"Some obligations can't be passed on": Watching A Place To Call Home

[Mel O'Drama]

Season Two
Episode Four, Act I


The conversion therapy storyline has been an asset for the series. As with other aspects of the series - not least Sarah’s time in the concentration camp - it draws on a real world truth and strikes (for me, at least) the right balance between being respectful to its subject matter and entertaining. It’s not frivolous. Far from it. It’s shown an ugly truth that has enhanced both story and character, with some significant changes coming from it.

The ending of Episode Three - discussion of James’s lobotomy - really got under my skin. Even with less than 24 hours for it to resonate, I found myself appreciating the story, because it feels so truthful. I believed that this could be happening (and similar situations probably did happen). Dramatically, it’s gold. But it doesn’t feel like sensationalism for the sake of it. This isn’t Melrose’s Kimberly taking a Black and Decker drill to Peter’s head. That was a fun ride, whereas this feels tragic. They do both share a similar grim horror, though. And a similar question came to my mind as a first-time viewer: how far would they dare go with this?

With this in mind, as well as the revelation Carolyn was about to make to George, the opening of Episode Four is perfect. We go straight to Grovesville Mental Hospital, and we see nurses and orderlies wheeling a patient on a gurney from a ward into a corridor. The patient is not fully seen, but it’s a dark-haired male with a bandaged head. Is this James being taken for his lobotomy? But his head wasn’t bandaged before. So is this James being moved after the operation? All this flashed through my mind in a matter of seconds.

Then the door to the corridor is opened, and we see George, Sarah and Olivia seated there. They all look into the middle distance as the trolley passes. That polite thing people do so they’re not ogling at the patient. Which suggests that this isn’t James. But it’s not confirmed absolutely.

Each of the characters in turn flash back to a conversation that’s happened between the end of the previous episode and the start of this one.

George flashes back to the conversation with Carolyn after she came to him and Sarah:

James said he wanted someone for Olivia. If I’d known what it was for I never would have suggested Stewart.

The man’s got a good reputation.

On women’s issues. But he brings a certain cruelty to men like James… I know two men who were under Milson’s care. Neither were healed. Both are damaged and I’ve heard of others. There is no cure, George.

This revelation sheds light on the general tone of the hospital scenes with James. The way doctors Stewart and Milson have presented as being professionals, but with a distinct lack of empathy towards their patient. It’s all about criticising and belittling. A psychological torture to back up the physical. And one facilitates the other. It’s chilling to think that Milson is a specialist in this area. For whatever reason, his field is treating patients who he holds in the utmost contempt.

Back in the corridor, Sarah recalls a private conversation she had with George immediately after Carolyn’s revelation:

Do you know what’s being done to him? …I have a fair idea.

James is up to it. Her pansy friends weren’t. It’s as simple as that. No father could be happy learning his son is like that.

No father should let his child be tortured. I’m simply asking you to see him.

Olivia flashes back to her, Sarah and Carolyn on the porch at Ash Park as George gets the car:

I’m worried George may be talked around.

That’s why I’m going.

I love the connection between these three women, and it occurred to me at this point that none of them knew each other just a short time earlier. I’m not sure how much time is meant to have passed, but it’s probably just a matter of months for them since the series began. All three are outsiders to the family in some way: Olivia has married into it; Carolyn is the black sheep and Sarah is there on a probationary basis. Yet here they are fighting harder than anyone else to save James. And working together.

When George arrives with the car, Sarah insists to George she will need time to speak to James. Now, in the corridor, Olivia adds her support to Sarah’s strategy:

Please. Whatever it takes to get to the truth.

continued…​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episode Four, Act I… continued​

Ahead of the visit, Milson is persuading James to tell his family everything is fine while he is being sedated and taken out of his restraints:

I’m relying on your strength… Do you wish to see that look of utter disgust on your father’s face again?

Milson puts on a charm offensive as Sarah is introduced, congratulating the couple on their engagement and saying how well James is doing. When the three are in, Milson presides, stepping in to answer questions directed at James and guiding the conversation as Sarah watches him with a cool look that implies she knows exactly what’s going on.

How are you finding things, James

We’re very pleased with his progress.

(in a lighthearted tone) They’re not being too rough on you?

I’d rather you didn’t discuss his treatment. And certainly not ask him to make value judgements on it. This is the very reason we don’t encourage visitors. Um, a neutral topic, perhaps.

And this is where George seems to register some understanding of the situation. He asks Sarah to tell James about their engagement party while he and Olivia discuss James’s treatment with Milson outside, implying to Milson that the conversation would be too intense for Sarah’s delicate ears. There are looks of understanding, and as soon as they’re out of earshot, Sarah looks at James’s chart and examines him as she talks:

I know what they’re doing to you. It’s not working is it? This torment?

She tries to ask him what has been done, and to convince him to ask George to come home, but James becomes agitated. Milson bursts back into the room, followed by Olivia and George.

The underscore has created a fantastic tension up until now, and it’s slowly escalated to the point it reinforces the driving urgency of the situation:

He’s in a terrible physical state. He’s being sedated on a regular basis. And look at his arms. These bruises are consistent with harsh restraints. And there’s only one thing that causes this [she touches the burns on his temples]. A high voltage and lack of care in the application.

I refuse to be lectured to by a woman who has no knowledge of what is happening.

I’m a nurse. I understand exactly what’s happening.

Your ill-informed opinions are not required… George Bligh and a nurse.

Your tone is offensive, doctor.

What I find offensive is you bringing someone in… to investigate my methods. Leave now… I refuse to be lectured to by a nurse who has no idea of what is being done.

I have every idea. I’ve had it done to me. I’ve survived barbarians like you.

There’s a winning stillness in the aftermath of Sarah’s revelation. Olivia looks shocked. George is none too happy, and takes Sarah into the corridor where the focus shifts:

You’ve been in a mental hospital? You can’t just say something like that and expect…

What matters now is James. You can’t ignore… what’s going on.

You’re too personally involved. It’s best you stay here.

If you leave him here, we are finished. I can’t be with a man who’d abandon him to this.

He looks at Sarah for a long moment - there’s no doubting she’s serious - then turns and walks back to James’s room. George’s feelings and motives at this point are unclear, as they have been for much of this hospital visit. There’s an echo in this scene of turning on his heel and walking off after Elizabeth threatened to cut him off George financially if he married Sarah. Now, as then, he was responding to an ultimatum and the person delivering it was left to wonder what he was going to do. It could go either way at this point.

continued…​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episode Four, Act I… continued​

George enters the room to find Milson about to inject James with another sedative and forcefully orders him to stop. Now the focus has shifted again. Now it’s about George’s relationship with his son. George asks Olivia to step outside so he can speak to James. Milson then congratulates George on his wisdom, saying that he knows George wouldn’t want a son who is out furtively looking for sex with men. Or at least he starts to say that:

Not a word until I’ve finished.

Then he turns to his son:

James. When I found out I said some hurtful things that I truly regret. We love you. I love you James. And we will get through this together… Look at me, not him. Tell me truthfully: do you want to stay. Tell me what your heart says.

There’s an interesting choice here. James opens his mouth and tries through his haze to say something… and then we cut to outside in the corridor where Sarah and Olivia stand silently. After a few moments, the door opens from inside. And so we don’t hear the pivotal moment or see what James said. At this point, everything hinges on what George says when he steps back out.

Except… George doesn’t say anything. Instead, he staggers out of the room supporting James who is leaning on him, barely able to walk. James is still in pyjamas with a dressing gown precariously hanging from his shoulders. It’s an incredibly cathartic moment. One that needs no words. Olivia rushes to help support James and the four struggle along the hospital corridor. The sole line of dialogue for the last minute or so of the act is a parting shot from Milson:

This is a sad day for your family, Mr Bligh.

He receives no reply, other than a stony look from Sarah.

After that, we see the family exit the hospital (I’m not sure if hospital policy then would mean James should be required to use a wheelchair, but him being supported to walk is such a powerful image I’d gladly suspend my disbelief anyway. Besides - if the hospital is turning a blind eye to its patients being strapped to beds, overly sedated and regularly carelessly electrocuted, this is but a tiny hiccup). George helps put James in the back of the car, next to Olivia who looks likes she’s won the lottery. Sarah helps make sure James is comfortable and she and Olivia exchange warm looks of relief. George opens the passenger door for Sarah, and she looks at him worriedly as he closes it, knowing they now have even more to try and work out between them.

There are a couple of other things going on during the act, but the hospital scenes are key. It’s also great fun to see Brett Climo and Andrew McFarlane together. These two former soap teen heart-thobs and Flying Doctors now middle aged and showing off some fine acting chops from their decades of experience. It’s one of those ten minutes that comes along every once in a while and impacts deeply. The revelations, tension and redemption invest me heavily and make me want to cheer, to boo and cry with hope.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Season Two
Episodes Four to Six



With James’s hospitalisation reaching a kind of resolution it would be understandable if this particular storyline slowed down in pace and bubbled away for a number of episodes. Happily, this isn’t the case here. There have been yet more revelations and dramas, and they’ve come quite quickly.

Recent family visits to the hospital have been explored through James’s eyes: most notably and touchingly Elizabeth’s:

You left me. I said “help me”. I begged. And then you left. You left me.

Forgive me. I didn’t know. Forgive me.

James is still physically battered and recovering from his nausea. So it’s no surprise that when Amy Polsen brings in a tray with food that James vomits all over the bedroom floor. Amy dashes off to get Olivia (engaged in a family crisis summit). He is feeling better by the time Olivia returns, but when Amy comes in to clean up the mess, James starts heaving again and flashes back to shirtless Harry. So the vomiting is a result of the messed up psychology behind the aversion therapy. Olivia realises that his reaction was because Amy reminds James of Harry (a twisted part of me wondered if this could become a running gag through the series: whenever James sees the housekeeper he vomits all over the floor/dining table/houseguest like Maggie Blackamoor).

There’s genuine love from Olivia and an acceptance from George, which is lovely to see. But his wording suggests that he hasn’t fully got it:

It never needs to be spoken of again. It’s like it was all a bad dream.

Olivia later echoes George’s “bad dream” statement, and this prompts James into going to the Polsens’ barn with the two of them:

I don’t mean to be cruel. Something needs saying and I need to say it here… All my life I’ve been running. And I want it to stop. This is where I kissed Harry.

We’ve put all that behind us.

No we haven’t. That’s the point. We can’t, until you both accept who I am. No more talk… of bad dreams. No more sweeping it under the carpet to avoid the fact that I will always be this. I tried changing. I can’t.

Then how do we proceed?

As husband and wife. I hope. As parents. As father and son. I made marriage vows. I’ll never betray them. [To George] But if I did you have to accept it would be with a man. The only way I can move forward is by facing the truth. And then moving beyond it.

Then we face it.

Father?

And move beyond it. Yes.

Even as it happened, it put me in mind of Dynasty’s second season “Steven is gay” scene. Now, as then, it’s an important moment for the character. Brett Climo does a nice job of George being incredibly uncomfortable with and slightly revulsed by such open discussion and clearly fighting inwardly just to stay in the space.


As if the newlyweds haven’t got enough going on, Olivia is concerned about her baby, which hasn’t moved. On the pretext of shopping, she goes to see a doctor in the city:

No-one must know of this… Thank you for your concern, but I will manage.

It won’t be easy carrying your dead child to term. You’ll need all the support your loved ones can give you. Don’t add secrecy to your burden.

I expect your discretion. Until I say otherwise.

I’m obliged to give it. I do so reluctantly.

Dr Ryan, by the way, is played by Pip Miller whom IMDb tells me has been in a number of British productions such as Return Of The Jedi (Stardestroyer Captain #1); Howards’ Way (Roy Johnson) and EastEnders (Alan McIntyre). I was annoyed by the editing of the recap at the top of this episode. Olivia had made a couple of casual comments recently that the baby was being good and not kicking her. And there had also been a couple of scenes of her holding her bump and looking reflective. But it hadn’t really registered with me until the editing put the two together and had a voiceover of Olivia saying the baby wasn’t kicking over an image of her looking worried while touching her baby bump. It wasn’t so much foreshadowing as a giveaway.

APW does nice work with discovering about the baby. Tears fall wonderfully from her face onto her clothing at the surgery. And afterwards she goes alone to the Polsen barn and collapses into pained grief alone.

Olivia’s choice not to say anything to anyone and to carry her dead baby to “full term” is a highly soapy thing to do. It’s all about not communicating and secrets. I can understand her concerns about James’s emotional wellbeing. But could she not speak to someone in the family? Sarah. Anna. George.

She does end up confiding in someone though: Andrew Swanson. This makes sense given that Season Two has spent much time bonding these two, with Andrew’s discovery of James’s hospitalisation back in the first episode of the season; the two travelling together to stay with the Blighs and Olivia supporting his first proposal to Anna, not realising she was engaged (he’s since stayed with the Blighs over Christmas and had another proposal to Anna rejected). Now James says he has a plan, and has advised her not to tell anyone about the baby until they’ve spoken. But in light of recent events, he’s sore at the Blighs, so this could be a worry. I’ve noticed that the actor is named in the opening titles now, so whatever happens he’ll be in the thick of things. And all signs are pointing towards a pairing with Olivia. But who knows.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episodes Four to Six... continued​

Elizabeth’s schemes are failing this season. Badly. Almost everything she’s tried to control has not worked out in her favour.

She initially fumed on learning James left the hospital before his treatment was finished and while she was staying with the Swansons (naturally she placed the blame at Sarah’s feet).

While there she’d schemed with Andrew for him to pursue Anna over Christmas while at the same time she pretended to accept the status quo with Gino on the proviso they deferred the official engagement announcement until after Christmas. This fell flat when Anna brought Gino to every planned event and meal, all the time giving Andrew a hard time and enjoying her Grandmother’s well-deserved annoyance (“you brought it on yourself”, Anna reminded her).

And then there’s Sarah. In light of her revelation about her psychiatric history, Sarah tells George about waiting in vain for Rene after the war. Waiting on railway platforms, searching. Or waiting for a telephone call:

He never came. The truth did, though. Finally. From a man who’d seen him die. And I heard this scream. This piercing scream. And it was mine. I fell into this darkness. I woke in the hospital weeks later, strapped to a bed, with electricity burning through my brain. Being tortured in the name of normalcy. I would have said anything to stop you leaving James to that.

Thank you for trusting me.

And there’s more:

I’d hoped never to burden you with this. But they’ve forced my hand. Your mother. Regina. Before she left I saw her at the hospital. She had this smug manner to her. Jack’s just discovered my employment records are missing. I think they’ve been taken to… search into my past.

What could be found?

The full story of what happened to me at Ravensbrück…

I got through it by going somewhere in my mind. Somewhere far away. I feel as if it happened to someone else. But it happened to me… It has to affect how you see me.

I won’t let it.

(It does, of course. But that’s another matter).

So unburdened, she can face down Elizabeth:

I know what you’re doing. And I’ve told George the worst that can possibly be told. Nothing Regina unearths can hurt us if we weather this. Merry Christmas.

What’s more, George is finally beginning to see how Regina works and intercepts a phone call she made to Elizabeth from Regina’s hotel in Paris (the Eiffel Tower conveniently in the background):

So, have you discovered anything?

It seemed important to your mother to be sure of Miss Adams’ background.

It’s none of your business. If you want to be welcome at Ash Park, you’ll stop. Now… And don’t telephone again. I insist that you avoid any attempts by my mother to contact you. Unless you want to lose my friendship forever.

Elizabeth and Prudence had found the perfect excuse to hold a soiree designed to show Sarah as gauche and unworthy of marriage into the family (essentially a big scale version of Patricia Hamilton inviting Scott Edwards to dinner): Pattie Menzies, wife of PM Robert and friend of Prudence has been made a Dame in the New Year Honours List. But Elizabeth has once again underestimated her opponent:

Today is obviously designed to see me out of my depth.

Well, I’m sure you’ll make of it whatever your social skills will allow.

I will. If Regina’s already discovered this, I apologise for the repetition: my husband was well-connected in Parisian literary circles. Gide and Malraux were our friends. We mixed in all manner of society. If you spent less time fighting me and more time knowing me, you’d know there’s nothing today that might throw me off-kilter. It’s a lovely morning. I’ll wait outside.

And Prudence doesn’t get away with anything either:

Thank you for inviting me, Lady Prudence.

Lady Swanson. My husband is a knight but I have no title myself. You’ll capture these social subtleties with time.

They’re becoming increasingly irrelevant, aren’t they? With time.

I’m enjoying Prudence. She’s clearly a bigot and a snob. But she also looks perfect for this series. Everything about her - from her features to her poise - looks era-appropriate. She looks like she’s stepped out from a Cluedo board.

Sarah charms guests - including the PM and his Dame - in more than one language. Just as Elizabeth admits defeat, the annoying Regina floats in with shocking news:

You’re sure

Absolutely.

And she has no idea.

None at all. Isn’t it delicious. You’ve won.

Could it be?! Has Regina unearthed Place’s very own Mark Jennings?

I’m very glad the writers have kept Regina’s Season Two role minimal up to now. After overdoing it with her in the last couple of Season One episodes, Regina has proved more tolerable to me in small doses. I just find her too broad for this series. The thought of her being a series regular isn’t an attractive prospect (though I suspect it will happen before too long).

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episodes Four to Six... continued​

Another surprise for Elizabeth comes when Carolyn asks about moving permanently into the guest cottage. In a nice touch, Elizabeth is pleased and says Carolyn is welcome to live at the house. But Carolyn insists on the cottage and says it’s because she has feelings Jack and wants to explore them there. It’s all characteristically frank and independent. Elizabeth has one comment about the relationship:

If this might possibly be a whim, walk away now. He deserves better than a broken heart.

This makes sense given that her relationship with Jack’s father was explored a little in the Christmas episode, which featured flashbacks to the past for many characters. We even saw Anna as a child, telling Gino she was going to marry him one day.

Anna had seen the Carolyn/Jack pairing coming, in part due to misunderstanding his looks:

I’m moving home. So you can visit me and Auntie Carolyn at the same time. I saw you at the party. Of course you’re interested. Who wouldn’t be? You’d make nice new uncle.

Before their relationship took off, Carolyn had invited him to her place to spend time together and to introduce him to her gay friends (including one Mary Christmas) who she felt might help him understand James. Jack now knows the facts behind James’s breakdown and has reacted with some bias on learning that James is gay.

For a while, Carolyn started to wonder if Jack might be gay himself when he runs from them being intimate. And this is where some of his strange behaviour and his covert self-injecting are explained:

You said at your party… that any woman deserved better than a compromise [he takes a vial from his drawer]. Testosterone. Injected twice a week for the last eight years. Manhood in a syringe. Japs took mine. Tortured me and smashed ‘em between two stones. Still keen? …I don’t want pity… I’m no bloody use to a woman.

That’s pity. That’s self-pity. This… is sorrow. It’s pain. It’s love. Love me.

It's a frank, blunt and risky subject matter for a background. All of which makes it feel very Australian.

Carolyn meets this with complete acceptance and understanding, and Jack is able to be naked with someone for the first time in many years. And as Carolyn points out, this explains why discovering he has a daughter means so very much to him.

It’s great to have Carolyn as a regular now. She’s a wonderful addition and can be funny, sweet and poignant. Sometimes all in the same scene.

 

[Willie Oleson]

a twisted part of me wondered if this could become a running gag through the series: whenever James sees the housekeeper he vomits all over the floor/dining table/houseguest like Maggie Blackamoor

Haha!

I have every idea. I’ve had it done to me. I’ve survived barbarians like you

Is there anything excruciating that hasn't happened to her? (oops, almost forgot to add the extra "space" between italic and non-italic words, this appears to be a tiny tellytalk bug).
But at least she's in good company:

Manhood in a syringe. Japs took mine. Tortured me and smashed ‘em between two stones

And her world gets bigger and bigger:

my husband was well-connected in Parisian literary circles. Gide and Malraux were our friends

But I like it that she gives as good as she gets.

Could it be?! Has Regina unearthed Place’s very own Mark Jennings?

Oh come on! What is it?

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Is there anything excruciating that hasn't happened to her?

Ha ha. And we're less than a third of the way through the series. Wait until they run out of story.

But at least she's in good company

It's pretty brutal, isn't it? It's made me understand that scene where Jack fought flashbacks to shake the hand of the Japanese businessman, and then promptly fell off the wagon.

Oh come on! What is it?

It's still under wraps. We just saw Elizabeth's reaction to the news. And she looked pretty shaken. Picture Hyacinth Bucket finding out her relatives are about to arrive while she's taking afternoon tea with Lady So-and-So and you're along the right lines.

 

[Willie Oleson]

It's made me understand that scene where Jack fought flashbacks to shake the hand of the Japanese businessman, and then promptly fell off the wagon.

They're very good with the retrospective narrative. Maybe that's what inspired them to do the time-jump scene.

I wonder if they're going to explore what makes Regina tick, apart from those historical events. She was Elaine's sister and according to George, Elaine was perfect.
Not that she has to be a victim of circumstances, it doesn't have to be a justification, but maybe something that explains her menacing nature.

Picture Hyacinth Bucket finding out her relatives are about to arrive while she's taking afternoon tea with Lady So-and-So and you're along the right lines.

That is a very clear picture!

Elizabeth and Jack's history is another vague story that needs to be explained (unless I've missed something?)

 

[Mel O'Drama]

They're very good with the retrospective narrative. Maybe that's what inspired them to do the time-jump scene.

I think it might well have been. Obviously there were a number of big spoilers in that scene, but there's also a great deal of foreshadowing. One detail in particular springs to mind which at the time I didn't pay very much attention to: Olivia's granddaughter having blonde hair. I'd assumed it was dark hair that's bleached. But was it meant to be natural? If so, does this support my Andrew Swanson/Olivia theory (what with Andrew being blonde and Olivia and James both having dark hair)?

Of course, there's another generation in between then and now, so anything could happen. But I do wonder if there was a deliberate knowing to that choice.

I wonder if they're going to explore what makes Regina tick, apart from those historical events. She was Elaine's sister and according to George, Elaine was perfect.
Not that she has to be a victim of circumstances, it doesn't have to be a justification, but maybe something that explains her menacing nature.

She's great at the sideways smirks, and she's fine as someone with a brief appearances every once in a while, but if Regina's to become a regular I think they have to do something to help the viewer's understanding. She's basically Katherine Wentworth circa The Letter (the way she acts and even the way she often dresses and does her makeup. And similarly, Regina is played by an attractive, glamorous actress with a limited range compared with most of her peers). But Katherine had a couple of seasons working up to that point and was developed a little over time as a result of the writing.

It would be interesting to know if Elaine was as perfect as she's said to be. George took a long time to even begin to see Regina's bitchy side - and she wasn't even providing him with sex and children.

Elizabeth and Jack's history is another vague story that needs to be explained (unless I've missed something?)

In the Christmas episode, there were some flashbacks (beginning in 1908) to Elizabeth's relationship with Jack's father, who was also Jack (known as John). Seems they were in love, but within a year she threw him off the property, knowing it wouldn't work out because he wasn't suitable.

In 1924, John's widow brought young Jack to Ash Park, struggling for cash and asked Elizabeth for help getting Jack an education.

Then in 1947 we see Jack stumbling out of Ash Park, drunk and vomiting. Elizabeth follows and tells him it has to stop ,slapping him to the ground when he says she's not his mother, then offering her hand and her help. This, of course, is the "gutter" scene that's been referenced a couple of times. So you were right. In a manner of speaking, Elizabeth did put him in the gutter.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Is this the fine line between perfection and just a little too obvious?

I



​

 

[Alexis]

First time on the new forums. So just catching up. I have to say I absolutely hated the modern day scenes too. They seemed to take me out of the story and it just didn't feel right for me.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

First time on the new forums.

Glad to see you here, Alexis.

I have to say I absolutely hated the modern day scenes too. They seemed to take me out of the story and it just didn't feel right for me.

It's pretty unanimous then. At the time I didn't think I'd get past it at all. I'm so grateful it was just that one episode, as I had this fear that it was going to run on and on, and I thought the entire season might be ruined. Thankfully, Season Two so far has been pretty amazing.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Season Two
Episodes Seven and Eight


As with Season One, there is a definite sense of storylines snowballing as the season goes along. It’s not how much is going on that alerts me to this - there’s always a lot of storyline going on - but the speed with which these things happen. It’s great fun - and there’s certainly no danger of being bored - but I can’t help feeling that some of these stories would benefit greatly from a little more room to breathe and explore character.

Don’t misunderstand, character is explored. The dialogue is wonderful and responses to situations are pure character. The performances and production always sells what’s going on to the audience with a sense of reality. But at the back of my mind in this latter part of the season is the limitation of a season which is not much longer than a Sidney Sheldon type mini-series. Some prime time soap seasons - at 66% longer than this - are just beginning to introduce that year’s key stories seven or eight episodes into a season. I’m sure there are decisions and compromises based on how much happens per season. Do events get spaced out over two or three seasons, or do they just go ahead and run their stories, ten episodes be blowed?

What we get is something in between. James’s hospitalisation story - which was effectively the wrapping up of last season’s cliffhanger - was enjoyably unhurried. While Bert’s death was dealt with incredibly quickly. At the end of last year, the storylines all coming to a head created something that was a little more dynamic and struck a different balance of character and event. The same is happening now.

Olivia’s story is a case in point. She’s been pregnant for the best part of two seasons now. Watching the series on DVD, it hasn’t felt inappropriately long, but it might be a different story watching in real time - now fourteen months and counting.

The pregnancy has been on the back burner for some time, up until the point at which Olivia discovered her baby had died. And it’s with Andrew Swanson’s conspiracy that the story has gone into overdrive:

You can’t be serious. I couldn’t. I couldn’t live with the deception.

But if it were to save your marriage.

How could it possibly work.

Tell your obstetrician you’ve found a new man and meet Dr Jarvis. A simple transfer of funds sees the process underway. Jarvis finds a girl in trouble with an imminent delivery. As soon as she goes into labour you're induced. Private clinic, of course. Discretion bought. And you emerge with a bonny bouncing babe in your arms.

And the mother?

Will be well compensated for something she never wanted in the first place. You’d be solving her problem too… You can bring joy to everyone. If you’re brave enough.

It’s an incredibly soapy scenario. Even watching it begin to play out, I know that Olivia’s decision will haunt her for the rest of her life - and certainly for the rest of the series. For her to have to make such a decision while still carrying her baby who she knows to be dead is unthinkable, and it’s clear that she’s incredibly vulnerable, and aware it means her baby will suffer further:

What will happen to my baby?

It will be taken away and it will be as if it never was.

A proper burial, surely?

What we’re doing is illegal. As hard as it is, you have to be strong on that.

And just an episode after the conspiracy was hatched, it plays out. It's too pacey in many ways, but it does sell the fact that Olivia has had little time to really consider the potential consequences. She’s spent so much time trying to spare James’s feelings, and that factors heavily into her decision to go through with the deception. It’s felt very subjective. There’s a cracking scene where Andrew gets a phone call, and Olivia is unable to concentrate on conversation with Prudence as she’s aware it could be the call to say the black market surrogate has gone into labour - which it is. En route to the hospital see her stop at the church and pray for the soul of her dead baby, and for forgiveness for what she is about to do. Andrew stands behind her like a spiritual bouncer.

For a character to have to go through the experience of giving birth to a child she knows to have died is harrowing enough. Olivia essentially goes through it completely alone. As she’s taken to have labour induced, the nurse whispers in her ear:

Don’t look when they take the little one away

It’s a suggestion that Olivia is unable to follow, and she sees glimpses of her child being placed on a table, wrapped up and taken away.

She then has the added trauma of having to bond with a child she has no connection with, and to fool her family into believing the deception.

But this will only be the start. It seems clear that Andrew has a game plan regarding Olivia’s baby. He’s not doing it out of the goodness of his heart. It’s for leverage. Whether it’s because he wants Olivia for himself, or it’s to blackmail Anna or he just wants revenge against the Blighs remains to be seen. But no good is going to come from it.

I have questioned why Matt Levett seems to have been boosted to series regular status with Season Two. I sometimes miss some of the names of the regulars with them playing out over the opening scene (I wonder if there’s a full opening credits somewhere, with actors names - and perhaps faces - playing out over a full-length version of the theme music), but from what I’ve seen it appears that Matt is the first - and only - actor to be added to the main cast since the series began. Matt’s a watchable character. But he doesn’t feel important or interesting enough for this. He’s wisely been kept mostly on the sidelines this season, despite emerging as a Wayne Hamilton type of spoilt-brat-cum-anti-hero (who in turn was an ersatz-JR Ewing). As I’ve said previously, I have enjoyed his cheeky smile and cocky attitude, but it hasn’t gone much further. He still feels very much like a secondary character. And that’s the way I prefer it.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episodes Seven and Eight... continued​

Regina’s Parisian research has borne some pretty wild fruit, in the form of an almost literal ghost from Sarah’s past. Elizabeth reluctantly prepares to tell George. He then comes to Sarah at the hospital:

They say your husband’s alive.

In many ways it’s the most outlandish storyline to date. And yet, it isn’t. There’s a truth to how it’s presented which is rooted in the reality of the post war years where families had been separated and people struggled to find confirmation of what happened to loved ones. There’s arguably a little dramatic licence, but it works fine. Especially in the context of Sarah and Rene’s mysterious past and their history as Resistance members.

Regina happily explains all to Sarah and George in a drawing room scene as Elizabeth watches tearfully:

Given Elizabeth’s concerns I employed enquiry agents throughout Europe. …When my man visited your sister-in-law in Paris, he sensed an unease when he questioned her about your marriage. He dug deeper and imagine what he found? Madame Duval spends much time with her invalid brother, recently discovered in a Jewish repatriation hospital… He was recognised by a former colleague who joined the medical staff. For eight years he was a brain damaged John Doe. A photograph taken by my man, a week ago.

(tearfully) Yes. It is him. Dear God.

It plays out beautifully. It’s pure, emotion-based character that not even Regina’s somewhat one-dimensional presence can dilute. Those are real tears in the eyes of George, Elizabeth and Sarah, and the pain is tangible as the implications of this new sink in. The dramatic high road is taken: with focus on very real feelings rather than out and out melodrama. Which actually serves to make the drama resonate more.

To spare George’s feelings, Sarah even asks him to wait outside. Both put on a brave face, but George looks devastated once left alone. Sarah closes the door and turns to Elizabeth:

René was the love of my life… Whatever your motives - thank you. Without you I may never have known.

(rising to her feet) Miss Adams. I wish you well.

They hold hands.

Goodbye, Mrs Bligh.

She walks past Regina as she leaves

What a sad and pathetic creature you are.

The focus is immediately on Sarah and George and what this means. And it’s understood by both what that is:

I must go to him.

I know what he meant to you. I know. I know what you went through to survive for him.

I’ll take the train tomorrow to the city. Stay with Aunt Peg until I leave.

You have to go by aeroplane. You need to get there as soon as possible. I will cover the cost… Whatever’s needed to ease your way. I’d fight if there was a point. But there’s not. I know you. He’s your husband.

I don’t know what I’ll find there.

You’ll be true to whatever you find there. That’s who you are.

My darling.

My suspension of disbelief was such that I didn’t question that the lead character departing would throw off the concept of the entire series. Not until it was about to happen. And Sarah was given a reason to return after Roy came to George to tell him what Sarah needed to hear, and George goes to Sarah:

I won’t lie: this breaks my heart. I’m trying to do what’s right… There’s enough there for your return flight. And one back for your husband. There’s something you need to hear. And it must come from me. You’ve found a home here. And you shouldn’t lose it because we’ve lost each other. My heart would break even more if what we’ve had got in the way of your coming back. If it seems right, you bring him home. If it’s right, you have to.

The story isn’t without its lighter moments. Sarah’s goodbyes proved how loved she is, and she gets hugs from her fellow nurses - including Alma. Anna even gave her an invitation - for two - to her wedding. And there is one character who races to the hospital to opine on the situation:

I mean no disrepect, but how is it possible to mislay a husband?

And even Doris ends up pointing out that Inverness is Sarah’s home, and she hopes she’ll soon return.

Doris, incidentally, gets more information than she bargained for when she comes to Jack trying to get dirt on he and Carolyn:

I was leaving the cottage because I stayed the night. Carolyn and I are seeing each other. As for Sarah, I’m guessing she’s not coming back. Anna and Gino are still getting married. George is a broken man and Elizabeth Bligh has more trouble than she knows what to do with. Miss anything?

And Doris has to admit Jack was very thorough.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episodes Seven and Eight... continued​

Elizabeth’s response to the situation has been fascinating. From the moment we saw her reaction to the news, it’s clear that she was very shaken indeed. She was seen to hate breaking the news to Sarah and to George.

Just as Patricia Hamilton would hit a rock bottom every once in a while, showing her to be entirely human, vulnerable and frail, so is Elizabeth going through such a welcome phase.

Regina’s arch bitchery - she’s very happy to do all she can to ensure Elizabeth gets the brunt of the blame for her discovery - has continued to build empathy for Elizabeth. It’s softened her and shown her to be somewhat right-motived - if occasionally misguided. She’s also a victim in this.

There are angry words to Elizabeth from all direction:

Missy earned more love ‘ere in six months than you’ve done in a lifetime. I reckon a lot of people around ‘ere are gonna be awake up to you after this. An’ it’s about time.

And he’s not the only one.

(declining Elizabeth’s invitation to join her for tea): I don’t want father thinking there may be collusion.

I ask just one thing. Any glimmer of softening towards me, will you encourage it?

I will. If I see it. I suspect I won’t.

(To Elizabeth and Regina) I hate you both. No-one would ever have known if you two hadn’t gone poking around. Gino and I have set the date of our wedding. It’s in six weeks. In the Catholic church. And you are not invited.

I’m drinking because I finally see who you are, and it repulses me. I’m drinking, mother, to drown my hatred for you. What made you like this? Did father not want you? Did you repulse him as well? So you poured all of your misery into us. A mother loves. She wants joy for her children. You! You can’t bear to see us make our own choices because, if they do make us happy, it simply highlights what a desperately unhappy life you’ve made for yourself.

She’s seen to cry to Jack in despair at her shunning by the family. And she confesses something surprising:

D’you know the greatest irony in all of this? I returned from Sydney with a new admiration for Miss Adams. I was close to accepting her. If not for Regina’s discovery, I would have.

Have you told George?

It would simply sound like a grovelling plea for forgiveness.

This makes the whole situation more tragic. Sarah and George were so close to their happy ever after - with Elizabeth’s blessing.

Elizabeth’s heart adds to her frailty, and there’s a Patricia/Dee homage when Elizabeth has a turn and asks Regina to pass her pills… only for Regina to take several moments to consider the idea.

Incidentally, Regina later threatens to make the James/Harry situation public if Sarah tries to warn George against her. In return, Sarah sets Lucky on Regina. It’s a scene reminiscent of the White Witch fleeing from Aslan in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.


There’s also a flash of the tougher Elizabeth after Regina bluffs details of Harry Polsen and James from Amy:

This is not a pleasant task for me. You’ve been indiscreet.

Mrs Standish said she knew.

She only suspected. Unfortunately, you have confirmed those suspicions, which puts me in a very delicate position… I cannot risk a similar occurrence.

She pauses and stares until Amy understands and tearfully responds while trying to smile:

Ma’am, I do miss my sister. And I remind Mr James. So, I think perhaps I should go.

A wise choice. Thank you. Three months’ salary and a fine recommendation will be ready for you within the hour. Norman will drive you wherever you wish to go. I see no point in delaying matters. You go with my blessing.

Ma’am, I understand.

It’s a poignant scene, once again filled with sadness rather than drama. Again, it’s clear that Elizabeth finds the conversation uncomfortable, and that she sincerely regrets it has come to this. Both women are wonderful in the scene, with great chemistry. Amy Matthews does a terrific job with Amy’s shock and bravery. Amy’s departure means she’s the last of the Polsens to leave. Which seems a waste, because the whole family was interesting.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episodes Seven and Eight... continued​

Sarah’s return to Paris has brought a degree of noir into the series. The cinematography is different in these scenes. There are a lot of shadows and muted colours. It looks quite art house. In-keeping with this is angst and pain. It’s not a happy time.

Sarah is greeted by René’s sister, Adele Duval, who asks forgiveness for keeping Rene from her:

Forgive me. I wanted to spare you.

I know.

René himself is shown to be a broken man, and catatonic. He doesn’t speak to, nor even appear to be aware of Sarah. And he doesn’t respond to her contact. There’s one scene in which his hand reaches out towards hers, which is on the table. Sarah holds her hand out in return, then realises he’s reaching for the food she has prepared. He eats without any recognition that she is present.

Sarah’s decision is to ask Adele for permission to take René to Inverness to recuperate. But she later finds Adele crying:

My tears are for you, not him. This is what I have feared. You are tied to him now. There is no hope. You must face the truth. He will never be the man you loved. Never. I won’t let you sacrifice everything out of duty… Please, Sarah. I beg you. Go home. Go back to your new love. To your happiness. To your hope… You asked my permission to return with him. I give you my permission to return without.

Sarah spends the night on the bed with René, and it’s implied - though not confirmed - that she’s saying her goodbye to him. But when she starts to leave the room, René turns and calls her name. Which could change everything.


Furious at her grandmother, Anna has moved in with Carolyn. I’m not clear if Jack is living there, but he’s certainly there a great deal of the time, so they’ve become a little family unit. And Anna’s been putting more pieces of the puzzle together. After a run in with Elizabeth she ended up in a heated exchange with Jack, filled with overlapping dialogue:

Whatever you’re feeling, just remember your grandmother hasn’t been well.

I hope it kills her. Well, we’d all be better off.

Stop it. Stop acting like a spoilt bloody brat.

You can’t talk to me like that.

Someone has to.

No. You’ve got no right to…

I have every right.

You’re not my father.

For a second, I thought Jack was going to do a Kat Slater in response to Anna’s suggestion that he wasn’t her father (“Yes I aaaaaaaaaaammmmm”). He managed to restrain himself, but too late, because Anna saw that flicker in his eyes. And it was enough for her to confront Carolyn:

Tell me I’m not crazy. I’m not, am I. Don’t make me ask, please.

Jack?

Yes.

He is.

And so there’s a father/daughter reunion. This happens just as Anna’s other father is in danger of going off the rails. George has been drinking heavily (something Anna had been witness to), and there’s distance there.

But this storyline has given Brett Climo his strongest scenes yet as he rails at Elizabeth, cries to himself in the car and falls into a pit of depression, from which he’s just beginning to emerge.

He also has words for Regina:

You’re not welcome to stay again.

But, thick-skinned as ever, she’s bought the old Walker/Polsen place and is hanging round like a bad smell.

 

[Mel O'Drama]

SeriesTwo
Episode Nine



APH's first wedding has proved to be a satisfying and heartwarming affair. Many milestones of the episode feel very much like the stuff of season finales. Where to start:

Sarah’s return to inverness, with her husband René, has been beautiful. Six weeks have elapsed since the last episode and Rene is making a little progress. Roy and Jack are at the railway station to meet them from the train, and their priority is to get the exhausted René to the hospital for a physical. Sarah has translated his medical records and she and Jack discuss the fragments in his brain which are adding to his confusion and shortening his life, but are “incredibly dangerous” to remove. And we learn he could haemorrhage at any moment. Oh - it’s going to end in tragedy, isn’t it?

Sarah has come to surprise Anna for her wedding. George comes to Roy’s place to see Sarah, and they catch up:

Your husband?

René’s at the hospital. It’s the journey. He’ll be fine.

I look forward to meeting him.

As he does you. I told him all about us.

George’s curiosity gets the better of him and he goes for a look at René, is spotted and ends up introduces himself, where he quickly realises that René’s memory isn’t in great condition.


There’s little sign of a thaw between Elizabeth and George, but he does tell her about Sarah, and Elizabeth looks genuinely moved by it. Very quickly, Sarah receives a visit, and them sitting on the deck at Roy’s feels instantly right, familiar and a little nostalgic. Even to Elizabeth:

I feel a sense of déjà vu.

We struck our three month bargain the last time you came.

I’m more recalling the first day at the cottage. I have misjudged you. Frequently.

You have.

I hope never to do so again. I have wronged you… I won’t assume any possibility of intimacy, but I trust we do not proceed as enemies. I’ve lost George and Anna. And the rest of the family may follow.

You don’t deserve that.

Well, that does make my request a little easier. (she starts crying) If you can help in any way. Not for me. For George. He’s being eaten away by bitterness. Oh. My apologies.

I will help. If I can.

Elizabeth wishes Sarah and her husband the best and stands to leave. Sarah says they’ll see her at the wedding. Elizabeth, attempting to sound casual, says she’s not invited, then smiles and shrugs. Sarah watches her leave with complete empathy.

Both are wonderful in the scene. Noni Hazlehurst in particular really allows her warmth to come across. There are lots of unexpected little quirks with her delivery and expressions and it’s clear Elizabeth is trying to sound somewhat reserved, but is overwhelmed with the emotion of this situation she’s helped create. There’s also no doubt in my mind that Elizabeth is most sincere. She genuinely does have George’s interests at heart, no matter how he currently feels about her. And perhaps she cares about Sarah too.


George does change his stance slightly on the day of the wedding:

Anna. The anger I have towards your grandmother is mine. You make your own choice about whether or not she is there today… I’ll send her up. You won’t walk down that aisle today in peace unless you have this conversation. Regardless of the outcome. And I won’t have you looking back on this special day with any regrets.

And when Elizabeth comes up:

Please don’t lie to me to make me feel better.

I won’t. Anna - I will never approve of this union… I feel that you’re making a terrible mistake. But I do hope with all my heart that I am wrong.

She gives Anna earrings that were given to her on her own wedding day by her mother.

I love you more than you’ll ever know. May you find more happiness than I could ever imagine.

She, Anna and Carolyn hold hands:

Three generations of Bligh women. There will always be trials. But there is always love.

Please come.

continued...​

 

[Mel O'Drama]

Episode Nine... continued​

Then there’s Anna’s wish that both her fathers could walk her down the aisle. “It’s a lovely thought”, smiles Carolyn before necessarily dismissing it. George still has no idea that Anna knows, and this would certainly complicate the day.

Then Gino - who seems to get prettier by the episode - comes up with a last minute solution. He asks Jack to be his best man. So Jack’s standing proudly at Anna’s side as vows are said. Elizabeth shows a little surprise, though not shock. There follows a great moment where she tuts at Gino’s wonky tie and then starts fixing it, almost throttling him in the process, before looking deep into his eyes:

I do hope you surprise me.

There’s a lovely moment where she warmly greets Sarah and René and introduces herself to him.

There are warm little touches everywhere you look in this episode. Given Roy’s outburst to Elizabeth, their next meeting in church - him giving a cheeky smile and saying hello; her replying coldly but politely - is great fun. There are even hints of a budding romance between Roy and Doris.

Sarah’s walk down the aisle is just everything. It’s appropriately ethereal and warm, but full of nice little character moments as Anna spots Jack next to Gino (Jack gives her a little wink), and then goes into a full on run when she sees Sarah, breaking her walk up the aisle to embrace her warmly. And the underscore is perhaps the most perfectly poignant and beautiful yet. I’ve just ordered the CD soundtrack, so I’m keeping fingers crossed this track is on there (I haven’t looked at track names yet. Just in case there be spoilers).

And as the service goes on, and meaningful smiles are exchanged between Jack and Carolyn. The wheels can be seen turning in Elizabeth’s mind. Pennies are dropping.




Olivia is struggling to connect with Baby George, and there’s that soap/sitcom thing where everyone but her seems to be able to pacify him when he cries. And she’s accidentally pricked him with his nappy pin. She’s at her wits’ end. Could this lead to an Ailsa Stewart type breakdown with drastic consequences?

The only thing keeping her on the right side of sane are Andrew’s regular visits for her to be able to speak openly about how she’s feeling. These haven’t gone unnoticed:

What is happening between the two of you. I don’t like the degree of intimacy he’s assuming with you. He doesn’t even pretend to be visiting the both of us… Men and women can’t be friends.

So I have to accept men can be lovers. But you won’t accept a man and a woman as friends.

Both you and Olivia may understand this special connection, but the world may not.

I care nought for the world.

Nor for her reputation?

Andrew is very much the friend to Olivia, but visits the Poletti farm on his way out of town:

I have a message for Anna. Tell her from me: it’s all her fault.

What is?

She’ll know. When it happens. Families are such an Achilles’ Heel… I give Mr and Mrs Dago a year.

He gets a bloody nose for his trouble. But between this and Regina instructing her male companion to beat her up, there’s definitely trouble in the air

 

[Willie Oleson]

But, thick-skinned as ever, she’s bought the old Walker/Polsen place and is hanging round like a bad smell

I love a good stinker.

As dear old Alexis would say "I'm moving in".