![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
iariaOverall I'm enjoying it thus far.
Episode 1 'The Friends of English Magic'
+ The casting for the most part is great. Arabella, Norrell and Thistledown Gentleman in particular stick out to me as great interpretations of the characters. Thistledown Gentleman isn't really what I was envisioning but I love him. Strange and Childermass are pretty good as well.
+ The cathedral scene was great.
+ Childermass being the one to decide it was time for them to go to London gave a different initial view of the Childermass/Norrell relationship. He is very commanding with Norrell in the first episode. I enjoyed their interactions.
+ I was so sympathetic to Norrell during the party scene and him increasingly frantically pushing himself through all those people before escaping with relief to an empty room with books. I feel you dude!
Episode 2 'How Is Lady Pole?'
+ This has been a really faithful adaptation thus far. It feels like seeing the books on screen - some many lines and exchanges and exact scenes. The changes made (the sand horses, etc) have worked for me for the most part.
+ I loved Strange and Norrell's first meeting. Norrell's joy over Strange's magic came across really well and I loved that moment of connection they shared. I do wish more time had been spent on Norrell/Strange's relationship before Strange left for the Front. I don't think the show has been as great at showing the passage of time. I did love Norrell's "I dislike Portsmith intensely" as he looked back at Strange and Sir Walter standing together.
+ I loved how they contrasted Norrell and Strange's styles of magic during their trip to Portsmith. Strange's sand horses righting the ship was super impressive. I loved the change but I did find it curious that the show made it a straight up success for him instead of a kind of muddled one with negative side effects as it was in the books.
+ The auction scene with Arabella showing up to bid against Norrell for the books, the Thistledown Gentleman showing up and Norrell seeing him was an excellent addition.
+ I was so pleased that Arabella actually told Strange about Lady Pole's words. Granted they were seemingly nonsense words but she still told him and that means a lot.
+ "To be let it be known everywhere his corrupt nature and his evil deeds" – it struck me here how much Norrell could be talking about himself.
+ Overall I love the look of this series. The set design and costuming is excellent. But I didn't love Lost-Hope. Probably because it didn't match how I envisioned it in the book. I guess for some reason I was expecting something more fairy. That said I did like the scene and I thought it portrayed how terrible the experience is for both Lady Pole and Stephen.
+ A slight negative would be that I don't think the show has done a great job yet showing just how far Drawlight and Lascelles have integrated themselves with Norrell and how controlling they'd become over Norrell's life and interactions with others. Perhaps that's still to come. Also Drawlight is probably the most off casting for me, that's just not how I envisioned him at all.
Episode 1 'The Friends of English Magic'
+ The casting for the most part is great. Arabella, Norrell and Thistledown Gentleman in particular stick out to me as great interpretations of the characters. Thistledown Gentleman isn't really what I was envisioning but I love him. Strange and Childermass are pretty good as well.
+ The cathedral scene was great.
+ Childermass being the one to decide it was time for them to go to London gave a different initial view of the Childermass/Norrell relationship. He is very commanding with Norrell in the first episode. I enjoyed their interactions.
+ I was so sympathetic to Norrell during the party scene and him increasingly frantically pushing himself through all those people before escaping with relief to an empty room with books. I feel you dude!
Episode 2 'How Is Lady Pole?'
+ This has been a really faithful adaptation thus far. It feels like seeing the books on screen - some many lines and exchanges and exact scenes. The changes made (the sand horses, etc) have worked for me for the most part.
+ I loved Strange and Norrell's first meeting. Norrell's joy over Strange's magic came across really well and I loved that moment of connection they shared. I do wish more time had been spent on Norrell/Strange's relationship before Strange left for the Front. I don't think the show has been as great at showing the passage of time. I did love Norrell's "I dislike Portsmith intensely" as he looked back at Strange and Sir Walter standing together.
+ I loved how they contrasted Norrell and Strange's styles of magic during their trip to Portsmith. Strange's sand horses righting the ship was super impressive. I loved the change but I did find it curious that the show made it a straight up success for him instead of a kind of muddled one with negative side effects as it was in the books.
+ The auction scene with Arabella showing up to bid against Norrell for the books, the Thistledown Gentleman showing up and Norrell seeing him was an excellent addition.
+ I was so pleased that Arabella actually told Strange about Lady Pole's words. Granted they were seemingly nonsense words but she still told him and that means a lot.
+ "To be let it be known everywhere his corrupt nature and his evil deeds" – it struck me here how much Norrell could be talking about himself.
+ Overall I love the look of this series. The set design and costuming is excellent. But I didn't love Lost-Hope. Probably because it didn't match how I envisioned it in the book. I guess for some reason I was expecting something more fairy. That said I did like the scene and I thought it portrayed how terrible the experience is for both Lady Pole and Stephen.
+ A slight negative would be that I don't think the show has done a great job yet showing just how far Drawlight and Lascelles have integrated themselves with Norrell and how controlling they'd become over Norrell's life and interactions with others. Perhaps that's still to come. Also Drawlight is probably the most off casting for me, that's just not how I envisioned him at all.
