autumnsoliloquy90 | north & south (bbc 2004) (Reply)

So I recommended this to

summercascar and then I made the grave mistake of rewatching it which basically just rekindled my love for John Thornton / Richard Armitage. Such a fangirl, I know. The character's very different from the actor, but damn I love them both. Now that's rare, usually I just like either the actor or the character. Sometimes I'd forget RA exists and then I'd revisit North & South and then I'll just be back into this crazy hyperventilating blushing fangirl. So anyway I've been rambling and recommending this shit to anyone who'd listen, thus here I am.

Yes, I watch this for the plot.

Anyone who loves period romantic dramas, you Austenites out there, you'd love this. I'm surprised N&S is still one of the lesser known BBC miniseries out there, though its popularity has exploded over the years. It's got the same elements as Pride & Prejudice, meaning a handsome Byronic hero, a (slightly) suffering protagonist, a love/hate passionate romance. But I really think Elizabeth Gaskell's (Charlotte Bronte's BFF; no wonder I love this) story beats Pride & Prejudice any day, because as much as Darcy/Elizabeth coupling makes for great romance, it doesn't really go far beyond being a romantic novel.

North & South, as the title suggests, is about divisive lines in society; social stratification, caste systems, rich vs. poor, whatever you wanna call it. The story is set in 19th century Milton, a typical industrial town full of cotton sweatshops and the misery associated with it. In fact the cultural differences between the more industrialised North and the wealthier South are best seen in the interactions between the main couple. Somehow I found it hilarious how Margaret Hale's family dreaded the prospect of them relocating to the North, as if people there were so utterly different. Jeebus, it's the still the same fucking country.

Anyway, move over, Mr. Darcy. John Thornton broods a lot too, has rough manners, but at least he's got a reason for it. Poor Darcy, born with a silver spoon in his mouth and never learnt social manners. I'm sure John Thorntons exist somewhere in the world, I'm positive of it. He's had some shit happen in his childhood, went from having something to having nothing, but from nothing he got somewhere in life. He's a self-made man, basically. Damn, I'm a sucker for those. And what I really love about this character is his vulnerability and inferiority complex. Sure, he's the master now, most eligible bachelor of the town but he "daren't even imagine that such a woman (like Margaret Hale) could ever love me". Not quite the nouveaux riche attitude I was expecting. WTF I WANT A JOHN THORNTON WHERE CAN I GET ONE?

Margaret Hale's just as bad as Lizzie Bennet in the judgmental department, but I really like her character for some reason. Maybe it's because HER PARENTS ARE SO ANNOYING. They're nice folks, but her father's irresponsible and a bit of a self-righteous innocent man, and her mother's too delicate and always have to be taken care of. It's like she's the adult of the whole family, despite having grown up quite privileged. And she's quite down-to-earth too, I mean she made friends with the trade union leader and workers from the poorer quarters. And somehow I could relate so much to her failed attempts at integrating into her new society, lol.

A mother's love holds fast and forever. A girl's love is like a puff of smoke - it changes with every wind.
— Mrs. Thornton

But my favourite character has got to be Mrs. Thornton. She's a controlling, domineering bitch of a mother, but damn you can't help loving a badass woman like that. Despite all that she's been through, you can't deny that John Thornton would not be the successful capitalist he ended up becoming if not for his momma. She'd make a terror mother-in-law though. No wonder Margaret rejected his proposal (it ain't a period drama without a rejection of marriage proposal!) I'd be running away in the other direction as fast as I could too if there's a mama bear looming over such a hot specimen of the male species... or maybe not.

Anyway as I said, I watch for the PLOT. LOL look who's in denial. As I was revisiting this lovely series, I couldn't help think of the British Empire and all its colonial transgressions. I mean, white man's burden and all that crapazoo. To civilize the lesser brown folks and stuff. But looking back in history, and let's just focus on the Industrial Revolution since that's relevant to this series -- that's really kinda fresh coming from a civilization whose poor folks died by the millions through starvation, sickness, misery. I'm there just thinking, why didn't they clean up their backyard first before assuming that the colonized peoples need saving and help. Oh well, all in the past, right? Sadly though, the themes in North & South are still very much relevant to today's modern society, and maybe they'll forever be relevant.

So yeah, if you're looking for a nice romantic show with enough meat for even the male mind to chew on, here's one. The main theme is beautiful, though I wish there were more variations in the soundtrack. The costumes were great, and cinematography, acting, screenplay were all quality material. God, I'm such a sucker for BBC period dramas.