Alias Grace

Very well written and brilliantly acted. Sarah Gadon is amazing. The story was told in an interesting way, and Grace's journey made me uncomfortable and tense quite often. That is until the last couple of episodes. All tension went away, things all of sudden appear rushed/forced, especially the last episode.

Could have been a 10/10. Worth watching though.

I found this to be a beautifully told, riveting story. It is certainly a slow burn so if you require fast-passed action this may not be what you are looking for.

Alias Grace is an example of thoughtful and deliberate storytelling. It presents the life experiences of Grace Marks (Sarah Gadon) as she shares her story with Dr Simon Jordan. Throughout the six-part miniseries, you are meant to consider whether she is culpable for the murders for which she was accused. Sarah Gadon gives a powerful, understated performance that draws you in. Her nuanced portrayal made me more interested in watching the development of her character than learning whether she had committed the murders.

I have read some reviews in which Alias Grace was criticized for being feminist propaganda which presented the male characters as predatory and the society in which Grace lived as patriarchal. I certainly agree that the series provided commentary on sexism and classism. But I think one should keep in mind that it's a historical piece set largely in 1840-1850.

A little history of Ontario, Canada: * In 1884, married women received the same legal rights as men to enter into legal agreements and buy property. * In 1917, women were granted the right to vote. * In 1928, the Supreme Court determined that the term "persons" in the British North America Act did not include women. This was appealed in 1929 and women became people under the act.

So ... Personally, I'm quite comfortable with the series' commentary on sexism and the presentation of the experiences of the female characters. If you aren't considered a person under the law, naturally it will reflect how you are treated in society.

What a well made, superbly acted and completely fascinating series this turned out to be. A true life murder is always interesting but the details here are not too well known like Lizzie Borden's story. An Irish maid emigrates to Canada but gets caught up and convicted of the murder of her employer and housekeeper. The psychological and emotional insights are so well incorporated they ring true. The dialog is such that you listen for every word though some of the accents are a bit thick.

Acting is superb. Sarah Gadon is luminous and perfectly cast. Deserves an Emmy. Her facial expressions are just right for the complexities of the role. Anna Paquin is good too in a difficult role. Zachary Levi is kind and surprisingly not out of place in the time period. The supporting cast are good too.

The directing is precise and shows you what you need for the story. The horrific and painful parts of the story are such that it could not have been shown in such detail if it was adapted many years ago. What a perfect balance of beauty and horror.

The series is 6 episodes. Just the right length - neither too long to have any draggy moments or too short to feel short changed in any way. This series shows CBC more than matching the best BBC can produce.

Great atmospheric period piece. I stuck with all of the episodes, though it was a little slow at times in the middle section. Exploring women during the 1800s - what it means to be feminine, what constitutes mental illness, how a female may (or may not have) committed a murder and why - those are all very interesting topics. The series spends a lot of time in the psychology of it with conversations between Grace and the doctor charged with deciding if she's still a danger to society. But because Grace has reasons to hold back her feelings and memories, she's a bit of an unreliable narrator, and I do find that hard to feel things for a main character who may or may not be telling the truth, because you don't know what's genuine and what's not.

There are many good things about this, especially in the first half. The characters are well played. In the end, however, I was unsatisfied. It was as if there was a rush to be done with it all. Not a lot of depth in the last couple of episodes.