Les Mis BBC, Part 2
Jan. 6th, 2019 04:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
bobcatmoranWow, that sure happened. Some good, but a lot of…uh…choices. Were made.
• Oh, jeez, what is UP with Madeleine's hair? That stupid stubby ponytail, it's both ugly and period inaccurate.
• I knew that Davies was going with the route of "Javert thinks Madeleine is Valjean from the start." Not a choice I agree with, but okay, fine. Where it starts getting really weird is at the end of the episode, when it seems like Javert STILL thinks Madeleine is Valjean, and is just faking him out by saying "I must resign because I have done a Bad Thing against An Authority Figure." It's like he's telling Madeleine about the trial as some sort of weird test rather than being like, "Here is how I have done a Bad Wrong Thing."
• Also, given how Davies clearly ships Valjean/Javert, I was surprised by the lack of "punish me, Monsieur le Maire" kinky vibes. Those seem to slip in so often with that scene without even trying, and here? Nada.
• Also also, what was with the weird deep, meaningful looks Fantine and Valjean kept darting at each other in the factory? I thought for a bit this adaptation might be going full-on Valjean/Fantine there for a bit.
• For all the exposition-dump given in dialogue in this adaptation, you'd think Valjean would've explained something about how hiding a child was seen as immoral. But nope. It just came off as, "You did not tell the truth about your family, and lying is BAD, so I have to fire you now. Because lying."
• Just in general, I'm really not clicking with the characterizations of Javert or Valjean.
• I did appreciate how they handled the letter writer. He was a super creepazoid, but he worked as a character.
• I also appreciated them acknowledging the Thenardiers being like, "Whoa, Fantine actually sent us this obscene amount of money we asked for! She must be loaded!"
• I am very curious to see how moving George's death up by more than a decade and having Marius at his side when he dies plays out. Like, what, does Marius move out now when he's six years old because he suddenly idolizes his father and disagrees with his grandfather's politics?
• Fantine's descent was absolutely heart-wrenching. I really liked how the Bamatabois scene was done, with him being a complete asshole, seeming to apologize, then stuffing the snow down Fantine's back, followed by her beating the crap out of him.
• Not sure that the same guy would be doing wig-making and making false teeth in reality, but lumping the two events together (which I've never seen before) worked.
• Bby!Gavroche! Mme Thenardier commenting on how she just doesn't give a crap about him! It's awful but something I'm glad to see in an adaptation!
• Oh, jeez, what is UP with Madeleine's hair? That stupid stubby ponytail, it's both ugly and period inaccurate.
• I knew that Davies was going with the route of "Javert thinks Madeleine is Valjean from the start." Not a choice I agree with, but okay, fine. Where it starts getting really weird is at the end of the episode, when it seems like Javert STILL thinks Madeleine is Valjean, and is just faking him out by saying "I must resign because I have done a Bad Thing against An Authority Figure." It's like he's telling Madeleine about the trial as some sort of weird test rather than being like, "Here is how I have done a Bad Wrong Thing."
• Also, given how Davies clearly ships Valjean/Javert, I was surprised by the lack of "punish me, Monsieur le Maire" kinky vibes. Those seem to slip in so often with that scene without even trying, and here? Nada.
• Also also, what was with the weird deep, meaningful looks Fantine and Valjean kept darting at each other in the factory? I thought for a bit this adaptation might be going full-on Valjean/Fantine there for a bit.
• For all the exposition-dump given in dialogue in this adaptation, you'd think Valjean would've explained something about how hiding a child was seen as immoral. But nope. It just came off as, "You did not tell the truth about your family, and lying is BAD, so I have to fire you now. Because lying."
• Just in general, I'm really not clicking with the characterizations of Javert or Valjean.
• I did appreciate how they handled the letter writer. He was a super creepazoid, but he worked as a character.
• I also appreciated them acknowledging the Thenardiers being like, "Whoa, Fantine actually sent us this obscene amount of money we asked for! She must be loaded!"
• I am very curious to see how moving George's death up by more than a decade and having Marius at his side when he dies plays out. Like, what, does Marius move out now when he's six years old because he suddenly idolizes his father and disagrees with his grandfather's politics?
• Fantine's descent was absolutely heart-wrenching. I really liked how the Bamatabois scene was done, with him being a complete asshole, seeming to apologize, then stuffing the snow down Fantine's back, followed by her beating the crap out of him.
• Not sure that the same guy would be doing wig-making and making false teeth in reality, but lumping the two events together (which I've never seen before) worked.
• Bby!Gavroche! Mme Thenardier commenting on how she just doesn't give a crap about him! It's awful but something I'm glad to see in an adaptation!
no subject
Date: 2019-01-06 10:47 pm (UTC)I actually came to the opposite conclusion as you for your second point, and now I just don't know! We've seen both takes in various adaptations, but I suppose it will become clearer in the next episode, if we see how Javert reacts at the trial?
I, too, am super confused about Marius's plotline!
no subject
Date: 2019-01-06 11:35 pm (UTC)And, yeah, I'll be curious to see how the trial plays out, especially with these Valjean and Javert characterizations. There's a part of me which suspects we'll see Valjean fight his way out of the courtroom rather than everyone just sitting there in stunned silence.
no subject
Date: 2019-01-06 11:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-06 10:58 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2019-01-06 11:29 pm (UTC)That version also had Valjean in love with Cosette, Valjean's boyfriend/BFF Robert, and Valjean's passport having the word "YELLOW" stamped across it in large letters, so it…uh…maybe isn't one that should be emulated.