The Doll Factory

I binge-watched the Doll Factory in an evening. Although, it wasn't quite what I was expecting, I did quite enjoy it.

The first couple of episodes may feel slow with the introduction of random characters and what appears to be pointless tangents. However, the following episodes allow it come together and then the twists happen and it really was worth it.

Strengths for me: End character development, storyline, twists and setting.

Weaknesses for me: It is slow in places; some characters aren't needed.

One of the first things I have watched in a long time where I haven't been able to guess the twist.

I watched the show on one of my local streaming channels. What I get from the show is how Iris chooses her life compares Rose does hers. You should know women in that time in Europe had a very low social status. They didn't get to decide their lives, the society did. Iris didn't want to be a doll maker forever and refused to marry someone she didn't like. She wanted to be who she wanted to be: free and liberal. Rose, on the other hand, was defined by the society. She detested disobedience and her sister's actions. The show somehow reflects how women fought for their lives hundreds of years ago. But, 6 episodes for a very simple and dull plot, it was a waste of time. If it were a movie which was only 90 mins long, it would be interesting. A lack of depth was also a problem. It was just a love story between a doll maker and an artist. And how the crew members recruiting for extras/background actors, was a problem too. It didn't fit that era presented in the show. This is a problem for a lot of movies/tv shows that have a background of the general society of 100 years or earlier, a lack of authenticity.

Pros: Great costumes, acting, set design

Cons: Plot & characters. It's year 2023 and mental illness is still the major plot device. Blame everything on a bipolar woman and a schizophrenic man. Perfect! This is based on a book from 2019 that copies Jane Eyre and adds more mental-illness shaming. What an achievement!

I was hoping that by now we should be more open-minded. But it seems despite achievements in technology and costume/set design, the entertainment & publishing industries just keep recycling the same BS. Why bother making something good and fresh when you can just keep making the same stories over and over?!

I didn't think I was going to like this, but i found it captivating. It looks great visually. Bravo to the props department. The characters where interesting, with a complexed air of mystery to each of them. I liked the creepy feel that ran throughout the entire series, it was well acted.

Set in London during the Great Exhibition of 1851, it had a bleak Dickens doom and gloom vibe. Even Dickens himself appears, visiting the exhibition.

I'm surprised it's got a low IMDB score, but I guess this is not for everybody. It's slow, but in a refreshing way, which will put many viewers off, but not me.

Set in Victorian London, this english speaking piece colourfully depicts the period full of both Dicken's like characters to the hopes and dreams of it royals.

The plans to costruct the crystal palace are on display and various characters compete for the rights to exhibit. This is entertwined into our visually remarkable show. After watching two of the series, the line between the classes has not been defined and the posh accents mingle with the commons with far too much ease.

The story is explained as twin sisters, one ravished with rements of small pox, the other untarnished, and their struggles in a shop that macabrely recreates look a like dolls to reflect the customers children, dead or alive.

One of the sisters has the ambition to reach greater heights and this is where the plot abandons me. You are left wondering why the title would not be related to the plot, or why the characters seem aimless and drifting through life? Is this a drama or a melodrama? Are we about to be inflicted with a hundred episoides that go no where?

Personally I have surrended all interest after episode number two, however, perhaps others will find joy here?