I viewed "The Travail of Sarah Pine" streaming on the web, so am including some comments on how it streams as well. (They are planning on releasing webisodes, so it is important.) The technical as follows:
1) The show played well, with no glitches or buffering (cable internet connection) 2) There was a slight offset of sound/lip sync, but not as much as I have noticed when watching shows from the networks online. 3) It was viewed best in the little window, which is also common when viewing episodes of other shows on the networks. It is likely due to our computer's resolution. Our Television has a computer port & the ability to carry wifi, though we have not used it (do not own the correct cables), I would guess playing it through there would remove this limitation.
Storyline and acting were wonderful. I especially appreciated the natural way they interacted. As I get older, and am now faced with the homeschooling of our children, I look for ways to learn our American History in a realistic way, viewing the people of whatever time period as more similar to us than different, having hopes & dreams, emotions, and a world view. At the same time, it is vital to recognize the differences within those areas, especially in their world view. While we focus today on allowing people to 'go to hell in a hand basket' if they so choose, they focused on holding people to standards and morals.
Watching this episode, I was delighted to find a way to discuss this topic (irresponsible sexual behavior) with my modern day children, who are surrounded by easy sexual references unclear understandings of where to draw the line. Being a Christian myself, I desire to teach them the way God wants them to go, and yet know that just as I made mistakes prior to marriage, they may, unfortunately do the same. Through this show we can address the repercussions of 'fornication', the difficulty of being a 'king's man' (being held captive to something in your life), how each path we choose in life will have pros & cons, and how sometimes the law's intent interferes with the best course of action. These are just the initial ideas that come to me, outside of learning the history itself. I am strongly considering the 'teaching' option you offer, though at this point I only have one child in the age range. We are actually studying American History this year, so will be purchasing soon.
I am looking forward to the next episode from Courage, and hopefully many, many more to come. From the attention to detail on the clothing and homes, to the engaging storyline and full characters, "The Travail of Sarah Pine" takes me directly to the turbulent beginnings of our nation. It will be a vital piece to the way our family enjoys American History.
