Anybody who loves a good adaptation of a book, lovely period detail, compelling storytelling and great writing and acting should find no real reason to not enjoy Wives and Daughters. As an adaptation, Wives and Daughters is hardly disappointing, some might be underwhelmed by the ending but the book's incompleteness does deserve some of the blame here but the adaptation does show loyalty to the book while telling it intricately and freshly. I however have always found it fairer to judge an adaptation on its own, and on its own Wives and Daughters is brilliant and you don't even have to have read the book to enjoy what is personally considered one of the best series the BBC has ever done. The scenery and locations are stunning and the costumes, hair(didn't have much of a problem with Rosamund Pike's in Episode 4) and make-up are true to period and a feast on the eye, which is always a great starting point for a period drama adaptation. The music is quirky yet at other times understated and is never obtrusive, letting the story speak for itself when needed. The dialogue is incredibly thought-provoking with splashes of humour, ranging from subtle and hilarious, and emotional impact, and the story has every nuance and detail of society at the time down-pat and spot on and the telling of it is done loyally while fresh and relevant and intricate while never dragging or being too staid or faithful. The characters are immensely engaging and are developed just fine, Gaskell's characters like George Eliot's and Charles Dickens's were quite flesh-and-blood-like and there is a sense of that here. You'd think that you'd be annoyed by characters like Lady Harriet, but actually you might find that she later becomes one of your favourites when she stands up for Molly. The acting is superb from all, especially from Michael Gambon who is gruff yet poignant and Francesca Annis who makes a formidable character genuinely beastly. Justine Waddell is excellent never comes across as too perfect considering her type of character and Keeley Hawes is incredibly charming and naturally. Bill Paterson is likable and admirably restrained and Tom Hollander, who plays a conflicted character most touchingly, and Anthony Howell, who is effortlessly dashing, provide the heart of the drama without problem. The beautiful Rosamund Pike is wonderfully feisty and forceful(the scene on the carriage is very funny) and also elegant and dignified, it's a fairly small role but Pike makes a lot out of it. All in all, a brilliant series and adaptations. 10/10 Bethany Cox
