Doctor Thorne

Must've been a treat for Julian Fellowes to get his hands on a real Victorian novel, instead of churning out new eps of that pandering pastiche he's been working on for the last few seasons. "Thorne," OTOH, has a solid Trollopian plot (sundered lovers and missing heirs and family secrets) as well as a great cast--Ian McShane not exactly playing against type as a rough-diamond railroad magnate; nice to see Alison Brie of "Mad Men" as the husband-hunting heiress and Inspector Lewis's old boss as one of the snobbish gentlefolk. Stefanie Martini, who only has one other IMDb credit, is perfect as the strong-willed heroine (so much more relatable than those soupy Dickens girls!); not unexpectedly, the picturesque exteriors and the slightly dorky Mid-Victorian costumes and décor are right on the money.

I couldn't stop watching. Classic British TV and I love it.

Really enjoyed this period drama series! The acting by the perfectly chosen cast was excellent and the beautiful scenic photography, even the slower pace made it more in tune with life in those days. Wish there had been more than one series.

Somehow Julian Fellows has managed to take one of Trollope's better books and turn it into a romance novel. All the psychology and wit that Trollope brought to his books is gone; what's left is a basic soap opera without any charm or energy. Still, the costumes are marvelous, the cinematography solid, and the acting good (although the actress playing Mary is not quite up to the task of competing with her more accomplished cast). But what really rankles is Mr. Fellows himself, introducing and then exiting from each episode with a startling degree of pomposity and pretentiousness that would make him a stock character as the fool in any Victorian novel.

We are enjoying the series very much. Unlike Jane Austen characters, these have a more human tone. Their hypocrisy is as modern as what we see in Hollywood or Washington DC. While Mary Thorne may seem to unfairly judge her station in society, for her time, she is on the mark. Illegitimate children in Victorian society were outcasts regardless of their character, intelligence, or beauty. Mary Thorne would have had no chance of marrying "above her station." Being a writer, I can see that this is quite likely to happen, although it could never have happened in reality. Perhaps she is the Wallace Simpson of her time. Let's hope so. This series is lightened by clever humor from time to time, keeping it entertaining while it carries forward a message and keeps us wanting more. I hope this show continues for some time.