Parade's End

I'm taking a little detour today from Part II of the Piedmont home tour to talk about Parade's End,

the latest Edwardian-era drama from the BBC that just aired on HBO. Because I just finished

watching it, and all I can is, wow.

I've now watched so many BBC productions that I think I must qualify for duel citizenship, but 

I still get excited when a new one rolls in from across the pond. Parade's End is the 

real deal, British to the core.

If you watch, make sure your forced air heating system is turned down, the windows closed, and

all other competing noise damped down. You will still need to replay certain conversations 

at least twice to make sure you heard correctly, but that's part of the charm, right?

The plot, in a nutshell:

Christopher Tietjens, a stiff, upright, honorable aristocrat of the old school is hoodwinked into

marrying the beautiful and pregnant (maybe with his child, maybe not) Sylvia. 

Christopher is played by actor Benedict Cumberbatch, whose mouth can move in more direcitons

than a soccer ball during a World Cup match. (Really, it's amazing.)

Christopher and Sylvia, in trouble from the get-go. 

Sylvia, Christopher's bride, is bored and bratty, a veteran of a recent affair with a married man. She's a victim of Edwardian times--bursting with intelligence and passion but bound by corsets and stifling social mores.     

Enter Valentine, a young suffragette who, out of the same sense of boredom is reduced to running around a golf course yelling, "Votes for women!" which I guess constitutes high excitement in the English countryside circa 1914.

Christopher and Valentine -- love at first shout

Christopher happens to be on the same golf course when Valentine makes her embarrassing debut. She and Christopher take one look at each other, and it's off to the races.

The Brits have such trouble expressing their emotions--they often use horses instead

Of course, the war intervenes. Not to mention Sylvia, who turns into a surprisingly competitive wife. Who knew she cared? Or does she really? You have to watch to find out. 

She wants him because she can't have him

There are some amusing supporting characters, including the social-climbing Edith and her demented minister husband, Christopher's world-weary older brother Mark Tietjens (played by the delightful Rupert Everett) and Mrs. Wannop, a dotty but lovable novelist and the mother of Valentine. 

Demented minister

World-weary brother

It's all very messy and glorious, like life itself. The war scenes do go on too long, but then, the war went on way too long as well. If you get tired of looking at the trenches for 40 minutes, imagine spending four years inside them, dodging bombs and bullets. 

  
When Christopher comes home, we feel his pain. As well as his eventual triumph.

Do give it a try, and let me know what you think. I'm about to start watching it again.

Photos via the BBC and HBO

© 2013 by A Silken Swoon. All rights reserved.