Monarch of the Glen

Monarch of the Glen is a quiet kind of comedy, with a good helping of drama, a bit of sly, smirky humor and a pinch of sentimentality. It doesn't seem to be widely accepted, probably because there is no sex or violence. Sheesh, I can't even remember hearing a four letter word. The characters are real, they are funny and the show is engaging. One of the nice things about this show is that everyone gets a chance to shine - not just the young attractive leads. Golly, middle-aged and gray, is actually portrayed as cool! (Gasp!) Molly, the mother, is viewed as attractive - she has a life beyond being the mother. Even the "servant types" have their bits. It's not rock solid, Monarch does get a little "soap opera-y" every now and then, what with a missing daughter or brother turning up, but it's a far better thing to watch than most of the rubbish on the tube today.

I watched this when it was first screened in early 2000 and eagerly await the new series starting in January 2001. It was a thoroughly engaging series that was fun to watch.

The Scottish castle and backdrop make a pleasant setting and the characters are delightful. I hope it will continue for more series and the excellent cast will re-appear. The story in a way is incidental. There is a place for this sort of drama which is neither heavy nor shallow. It just makes you feel good - quality for a popular audience.

If you have a good script, a good cast and a committed production team, then drama could always be like this. I wish it was. Who needs soaps when you can have the real thing. More please!

It is great to have a series in which there is minimal violence, no ridiculous language, and virtually no sex--how refreshing for a change!

The scenery has already been noted elsewhere as spectacular, and as one of the stars. While I agree whole-heartedly with this, it is the acting which impresses me. Alastair Mckenzie does a superb job of portraying a suave Londoner who is suddenly thrust into a job he neither wants nor knows how to manage. However, (and you can see this most clearly when viewing the whole series, one episode after another) Mckenzie manages to convey that here is a man who grows from being a "fish-out-of-water" to being the LAIRD of Glenbogle. Mr. Mackenzie does it almost imperceptibly by degrees. Great work!

The rest of the original cast is equally strong. It is indeed too bad that most of the principal characters left over the seasons.

Perhaps the required caveat for this program, for those who need it, is that it is not action, special effects, or, for the most part, reality-based. (Of course "reality" and "accuracy" are not the point of most television and cinema, so this isn't really saying much.)

That in mind, Monarch of the Glen has an original premise, lightly portraying the transition of a once aristocratic, landed-gentry family into modern times, replete with the struggle to keep a majestic, ancient and beautiful castle afloat and functioning in a modern, capitalist world.

The series opens with the intersecting of two generations--the current "laird" of the castle, patriarch Hector MacDonald, and his wife, Molly, who both embody the last generation to have enjoyed a life of noble leisure and privilege, and their son and laird-to-be, Archie. While technically also privileged, the young Archie will have to rely on imagination, skill and a lot of sweat equity to sustain what is essentially now a white elephant: the sprawling and extraordinarily picturesque estate of Glenbogle, whose far-reaching land still supports various tenants with lives and minds of their own.

As the series' seasons pass, the plot thickens, some characters go and some remain, and Glenbogle inches gracefully into the 21st Century, even as as the castle remains a bit frayed around the edges.

(The sixth season recently ended, with the seventh commencing sometime in Fall 2005.)

While this British "we must save the farm" angle is the background narrative, Monarch of the Glen's primary investment is in exploring the personal exploits of its charming and idiosyncratic characters: the MacDonald family and their various estate "employees" and caretakers, who are essentially extended family. Romance, intrigue, interpersonal conflict, self-revelation, and the bonds of family and friends are the essence of the show, played out in that inimitably understated, witty and appealing BBC way (which can be particularly alluring for viewers a little shell-shocked by regular, American TV).

I find the able cast mostly quite believable in their respective parts, not to mention appealing and likable--particularly the roles of Archie, Lexie, Golly, Molly and Paul. An hour in their company is like a wonderful, genteel (but far from stuffy), little reverie, which keeps you wondering what's up for them next.

For romantics and Brit-o-philes.

BBC allowed a gem of a runner onto the paddock when it greenlighted Monarch of the Glen.

Very well directed and shot, showcasing some beautiful Scots highland homes and exterior locations, and assembling lively journeymen actors into an ensemble that has a jolly go at jock-ing around the lochs and polished stair landings of the shire of "Glenbogle," I describe the series in elevators as 'Newhart meets Braveheart.'

Of special enjoyment is the patriarchal character Hector played by Richard Briers. Briers has done just about everything in British theater, television, and cinema there is to do, but in America he is probably known only for his role as the pathetic Bardolph in Ken Branagh's Henry V. Now in MotG, the tables turn and Brier gets the fun of playing a lord. And a curmudgeonly, salty, and daft lord he is.

This is a light family comedic drama with cool domestic characters which doesn't fall into tired tropes. Quiet possibly the perfect show to watch on Sunday evenings.