlow. Her wretched son demands more money to build his villa, but she's no money to spare. Rather than sell land to the railway, she decides to put a mortgage on her estate. Mr. Carter strongly advises against this.

Miss Pole and Mrs. Forrester tell Mrs. Rose about Dr. Harrison's supposed interest in her. They do their best to make the marriage happen, even dyeing Mrs. Rose's hair!

May Day arrives, and Martha has a scheme to get money for Miss Matty. She'll marry Jem Hearne and they'll become Miss Matty's lodgers. Jem is less enthusiastic about this plan.

Disaster strikes for Dr. Harrison. Miss Tomkinson tells Reverend Hutton that she expects the doctor to marry Caroline. Rev. Hutton immediately goes to confront Dr. Harrison. Mrs. Rose arrives in the middle of this scene, and says she is engaged to the doctor. Poor Dr. Harrison doesn't understand any of this.

The scene starts out hilarious, with so many misunderstandings all being revealed at once. But then it becomes sad when Dr. Harrison has to watch Sophy walk away, and knows she thinks he's been unfaithful to her. Ouch, poor guy 😢

Now take a deep breath and keep tissues handy, because the final episode has arrived.

Jem has gotten over his reluctance, and he and Martha have just married. Miss Matty and Mary are waiting to welcome them.

News of Miss Matty's financial troubles has spread. Her friends get together to give her money while not letting her know who it's from, and Captain Brown suggests she makes more money by setting up a tea shop. So she does, with Mary's help.

Dr. Harrison is in disgrace. Few people believe he's innocent, and Dr. Morgan tells him to leave Cranford. Mary comes to the rescue when she proves that the valentine sent to Caroline Tomkinson was in Dr. Marshland's handwriting. Dr. Marshland reappears to apologise for his actions. But poor Dr. Harrison is still forbidden from seeing Sophy, who's caught typhoid fever.

An explosion at the railway injures Captain Brown and Mr. Carter. Captain Brown isn't seriously injured (astonishing, that the character who was first to die in the book survives the series and the sequel!). Mr. Carter's injuries are much worse. Dr. Harrison decides to amputate his leg. This is one of those scenes that is incredibly hard to watch. Luckily we don't see the operation itself, but what we do see... And it's all for nothing in the end, because Mr. Carter dies 😭

Ow, my heart 😭

Sophy is dangerously ill, and Dr. Morgan's treatment has only been making things worse. So her sisters fetch Dr. Harrison against their father's wishes. And she recovers!

Before he died, Mr. Carter made a will leaving all his money to Harry, on condition that he gave Lady Ludlow enough to pay off the mortgage on her land. So now Harry's going off to school.

Earlier Mary sent a letter to Major Gordon. Now he returns, just in time to join Jessie in singing Loch Lomond again. Aww 😍

And Major Gordon isn't alone. He's found Miss Matty's long-lost brother Peter, and brought him home too!

Now there's only one thing left, and it's the most adorable moment of all.

😍

Cranford has one of the best weddings in period drama. The hardships the characters had to go through to get here, the material to make the dress (people who've seen the series will understand the significance of that), the cuteness of the wedding itself... It's all just perfect. The only thing that could make this ending better would be if we'd seen Jessie and Major Gordon's wedding.

So, my overall opinion of the series?

It. Is. Amazing. It's so funny (Miss Pole's antics come to mind), so sad (why did Mr. Carter die? He's my favourite character!), so adorable (Jessie. Major Gordon. Loch Lomond. Enough said.), and generally just so good.

As I mentioned in part one of this review, it doesn't adapt the book the way Little Dorrit or Bleak House. But for once that's a good thing. Cranford the book is... it's not dull, but nothing much happens in it. It's just about the villagers and their lives. That wouldn't translate too well to TV. And Miss Matty in the book has much less of a personality than Miss Matty in the series. Yet at the same time the series is remarkably faithful to the book in that many incidents and lines are lifted directly from it -- the oranges, the cow in its pyjamas, the cat and the lace...

Is it available online?: Not as far as I know, unfortunately 😔 But it can be bought on Amazon!

Rating of these episodes: 10/10.

Overall rating: I'd love to give it 20/10, or even 100/10. But that would be going too far, so instead I'll give it 10/10. Incidentally, Cranford is one of only two series (so far) I'd give 10/10. (The other is Bleak House, if you're wondering.)

Review: Cranford (2007) Episodes 1-3

It's about time I reviewed the series that gives the blog its title, don't you think? 😃

Deciding how to split this review was a problem. It doesn't have an even number of episodes, unlike Little Dorrit or Our Mutual Friend. Dedicating an entire post to each episode would be awesome, but might try my readers' patience. So in the end I decided to split the episodes in the same way as the DVD does: three episodes in the first review, two in the next.

There are some series that have so many little details in them that it's impossible to spot them all in one viewing. Cranford is one of them. I've watched it about twenty times and I still notice things I never saw before!

It's also one of those series that put the viewer on an emotional roller-coaster. One minute it's hilarious, the next it's heartbreaking.

First, some information on the series. Cranford is based on the novel of the same name by Elizabeth Gaskell, but it also draws inspiration from some of her novellas. There are dozens of characters, but Dr. Harrison and Miss Matty are probably the main characters simply because so much happens to them.

It would be easier to make a list of the actors who aren't recognisable. Here are just a few of the familiar faces:
Francesca Annis (Mrs. Gibson in Wives and Daughters) as Lady Ludlow
Judi Dench (Lady Catherine in Pride and Prejudice 2005) as Miss Matty
Simon Woods (Mr. Bingley in Pride and Prejudice 2005) as Dr. Harrison
Claudie Blakley (Charlotte in Pride and Prejudice 2005) as Martha
Julia Sawalha (Lydia in Pride and Prejudice 1995) as Jessie Brown
Jim Carter (John Manly in Black Beauty) as Captain Brown
Deborah Findlay (Miss Phoebe in Wives and Daughters) as Augusta Tomkinson
Barbara Flynn (Miss Browning in Wives and Daughters) as Mrs. Jamieson
Michael Gambon (Squire Hamley in Wives and Daughters) as Thomas Holbrook
Lesley Manville (Mrs. Hale in North and South) as Mrs. Rose
Imelda Staunton (Mrs. Palmer in Sense and Sensibility 1995, and Mrs. Micawber in David Copperfield 1999) as Miss Pole
Greg Wise (Willoughby in Sense and Sensibility 1995) as Sir Charles

Whew! And that's not even half the cast!

Now, on to the story.

Two newcomers separately arrive in the village of Cranford: Mary Smith, who's come to visit her friends Miss Deborah and Miss Matty Jenkyns, and Dr. Harrison, who's come to help Dr. Morgan with his patients.

Miss Deborah

Mary Smith

Miss Matty

Dr. Harrison

Dr. Harrison, being a young bachelor, causes a great deal of talk in the village. Most of the talk is thanks to Miss Pole, one of the greatest gossips in a village full of gossips.

"You don't know the meaning of novelty until you hear me speak!"

Dr. Morgan takes Dr. Harrison to visit some of the patients. Along the way Dr. Harrison meets Sophy, Reverend Hutton's daughter.

Sophy and her brother Walter. (Am I the only one who thought Sophy was played by Carey Mulligan? She's actually played by Kimberley Nixon, but she looks amazingly like Ada in Bleak House.)

Soon disaster strikes. Jem Hearne, a carpenter, breaks his arm in an accident. (This is a rather gory scene that some people might want to skip.) Dr. Morgan thinks the best thing to do is to amputate. Dr. Harrison disagrees. He successfully sets Jem Hearne's arm (another scene that's hard to watch) despite Dr. Morgan's objections and with Mary's help (and candles donated by the ladies of Cranford). Yay!

Dr. Harrison, Mary, and Jem

Meanwhile, Lady Ludlow is preparing to hold her annual garden party. She's disappointed to hear that her son, Lord Septimus, won't be there, but is sure that he's too sick to return from Italy. Too sick, my foot. He's nothing but a selfish malingerer who nearly bankrupts his mother with his constant demands for money. Mr. Carter, Lady Ludlow's land agent, clearly knows this. Lady Ludlow probably knows it herself, but she doesn't want to believe it.

Mr. Carter and Lady Ludlow

Cranford in general, and the Jenkyns household in particular, gets something new to gossip about when newcomers move into an empty house near the Jenkyns. The newcomers are Captain Brown and his two daughters, one of whom is an invalid and appears exactly once. Sir Charles Maulver has found this house for the Browns to repay Captain Brown for saving his life.

Miss Matty, Mary, Miss Pole and Miss Deborah watch the Browns arrive

Captain Brown

Sir Charles

Jessie Brown (Words can't describe how shocked I was to realise this is Lydia of all people!)

Miss Pole and Mrs. Forrester, another Cranford resident, attempt to do something to a piece of lace. (Are they trying to dye it? Or bleach it? I can never tell 🤷 *consults the subtitles* Apparently they want to bleach it.) Unfortunately, they're foiled by Mrs. Forrester's cat. What follows is simultaneously hilarious and gross. It's made all the funnier by the baffled reactions of Drs. Harrison and Morgan, who witness one of the weirdest chase scenes in period drama.

Dr. Morgan: "This is Cranford. A place of peace." Miss Pole: "Out of the way! We are in the throes of an exceptional emergency!" Me: 😆

Captain Brown goes away to help Sir Charles with business, and asks Miss Deborah to watch his daughters. While he's away his invalid daughter dies. This puts Miss Deborah in an awkward situation. Jessie wants to walk behind her sister's coffin. But ladies never attend funerals in Cranford. After praying about it, Miss Deborah resolves this problem by attending the funeral with Jessie.

In Episode 2, Captain Brown and Jessie have a visitor, Major Gordon, and ask the Jenkyns and Mary to meet him. It's immediately obvious that Major Gordon and Jessie are in love -- obvious to the viewer, and to Miss Deborah. The Major and Jessie give an adorable rendition of Loch Lomond, accompanied by Miss Deborah's spoon.

Jessie and Major Gordon

Everyone is getting ready for Lady Ludlow's garden party. The ladies of the village are ordering new hats (unfortunately for poor Miss Galindo, the milliner) and dresses.

Miss Pole, Miss Galindo and Mrs. Forrester

What on earth is that thing on Miss Pole's head? A clothes-horse? Rabbit ears? Part of a hat?

Caroline Tomkinson, one of the villagers, has fallen in love with Dr. Harrison. So she pretends to be ill to see him more often. Poor Dr. Harrison hasn't a clue.

Caroline Tomkinson

Jessie visits the Jenkyns to tell them that Major Gordon has sent her anemones, which mean "love ever steadfast" in the language of flowers. She reveals that Major Gordon proposed to her, but she turned him down because of her sister's illness. And now he's sent her anemones. Aww 😍

Harry Gregson, the eldest son of a poor family, gets his little brother to milk Bessie, Mrs. Forrester's cow, while Harry goes poaching. The brother forgets to close the gate, and the next day Bessie has disappeared. Captain Brown gathers a search party, and they find poor Bessie has fallen into a lime pit. Major Gordon and Jessie go to get help, and on the way Major Gordon proposes to Jessie again.

(This scene is heartbreaking and adorable, but its placement is baffling. Poor Bessie is still in the pit, and Major Gordon -- who's been given an important task -- thinks now is a good time to propose? The editors slipped up there.)

Jessie is about to accept until she hears that Major Gordon will have to go to India soon. She doesn't want to leave her father alone, so she refuses the major's proposal. Ouch 😢

Bessie is rescued from the lime pit, but it's singed her hair off. (What's the name for a cow's coat? Is it fur or hair?) So Mrs. Forrester dresses her in pyjamas.

I think I can safely say this is a sight never seen before in period drama -- or anywhere else.

Harry goes poaching on Lady Ludlow's land. While there he falls asleep in a greenhouse. Mr. Carter finds him the next morning. After warning Harry of the sentence for trespassing, Mr. Carter offers him sixpence if he runs errands for him for a day.

Harry and Mr. Carter

The day of the garden party arrives. Sophy's worried because Walter's hoarse, but she agrees to let him come when she sees Dr. Harrison.

Two important things happen during the garden party. (Three, if you count Mrs. Forrester saying the line that gives the blog its title 😃) Miss Matty meets Thomas Holbrook, the man she almost married thirty years ago, and Miss Pole and Mrs. Forrester learn that the railway is to come to Cranford. Naturally, Miss Pole can't keep the news to herself. Five minutes later all her friends have heard about it.

They immediately go to consult Captain Brown... and are shocked to learn that he is going to work for the railway company. Jessie is especially upset. She refused Major Gordon because she didn't want to leave her father alone, and now she learns that her father won't be at home much anyway.

Miss Deborah complains of a headache when she returns home. Minutes later she collapses. Mary sends Martha for Dr. Morgan. At the same time Reverend Hutton sends for Dr. Harrison because Walter has croup.

I always have to keep tissues nearby for this part because... both Miss Deborah and Walter die. Noooooo😭😭

😭

After the heartbreak of episode 2, surely episode 3 will be less of a tearjerker? ...No. It definitely won't.

Johnson's store has been robbed, and Mr. Johnson was hit over the head by the robber. No one is sure who the robber was, but suspicion falls on Harry's father Job Gregson. Harry can prove his father was elsewhere at the time of the robbery, but doing so would also get him in trouble: Harry and his father were poaching on Lady Ludlow's land and killed some of her pheasants.

Eventually Harry tells Mr. Carter, who asks Lady Ludlow to have Sir Charles convict Job Gregson of poaching instead of robbery.

Dr. Marshland, a friend of Dr. Harrison's, comes to stay with his friend for Christmas. This is the beginning of Dr. Harrison's troubles.

At the Tomkinsons' Christmas party, Miss Matty tells Captain Brown about Major Gordon proposing to Jessie, and Dr. Marshland gives a pretty good rendition of The Parting Glass (a clip of this scene is available on Youtube, but only in certain countries, and mine isn't one of them 😒).

Valentine's Day arrives, and Dr. Marshland is about to leave. Before he leaves he causes a great deal of trouble for Dr. Harrison when he sends a Valentine to Caroline Tomkinson, giving the impression Dr. Harrison sent it.

Miss Matty, Mary and Miss Pole go to visit Thomas Holbrook. Apart from some difficulty with the forks at dinnertime, the visit goes very well.

(Side note: Miss Pole says she hasn't invited to Mr. Holbrook's house since Mr. Canning was Prime Minister. George Canning was Prime Minister in 1827, and Cranford takes place in 1842-43.)

Does Mr. Holbrook not have any forks with more than two prongs?

Problem solved! (To Miss Pole's horror 😂)

It's clear that Mr. Holbrook and Miss Matty still love each other, and it becomes even more obvious through the episode. Aww.

😍

Mr. Holbrook decides to go to France for a while, to give Miss Matty time to think about his proposal.

Mary sees Miss Matty's family Bible, and is surprised to learn that Miss Matty has a brother, Peter. Miss Matty tells her about how a prank gone wrong led to Peter running away to India, never to be heard from again (until later...).

Mr. Holbrook returns from France. Unfortunately, he catches pneumonia on the way, and by the time he reaches Cranford it's too late. Miss Matty goes and sits by his body, and reads a poem he once read her. Ouch. 😭

(Incidentally, the poem she reads is Locksley Hall by Alfred Lord Tennyson. It can be read in its entirety here. The actual poem is much more cynical and much less romantic than the excerpts used in the series suggest, though.)

After this, Miss Matty goes to Miss Galindo and asks for a widow's cap. Cue yet more tears 😭

So, what do I think of the series so far? I can sum it up in one word: perfection. Every single character is brilliantly acted, the sudden switches from comedy to tragedy never feel forced, and every character is so real.

It's not a faithful adaptation of the book. But for once I can forgive that, partly because the series is just that good and partly because the book doesn't have a plot -- it's just about events that happen in the village. The series has a much more interesting plot.

Rating: 10/10.

Review of the next two episodes here.

Review: Our Mutual Friend (1998) Episodes 3 & 4

(Review of the first two episodes here.)

Well, Miss Summerson, here we are again -- Wait, wrong series. Welcome to my review of the last two episodes of OMF, and let's find out what happens to the host of characters we met last time.

Episode 3 begins with Rogue Riderhood almost drowning. Then the scene switches to Bella at a party. She tells Mrs. Lammle about John's proposal. Is anyone surprised that this is a bad idea? Meanwhile, Lizzie Hexam's disappearance has been discovered... and talked about.

Lady Tippins, Eugene and Mortimer

Mr. Boffin has begun to change. He's become more selfish, and very interested in learning about misers.

He gets worse and worse throughout the episode, behaving like a tyrant to John, and greatly alarming Bella. Then he goes to visit his old home, and tells Wegg that he's going to sell the dust mounds. This infuriates Wegg, who hopes to find something important in the dust mounds.

Betty Higden has become ill since she ran away. Lizzie finds her just before she dies, with the Boffins' letter still in her pocket.

Lizzie and Betty

Bradley Headstone and Eugene are both looking for Lizzie. Headstone asks Riderhood about her, and Eugene asks Jenny. Neither of them has much success. While Eugene is at Jenny's, he meets her "bad child" -- actually her drunken father, but this isn't explained in the series.

Bella, John and Sloppy go to Betty's funeral. Afterward Bella and Lizzie talk. Lizzie admits that she loves Eugene but doesn't expect to ever see him again. Bella begins to show the changes that have gradually happened to her character. She shows more of these changes in her talk with John later, when she worries about how Mr. Boffin has changed.

Also, John gives her his coat. Aww!

So cute 😍

Eugene pays Jenny's drunken father to find Lizzie's address for him. Mortimer is understandably worried by his friend's behaviour, and angry when he learns what it's about. After "Mr. Dolls" leaves, Eugene tells Mortimer that Bradley Headstone has started following him all over the city. Eugene amuses himself by leading Headstone on wild goose chases every night (another example of Eugene being a jerk!), and takes Mortimer with him on one. Mortimer, showing he has more common sense than his friend, is alarmed by this.

This is possibly the eeriest scene in the series. It's not the scariest (that comes later), but there's something oddly surreal about it.

Meanwhile, the Lammles want money. Mrs. Lammle has an idea of how to get it: by telling Mr. Boffin that John proposed to Bella. Mr. Boffin is furious. He dismisses John after insulting him terribly. Bella proves that she's changed for the better when she immediately goes to John's defence.

Bella: "Don't give me money, Mr. Boffin! I don't want money!" Me: *cheers*

Mr. Boffin doesn't relent, so Bella leaves the Boffins and goes home. John meets her on the way, and we get one of the cutest scenes in the series -- made hilarious because it happens in front of Bella's father. Who's also John's landlord!

Aww... and also, HAHAHAHA 😂😆

Sadly, the wedding scene is quite disappointing. We don't even get to see the wedding itself! And there's no mention of the Boffins secretly watching 😞 What a let-down.

Wegg has found something in the dust mounds after all: a will, made by John Harmon Sr., dated later than the accepted will. (Anyone else having flashbacks to Bleak House here? I almost expected Inspector Bucket to walk in when Wegg showed Venus the new will.) It leaves the entire fortune to the Crown. So unknown to Mr. Boffin, his riches aren't his at all. (Or so it seems...)

Riderhood has a new job: operating a lock on a river. Eugene passes him in a boat, and shortly afterward Headstone appears on foot. Eugene has found where Lizzie's staying, and Headstone is following him. Lizzie meets Eugene and tells him to stop following her.

Shortly after she leaves, Headstone attacks Eugene. This is that aforementioned scariest scene, and some people might want to skip it. Believe it or not, the series manages to show how terrifying the attack is better than the book does. The book's description is (thankfully) vague, and is over in three paragraphs. The series shows just how violent it was.

Lizzie hears what happened and runs back. She's too late to see who the attacker was, but she's in time to save Eugene from drowning. Yay!

But also: ouch 😥

Now for Episode 4, when all the plots are (eventually) resolved.

Eugene survives, but is terribly injured, and the doctor fears he'll die. Riderhood finds Headstone with blood on his clothes the next morning.

Jenny's "bad child" has died, a scene that's for some reason much less sad in the series than it was in the book. On the bright side, Mr. Riah gets a (very) brief appearance! Yay!

Mr. Riah and Jenny. It's about time the series remembered Mr. Riah's existence!

Mr. Venus tells Mr. Boffin about the second will and Wegg's blackmail plot. Wegg visits Venus while Mr. Boffin is there, and Mr. Boffin overhears their conversation for himself.

Mr. Boffin hides and listens to Wegg's plot. (As a side note: they included him hiding behind the alligator! I love spotting little details lifted straight from the book 😃)

Riderhood follows Headstone to the river, and sees Headstone throw his blood-stained clothes away. This is that scene I really wish wasn't in it, and when I'm watching I skip forward as soon as Headstone goes to the river and starts undressing.

Mr. Riah appears again! Yes! (Is it obvious who's my favourite book character?)

By now news of Eugene's attack has spread. Charley has heard about it, and realises Headstone did it. He immediately goes and confronts Headstone -- not because his former teacher tried to murder someone, but because this could affect Charley's prospects! What a selfish brat he turned out to be. Headstone is a much less pitiable character in the series than in the book, but he has some moments where it's hard not to feel even a tiny bit sorry for him. This is one of those moments.

Eugene's (slowly) recovering, but he's still badly injured. He asks Mortimer to ask Lizzie to be his wife (why he didn't ask her himself, when she spends almost all her time by his side, remains a mystery).

Mortimer goes to invite John and Bella to the wedding. John, who knows Mortimer would recognise him as "Julius Handford", pretends to be sick and hides upstairs. So Bella goes to the wedding alone.

And it's one of the sweetest, but also the saddest, weddings in period drama!

😍😭

Disaster strikes when Mortimer takes Bella home. She forgets her gloves, and when he goes to return them, he comes face-to-face with John.

Bella is astonishingly calm about this. If I was married and learnt my husband had gone by a different name, I'd want an explanation immediately. Bella basically just shrugs and waits for John to decide when to explain.

The Lammles' get-rich-quick scheme has failed, so they're leaving England. Unfortunately, before they leave they meet a rich young couple and insinuate themselves into their friendship. I really wish the series had given them some comeuppance, instead of letting them get off more or less scot-free.

John tells Bella he has a new job, which comes with a new house. He takes her to see the house, and she discovers that it's... the Boffins'! And the Boffins themselves are waiting to welcome her!

Now the truth is revealed. Mr. Boffin's miserliness was a plan he and John cooked up, to show Bella the error of her ways and see if she truly loved John. And Bella finally learns that her husband is actually John Harmon, and he kept the truth from her because he didn't want to ruin their happiness.

Wegg and Mr. Venus arrive shortly after this. Mr. Venus explains the entire scheme and apologises for his share in it. Despite this Wegg tries to go ahead with his blackmail. He fails spectacularly, because there's a third will he didn't know about. Nor is this the end of Wegg's humiliation. John is not happy at all about his plan, and neither is Mr. Sloppy. Wegg gets thrown into a cart full of rubbish! 😄 (But what on earth is up with Mr. Sloppy's "disguise"? I don't remember anything like that in the book, and it doesn't make much sense in the series.)

Meanwhile, there's another blackmailing scheme in progress: Riderhood wants money from Headstone, or he'll reveal his crime.

Unsurprisingly this doesn't go well. It ends with Headstone killing Riderhood, and killing himself to do it. As mentioned earlier, Bradley Headstone is far less tragic in the series than in the book, but it's still hard not to feel sad at his death.

And now we're nearly at the end. Bella and John have a baby, Eugene is recovering and Lizzie has no more stalkers, it's strongly implied that Jenny will marry Mr. Sloppy, and the Boffins have no more Weggs to deal with. Everyone can live happily ever after!

Poor Mortimer, though. It's a pity Dickens didn't give him a wife, when the rest of the main cast are happily married by now. But it doesn't seem to bother him much, so I guess it's a happy ending for him too.

But wait! We're not quite finished yet! Mr. Twemlow finally gets a few words in! (Though for some reason his name is changed to Tremlow here. Weird 🤷)

And his short appearance almost makes up for his almost total lack of appearances until now, because he gets his best scene from the book... and it's possibly the best scene in the series too 😃 Society, in the form of Lady Tippins and her "friends", disapproves of Eugene marrying Lizzie. Mr. Twemlow defends the marriage, in a pretty awesome speech. I'm disappointed that the series doesn't include Mortimer shaking his hand afterward, but I guess offering him a drink serves the same purpose.

But why on earth does the final scene take place on a boat? There was nothing like that in the book, and it doesn't even make any sense. Did the director think that since the series started on a river, it should end on a river? Not even Dickens carried the water metaphor that far!

Anyway, my thoughts on the series overall:

It's very good, and probably the best adaptation of the book made so far. It's not perfect, and it wouldn't be one of my favourite Dickens adaptations (mostly because my favourite Dickens adaptations are so good rather than because OMF is bad in any way). But it's still a great series and well worth watching.

Is it available online?: It probably is somewhere, but I don't know where. You can buy the DVD on Amazon, or you might be lucky enough to find it in a shop like I did 😃

Rating of these episodes: I'd a terrible time deciding a rating for it. I'd give it 8/10 for Eugene and Lizzie's wedding alone, but I'd subtract a point for a certain scene, and then add that point back again for Mr. Twemlow... So unless I change my mind again, I'll rate it 8/10.

Overall rating: 7/10

Starting on Sunday: a trip to Cranford. (But probably not including a Return to Cranford... Then again, who knows?)