It's wonderful to look back thirty five years to when I was a lonely, romantic 12 year old boy sighing over Miss Georgina in UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS. I have to say this episode remains a particular favorite! There's something so deeply romantic about the heartbreaking yet hopeful conclusion to this episode. Every since the war, Georgina has been such a lost soul, dancing and drinking, always on the go, trying desperately to forget all the boys she lost in the trenches. And you can't help but feel sorry for her when she's on trial, even though her own careless driving causes the death of an honest working man. It's clear Georgina has learned her lesson, and it's so romantic when brave and honest Lord Robert stands up for her. You can just see they have a future as a couple -- I still remember the way she looks at him at the very end, tearful and yet hopeful.
Having said all that, when I review this story line as an adult I see some fascinating classic parallels -- not to English literature, but to an American classic, THE GREAT GATSBY. Everything is the same, up to a point. A childish, drunken, upper class female, driving carelessly, kills a member of the lower orders, and a strong, devoted lover has to bail her out.
The difference is that Georgina, unlike Daisy Buchanan, is basically decent and responds to her rescuer with real gratitude. And Lord Robert is, alas, yet another virtuous nobleman, not a dangerous bootlegger who has risen too fast. The truth is that this is really a very "conservative" episode -- the aristocrat saves the day, justifying his continued existence, and the daring upper class girl readily repents of her so-called "rebellion" and is clearly very ready for a safe, conventional marriage.
I know it's mush, but I still sigh every time I watch!
