Review: Return to Cranford (2009)

Cranford is amazing. Its sequel... isn't. Not that there's anything wrong with the sequel, as such. It's just not as good as the original.

Return to Cranford takes place two years after the first series. Most of the original characters reappear, but there are some conspicuous absences. Where on earth are Dr. Harrison and Sophy? And Dr. Morgan and Mrs. Rose (now Mrs. Morgan) are mentioned in the first few minutes and completely forgotten about afterwards. More irksome is the introduction of characters who are supposedly well-known to the village but have mysteriously never been heard of before.

Obviously, many of the original recognisable actors are still there, but they've been joined by a few new familiar faces.
Jonathan Pryce (Governor Swann in Pirates of the Caribbean, and Juan Perón in Evita 1996) as Mr. Buxton
Tom Hiddleston (Loki, and Thomas Sharpe in Crimson Peak) as William Buxton
Jodie Whittaker (the thirteenth Doctor in Doctor Who) as Peggy Bell

The story begins with the arrival of the Buxton family. Apparently they're from Cranford but have been away for a while. Strange no one ever spoke about them in the first series. And then we're introduced to the Bells. Ugh. That's all I can say about the Bells. Mrs. Bell is the least convincing character ever to appear in Cranford, Edward is one of the few characters as vile as Septimus, and Peggy is just... dull. Compared to Mary, Sophy, Miss Matty, Miss Pole, and the host of other comical and sympathetic characters in Cranford, Peggy is practically a non-entity.

Peggy

William

Peggy with her mother and brother

Mr. Buxton

Speaking of Septimus, we finally get to meet him in this series. He lives down to all expectations. But more about him later.

The railway is coming closer and closer to Cranford. But Lady Ludlow refuses to sell her land, so it looks like it won't reach the town itself.

Harry goes off to school. This is the start of a lot of trouble for Harry, Miss Galindo, and Rev. Hutton.

Miss Galindo. I like her new hairstyle much more than her hair in the first series.

Harry, looking much more grown-up than when we saw him last.

Meanwhile, Martha dies in childbirth, and Jem decides to leave Cranford with Tilly, the child he and Martha already had. At the same time, Lady Ludlow dies of an unnamed disease (implied to be a form of cancer). This is when Septimus finally -- ahem -- graces us with his presence 😏

Lady Ludlow and Miss Galindo

Martha's death

Septimus, the selfish spendthrift, who smirks and slithers onto the screen like a snake.
(Okay, I'll stop now.)

Septimus decides to cheat Harry out of his inheritance. Miss Galindo finds out in time and tells Septimus what she thinks of him.

Miss Galindo: "Your handshake had no meaning and never will have. Your handshake is a bastard thing, for you are not a gentleman!" Me: *cheers*

Mary returns to stay with Miss Matty. For some reason the writers decided to give her a fiancé who never appears and who she breaks up with before the end of the story, a decision that leaves me scratching my head. Why did they bother creating the fiancé at all when he serves no purpose in the story?

Anyway, Miss Matty convinces her friends, plus Mr. Buxton, William and Peggy to accompany her on a train journey. Cranford's ladies and Mr. Buxton agree that they were wrong to oppose the railway. And William suddenly declares his undying love for Peggy and asks to marry her. Even though they've barely spoken to each other. This is another decision that leaves me scratching my head. If the writers wanted the viewers to sympathise with William and Peggy, they should have included some scenes of them getting to know each other, learning what they have in common, anything that makes their romance seem genuine.

The not-very-romantic William and Peggy

Mary and Miss Matty on the train

Episode two begins with Mr. Buxton learning of his son's engagement and losing his temper. I disagree with his reasons for objecting, but I agree with his disapproval. Peggy and William barely know each other, but suddenly they're going to get married?

Mary has broken off her engagement, something that has no effect on the story and makes no sense. And Mrs. Jamieson's sister-in-law, Lady Glenmire, has come to stay in Cranford... and she marries Captain Brown, to Mrs. Jamieson's horror.

Lady Glenmire and Mrs. Jamieson

Meanwhile, Harry has run away from school. He goes to Miss Galindo, and then runs away from her too when she says he has to go back. At the same time Peggy's brother has stolen money from his employer and has to go on the run. Peggy decides to go with him to Canada. What an idiot! Your wretched brother doesn't deserve your help, Peggy!

Disaster strikes when Harry accidentally frees Bessie (who's still wearing her pyjamas!). She wanders onto the tracks and is hit by a train. Poor Bessie 😢 Harry, William and Peggy are injured, and Peggy's brother is killed. Good riddance!

Jem and Tilly return to Cranford in the middle of a magic show, a moment that made up for all the implausible plot twists earlier. And the story ends with everyone dancing a waltz. Aww! 😃

My overall opinion is "a typical sequel". It's a fairly good, if somewhat rushed, story on its own, but it's a sequel to Cranford. Nothing short of absolute perfection would have made it as good as the original. And sadly, it's far from perfect. It has some good moments, but the emphasis placed on the frankly dull William and Peggy, the absence of Dr. Harrison and Sophy, and the changes in some people's characters make it nothing better than average.

There's no moment I can point to and say "that's what makes this series so mediocre". Its flaws are woven all through its plot. But if you don't expect too much and accept it for what it is, you'll probably enjoy it just fine.

Is it available online?: Not as far as I know.

Rating: 6/10.

Review: Cranford (novel)

Cranford the series is perfection. Cranford the book is... not quite so perfect.

First things first. Cranford is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in 1853. Unlike Mrs. Gaskell's other novels -- North and South and Wives and Daughters in particular -- Cranford does not have an overarching plot. Instead it describes a few events in the village of Cranford over several years.

The narrator is Mary Smith, who frequently visits Cranford and observes its resident's amusing oddities. Several characters from the series -- Dr. Harrison, Lady Ludlow and the Huttons in particular -- don't appear in the book at all.

Attempting to explain all the incidents the book covers would take ages. Instead I'll just say what I thought of it.

I watched the series before reading the book, and so I kept comparing the book unfavourably to the series. (Yes, this is one of those rare cases where the adaptation is better than the source!) Captain Brown's astonishingly early death was a real shock. So was how little Jessie and Major Gordon appeared in the book. I was amused to discover that Lady Glenmire from Return to Cranford is a relatively important character in the book, complete with the drama about her marriage (though obviously she doesn't marry Captain Brown in the book).

There are no dramatic plot twists or adorable weddings in this book, unlike in the series. And it won't make readers roar with laughter or burst into tears the way the series does. But if you want to read something that's fairly short and certainly enjoyable, then Cranford is the book for you.

Is it available online? Yes, on Gutenberg.

Rating: 7/10.

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.