angelofvic

I checked this out on the PBS website, because it looked like a bit of a change from the copycat crime/mystery series populating PBS offerings these days.

I was right. From the very start, we learn that the four main characters are a fascinating little group of misfits, and the actors who portray them are wonderful too. Then add in the two or so other characters who are regulars on the show, and you have a full deck of entertainment.

So it's sort of immaterial what the investigations and crimes are, because the characters' personal lives are even more interesting. But the writers are good and have cooked up an imaginative slate of crime and mystery events, some of which regularly intersect with a mob boss and some which give the viewer a gasp of surprise and shock when they suddenly happen.

One other interesting thing is that the series takes place in Montreal, so the characters speak French (with easy-to-read subtitles), or rather a Franglais mix of weirdly accented Montreal French called 'Joual' mixed with English words, phrases, and sentences. It's pretty interesting in itself.

This was probably fine for 1976, when attention spans were much longer and there wasn't much else on television.

I did not see it back then, but I watched 40 minutes of it online yesterday, and decided I didn't want to continue. The main character, Adam Morris, a 1952 Cambridge student with a chip on his shoulder and a long-winded tendency to show off, is in literally every frame of the episode. If the character had been an appealing one this wouldn't be a problem, but Morris gets more and more annoying and irritating as the episode goes on, to the point I was yearning for some plot development or depth regarding someone else. But no, all of the other characters are merely backdrops to Morris's show-off tendencies.

Not something that appeals to me. Perhaps the episode and series gets better as time goes on, but I was too annoyed with the character by 40 minutes in to find out.

I enjoyed this mesmerizing and exquisite production, with its amazing cast and meticulous attention to detail, so much that one week after I finished watching it I watched it all over again.

My rewatch was partly motivated by the fact that it is hard to take in all the names, characters, and intrigues the first time around, so to allay some of my residual confusion I rewatched each episode, especially the first, very carefully. But my rewatch was also motivated by the sheer enjoyment I had of the richness of the content.

Then after my second viewing of the series, I watched the final 17 minutes of the series for a third time, to savor the wonderfully poignant and incisive summing-up and closure those last 17 minutes provide.

Lastly, I'd like to say a few words about my favorite main actors in the series. Of course, the stand-outs are Hiroyuki Sanada as the masterful and intriguing Lord Toranaga, and Anna Sawai as the exquisite female lead Mariko -- both have rightfully been nominated for Best Actor/Actress Emmy awards. Particularly on my second viewing, I was also extremely impressed with Tadanobu Asano as Kashigi Yabushige -- his frequent grunts and groans and tic-like movements are wonderfully apt and his performance is perfect. Lastly, a shout-out to star Cosmo Jarvis as John Blackthorne -- too often unnecessarily and unwisely compared to Richard Chamberlain -- I found Jarvis quite appealing and quite relatable, and his wonderful voice, accent, and inflection remind me a lot of Richard Burton. Well cast.

In sum, I urge everyone to check out this miniseries. The 10 episodes cover the entire novel and end where the novel ends. If you don't have a subscription to Hulu or Disney+, then take out a one-month no-ad subscription to Hulu (that's what I did) -- it is well worth it and I daresay you will not be disappointed,