The Doll Factory

I binge-watched the Doll Factory in an evening. Although, it wasn't quite what I was expecting, I did quite enjoy it.

The first couple of episodes may feel slow with the introduction of random characters and what appears to be pointless tangents. However, the following episodes allow it come together and then the twists happen and it really was worth it.

Strengths for me: End character development, storyline, twists and setting.

Weaknesses for me: It is slow in places; some characters aren't needed.

One of the first things I have watched in a long time where I haven't been able to guess the twist.

Most of the reviewers here haven't watched the series beyond two episodes. It's a shame they didn't see it through to the end really. Having read the book, I was keen to see how the show compared.

I don't claim to know if it was an accurate depiction of the times it was set in, but it portrayed an earie, darker side of life that I found convincing. The detail in the sets was impressive. I love that feeling of going back in time and I think the series acheived it well.

Its a tale of jealousy, passion and obsession, with interesting side character stories as well. I thought the story of Silus' character was told in a clever way; anybody who hasn't read the book will be surprised by the twist in his character in later episodes.

With references to The Great Exhibition was interesting to me, imagining an exciting time in London.

I binge watched the full series and enjoyed it all the way, yet I admit it may only attract limited audience with certain interests.

First of all the setting is London 1851, when the very first World Expo was bringing London and the whole British Empire to a whole new cultural level, and many underprivileged people wanted to take this chance to climb up.

And then it plays with the art society especially the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, but instead of paying homage to the historic artists it took a critical perspective to see their artwork and artistic life.

The four occupations in the story (namely doll making, taxidermy, surgery and painting) were all about treating a life as an object. When doing the job like producing an artwork with passion and admiration, they gradually grow an obsession of eternal beauty and ignorance of real life.

This is what we call "objectification" in art. When they paint a portrait it's like gazing and owning of a real person, mostly a delicate woman in the 1850s context, very often a "damsel in distress" under chivalric gazes. But what if a woman wants to be a painter instead of a model? Can she assert a subjective voice of the painted character?

Also the image of cage is all over the whole series, from the poster and the opening sequence to various occasions the leading characters confront. When they think they could take the 1850s momentum to climb up in the art society, probably they are jumping into a larger cage.

If you had did artwork and critically thought about it yourself, this series may strike your notes. Also if you concern about female empowerment you may see a 1850s version in the series. But it is not for everyone.

I watched the show on one of my local streaming channels. What I get from the show is how Iris chooses her life compares Rose does hers. You should know women in that time in Europe had a very low social status. They didn't get to decide their lives, the society did. Iris didn't want to be a doll maker forever and refused to marry someone she didn't like. She wanted to be who she wanted to be: free and liberal. Rose, on the other hand, was defined by the society. She detested disobedience and her sister's actions. The show somehow reflects how women fought for their lives hundreds of years ago. But, 6 episodes for a very simple and dull plot, it was a waste of time. If it were a movie which was only 90 mins long, it would be interesting. A lack of depth was also a problem. It was just a love story between a doll maker and an artist. And how the crew members recruiting for extras/background actors, was a problem too. It didn't fit that era presented in the show. This is a problem for a lot of movies/tv shows that have a background of the general society of 100 years or earlier, a lack of authenticity.

I totally get it, why people drop this show, and why they do it within first 2 episodes, but I am glad I did stick to with it.

Initially I stuck with it, because I did like the overall atmosphere of the show. It felt heavy and sticky, foreboding even. I thought that it be similar to "The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart", which (for me) ended up more about atmosphere rather than character development and actual exploration of complex feelings. Boy, was I wrong.

Aside from atmosphere the show seem to provide little of substance in the beginning. Not in a sense, that it's empty, no, it's just that characters' goals feel shallow. That is not bad by itself: their goals are totally normal in real life, and they can serve as a good initial premise for a story, but they way this particular story is told makes you think that they are the goal of the story. Which does make you wonder: what's the point of it all? Especially since for for a period drama it's pretty inaccurate even to my eyes.

Episode 4 changes things, though. It pulls a "Fight Club" on us in a very unexpected way, because you would never really guess that that's the linchpin of the story. The plot twist also works as a revelation of what the goal (and the conflict) of the story really is (and sorry, can't say what that is, because it's a major spoiler). It also makes those little interactions earlier in the series make a bit more sense, because what you might have thought as "quirks" turn out to be the precursors of this twist.

It does not stop there, though. Even early in the show you see some random(-ish) daydream sequences, which in some cases may feel a bit out of place. Last episode goes off the rails with those, and the show becomes very reminiscent of movie "Martyrs" (much milder than even US version, though). Surprisingly, they make complete sense in the circumstances of the episode, and it makes the ending feel somewhat cathartic, but still wonder if it was real, because of how rushed it is (which may or may not be the idea).

I think this show should have had a start with a "flashforward". Showing like half a minute of something from the last episode could have been enough of a hook to keep people by the screen till the main reveal. As I've mentioned, there are some "quirks" in interactions here and there before the twist, which would have made viewers wonder how exactly will the story reach the point, that was shown in the beginning.

So my recommendation here is: if you want to drop the show because you think it's going nowhere, and only because of that - give it a chance, if you do have free time. It may surprise. If you are expecting a highly accurate period drama - do not bother, at all.

Oh, and I do think the title should have been changed. Don't know whether dolls matter that much in original book, but in the show they play practically no role.