Le Blog de Sara

I love BBC period costume drama. I just saw North and South, and loved it. Loved it. Some people said that adaptation was better than the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but it was pretty damn good. I also enjoyed their Robin Hood series (until they killed Marian, the bastards), Servants, and all the Dickens adaptations (last year’s Oliver Twist was spectacular, and don’t get me started on how good Bleak House was). Watch the ending of North and South and you’ll see how great it is:

But when I try to watch contemporary BBC dramatic series, I usually feel embarrassed for them. Take the two most recent series I’ve watched: A Thing Called Love and Bonekickers. A Thing Called Love was about some sap called Gary nattering on in an incomprehensible northern accent about how he can’t find love, even though about five minutes into the series, you could tell he should hook up with his best friend Paula. Five hours later, Gary realizes this too–but in the meantime the viewer is forced to watch Gary whinging, his handicapped brother get run over by a car, and his best mate Kelvin (who is married and straight) get raped by some guy he met at a pub peep show. Charming. 

Bonekickers is something else entirely: a group of archaeologists who are constantly getting thrown into dangerous, politically murky situations. Paying no attention to death threats, flying bullets, and impending explosions, they keep going–all in the name of archaeology. So far they’ve discovered Jesus’ cross (which was buried near Bath, and which they quickly burned), an American conspiracy to hide the fact that George Washington wanted to share power with freed slaves, a Babylonian prophecy that will bring peace to Iraq (why didn’t George W. Bush and John McCain think of that?!), and the fact that the Celtic queen Boudica actually was in love with a Roman. I look forward to each week’s episode, curious to learn more about history from this trusted source.

P.S. Life on Mars was the exception that proves the rule–and a period costume drama in its own way. Comedies are another matter entirely.