[6.4/10] Everything just happens too quickly and easily. I don’t necessarily mind these destinations. Some of them I quite enjoy. But the paths to get there come so fast and so bump-free that the joys feel unearned and less satisfying.
The peak of that is James and Helen getting engaged. It’s a storyline that has my two favorite scenes in the episode and one of my favorites in the whole show. That is Mr. ALderson talking to James about his proposal. The way Mr. Alderson talks about not being able to remember his wife’s face as clearly anymore, but seeing it in the eyes of his daughters, is both heartbreaking and wholesome. His gruff demeanor, mixed in his trust and support for James, and understanding that Helen will take care of him, rather than the other way around, works as a touching sort of hard-won understanding between two unalike folks joined by their love for the same person. And Mr. Alderson giving James his wife’s ring to propose with is a moving gesture.
Likewise, I really got a kick out of James’ actual proposal. Him distracting Hhelen, only to get down on one knee and make a smart remark about romantic gestures is a hoot. It’s the kind of playfulness that makes T.V. couples endearing and real.
But everything else I could take or leave, at best. We go from Sigfried saying, “Get on with it!” to James in one of the earliest scenes to him having de facto proposed by that afternoon. There’s no consideration, no stress from Helen going from one engagement to another, not even any consternation when James reports to Helen that he laughed at Siegfired’s suggestion.
I know the whole “twue wuv” thing has its merits in storytelling, and if the show wanted to go that route, I can see the charm in it. But man, there’s just zero tie to process or really enjoy all of this because it all happens so quickly. I get that it was the 1940s and people got married faster, but it also feels like James and Helen just got together five minutes ago, so their getting engaged seems rushed rather than the culmination of a beautiful connection. The congratulations and the coupling are sweet, but the whole thing reeks of unearned feelgoodery without the work to make it more impactful.
It’s even worse for the situation with James and his parents over whether or not he’ll stay in Darby. There was a great dilemma there! Does he stick with his new connection in Darby or does he put greater value on his parents’ well being given all that they’ve sacrificed for him. So he picks Darby, of course, because if he didn’t, there’s no show. But it’s mostly a drama free endeavor. His parents understand and accept it, even if James’ mom cries on the bus home. They accept Heleln. There’s no serious contemplation of his dad not being able to work for much longer or his parents being tight on money at best. Maybe those will come in later episodes, but I’m skeptical. The most interesting, season-length dilemma the show’s been spinning just ends without any real bumps in the road. Again, unsatisfying.
Tristan reveals his heart of gold yet again by helping a traveler woman get a new dog after she lost her old one to tragedy. (And man, seeing her dog hit by a car was heartbreaking for an animal lover.) He gets petty revenge on the man who’s been haranguing James by switching his salve with a stool sample. He resolves to go back to finish his final exam given how he’s now internalized Siegfired’s teachings. Hell, even Phyllis, the woman living on hope from a couple episodes back, is doing fine and her cows don’t have salmonella or anything else to worry about. Everything’s just wrapped up in a neat little package.
The only thing that casts a pall over any of it is the dramatic irony of the audience knowing WWII is about to break out when the characters, especially Mrs. Hall, is convinced that the whole thing’s been sorted. Her story about losing her husband after he came back unwell from the war, and worrying about the same with her son, is quietly devastating. And the only thing that gives this episode even a hint of depth is the prospect that this wave of bliss is about to be punctured by the grim realities of armed global conflict.
Overall, I get that season finales tend to be warm affairs. But this takes the T.V. hugbox bent of the show to an extreme that leaves me cold.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParentSpoilers2023-06-03T15:00:05Z
[6.4/10] Everything just happens too quickly and easily. I don’t necessarily mind these destinations. Some of them I quite enjoy. But the paths to get there come so fast and so bump-free that the joys feel unearned and less satisfying.
The peak of that is James and Helen getting engaged. It’s a storyline that has my two favorite scenes in the episode and one of my favorites in the whole show. That is Mr. ALderson talking to James about his proposal. The way Mr. Alderson talks about not being able to remember his wife’s face as clearly anymore, but seeing it in the eyes of his daughters, is both heartbreaking and wholesome. His gruff demeanor, mixed in his trust and support for James, and understanding that Helen will take care of him, rather than the other way around, works as a touching sort of hard-won understanding between two unalike folks joined by their love for the same person. And Mr. Alderson giving James his wife’s ring to propose with is a moving gesture.
Likewise, I really got a kick out of James’ actual proposal. Him distracting Hhelen, only to get down on one knee and make a smart remark about romantic gestures is a hoot. It’s the kind of playfulness that makes T.V. couples endearing and real.
But everything else I could take or leave, at best. We go from Sigfried saying, “Get on with it!” to James in one of the earliest scenes to him having de facto proposed by that afternoon. There’s no consideration, no stress from Helen going from one engagement to another, not even any consternation when James reports to Helen that he laughed at Siegfired’s suggestion.
I know the whole “twue wuv” thing has its merits in storytelling, and if the show wanted to go that route, I can see the charm in it. But man, there’s just zero tie to process or really enjoy all of this because it all happens so quickly. I get that it was the 1940s and people got married faster, but it also feels like James and Helen just got together five minutes ago, so their getting engaged seems rushed rather than the culmination of a beautiful connection. The congratulations and the coupling are sweet, but the whole thing reeks of unearned feelgoodery without the work to make it more impactful.
It’s even worse for the situation with James and his parents over whether or not he’ll stay in Darby. There was a great dilemma there! Does he stick with his new connection in Darby or does he put greater value on his parents’ well being given all that they’ve sacrificed for him. So he picks Darby, of course, because if he didn’t, there’s no show. But it’s mostly a drama free endeavor. His parents understand and accept it, even if James’ mom cries on the bus home. They accept Heleln. There’s no serious contemplation of his dad not being able to work for much longer or his parents being tight on money at best. Maybe those will come in later episodes, but I’m skeptical. The most interesting, season-length dilemma the show’s been spinning just ends without any real bumps in the road. Again, unsatisfying.
Tristan reveals his heart of gold yet again by helping a traveler woman get a new dog after she lost her old one to tragedy. (And man, seeing her dog hit by a car was heartbreaking for an animal lover.) He gets petty revenge on the man who’s been haranguing James by switching his salve with a stool sample. He resolves to go back to finish his final exam given how he’s now internalized Siegfired’s teachings. Hell, even Phyllis, the woman living on hope from a couple episodes back, is doing fine and her cows don’t have salmonella or anything else to worry about. Everything’s just wrapped up in a neat little package.
The only thing that casts a pall over any of it is the dramatic irony of the audience knowing WWII is about to break out when the characters, especially Mrs. Hall, is convinced that the whole thing’s been sorted. Her story about losing her husband after he came back unwell from the war, and worrying about the same with her son, is quietly devastating. And the only thing that gives this episode even a hint of depth is the prospect that this wave of bliss is about to be punctured by the grim realities of armed global conflict.
Overall, I get that season finales tend to be warm affairs. But this takes the T.V. hugbox bent of the show to an extreme that leaves me cold.