Wives & Daughters Week pt. 2: Why This Series Rocks

Every time we have posted something related to Wives & Daughters on this here blog or over on Facebook/Twitter, many of you get excited… and it’s no wonder, because while knowledge of this BBC miniseries has faded, it’s a classic and it needs to be resurfaced. The 1999 adaptation of the Elizabeth Gaskell (who also wrote North & South) novel is nearly perfect: interesting characters, a story that takes its time and doesn’t always go where you think it will, and faaaaaabulous 1830s costumes. Now we’ve got a whole WEEK of celebration of Wives & Daughters, so join us for the ride as we look at all the hot boys, why this series rocks, and then the wardrobes of our main characters!

Yesterday we talked about all the Man Candy in Wives & Daughters. Now, for those of you who don’t know what the hell I’m talking about, and for the longtime fans, let’s detail why this 1830s-set Elizabeth Gaskell adaptation is so fabulous.

I can summarize it to say: if you like Jane Austen adaptations, you’ll LOVE this. Point by point…

 

Complex Main Female Characters

There are a number of characters who interweave throughout the story, but the central women characters are:

Molly

Justine Waddell (Mansfield Park, Great Expectations, Tess of the D’Urbervilles) plays Molly: the sweet, young, innocent daughter of a doctor living in a small village in England. Her mother died when she was young, so it’s just her and daddy dearest, and Molly loves it that way. But life gets a whole lot more complicated, and Molly has to do a lot of growing up. She stays sweet, but she learns to find her own backbone and what’s important in life.

Cynthia

A big spur to Molly’s growth comes with the introduction of the other main character, Cynthia, played by Keeley Hawes (The Durrells in Corfu, Upstairs Downstairs, Tipping the Velvet). Molly’s dad remarries and while that doesn’t necessarily work out in Molly’s favor, the upside is that she gains a step-sister. Cynthia is many things Molly is not: glamorous, feisty, and fun. She brings a lot of sparkle to Molly’s life … and some complications. But Cynthia isn’t as straightforward as she seems, and she has her own issues to work out and her own growth to accomplish.

Hyacinth

Oh, Hyacinth (Francesca Annis of Cranford, Jane Eyre, and Lillie). She means well, in her own limited fashion, but oh does she complicate Molly’s (and Cynthia’s) life with her shallowness and self-centeredness. Hyacinth was widowed when Cynthia was young, and she spent most of her life as a governess to a wealthy family. When she charms Molly’s father, he marries her, and she finally gets her own life and her own household. She revels in finally being her own mistress, but her attempts to be a mother to Molly and Cynthia cause some real complications to her daughters’ lives.

 

Dreamy Boys

Then you’ve got your dreamy boys, who I told you about yesterday:

 

Entertaining Minor Characters

Just like any good Jane Austen novel, there are a number of minor figures who add spice to the story:

 

Nuanced Story

I can’t help but keep up the Jane Austen comparisons: if you like a story like Pride and Prejudice, you’re going to love this. Things start out a little slow as we meet Molly as a young girl, then transition to her as a young woman:

Molly just wants to be daddy’s girl, and her father is pretty darn perfect — kind, protective, and funny:

But Dad has to go and have Needs, and he marries Hyacinth. This makes Molly’s life a whole lot more complicated, although it has the added benefit of introducing her new best friend, Cynthia:

Molly’s connection to the local squire’s family — especially second son Roger — becomes very important, as she gets shmoopy:

Except Roger? He’s into Cynthia, and she’s into him! Heartbreak for Molly!

But Cynthia’s life is far more complicated than is initially obvious, most especially her connection with the sinister-but-hot Mr. Preston:

And the plot continues to thicken — and other sub-plots emerge — over four episodes full of twists and turns!

 

Gorgeous — and Accurate! — Costumes

On top of everything, you’ve got costumes that are 1. historically accurate, 2. of a period (1830s) not seen very often, and 3. just plain gorgeous. Designed by Deirdre Clancy, you get to see a wide range of beautifully done day- and evening-wear that spans the class spectrum from genteel poverty to the pretty-darn-rich.

The focus, of course, is on Molly and Cynthia and family, and there are a lot of very pretty middle-class looks:

There’s proper underwear:

But wait! There are a couple of important evening party and ball scenes that bring the glamour:

Designer Deirdre Clancy shows some of the finished costumes and talks about the process of designing and making the costumes in this (weirdly formatted) video interview. She mentions how little time she had to make them and how it’s an era that you can’t really rent because it’s not filmed very often. She has some funny observations on the period, like: “It’s a very Playboy silhouette actually. You get tits, a tiny waist, big hips, tiny feet … It’s the last bit of display before you get to the Victorian era, when everybody droops…”

Stay tuned for a whole lot more about costumes in our next three posts, as we look specifically at the wardrobes of Molly, Cynthia, and then Hyacinth and Lady Harriet!

 

What’s your favorite thing about Wives and Daughters? Is it the female characters? The boys? The plot? The costumes?