The Honourable Woman BBC2

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Gargamel

14,957 posts

260 months

Tuesday 19th August 2014
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skinny said:
anyone else engine up a little confused with all the sub plots and twists?

i guess i still don't really understand why she couldn't have said from teh start that the kid was hers.
I have assume the child was fathered by her rapist.

RichB

51,431 posts

283 months

Tuesday 19th August 2014
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Gargamel said:
skinny said:
anyone else engine up a little confused with all the sub plots and twists? i guess i still don't really understand why she couldn't have said from teh start that the kid was hers.
I have assume the child was fathered by her rapist.
I take that as read but as has been said why did she feel the need to hide the fact?

Cobnapint

8,596 posts

150 months

Thursday 21st August 2014
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Great watch so far, we can't put it down.

I'm in London with the missus for 4 nights at the mo, and we were ambling through Belgravia after a tour round Buck Palace. We came across Nessa's house, it's on the corner of Chapel St and Upper Berlgrave St, on Belgrave Square - No.37.


Heliocentric

898 posts

202 months

Thursday 21st August 2014
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It`s the last episode tonight.

Slyjoe

1,500 posts

210 months

Thursday 21st August 2014
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It was a bit like Inspector Morse - all was revealed, but i'm not sure WTF just happened.

I'm a bit fick - can someone explain why the Americans wanted the Palestinians to be granted "state" status by not vetoe-ing - I understand that they were the engineers of the whole situation (i think) but not why

RichB

51,431 posts

283 months

Thursday 21st August 2014
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Slyjoe said:
It was a bit like Inspector Morse - all was revealed, but i'm not sure WTF just happened.

I'm a bit fick - can someone explain why the Americans wanted the Palestinians to be granted "state" status by not vetoe-ing - I understand that they were the engineers of the whole situation (i think) but not why
Agreed laugh we thoroughly enjoyed the series very well acted and stylishly filmed but like you I can't quite figure out the whys?

Slyjoe

1,500 posts

210 months

Thursday 21st August 2014
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RichB said:
Agreed laugh we thoroughly enjoyed the series very well acted and stylishly filmed but like you I can't quite figure out the whys?
Thank goodness it's not just us then. As an addendum - Attica had a smashing pair of bangers.


HarryW

15,150 posts

268 months

Friday 22nd August 2014
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Really enjoyed that, brilliant series. The best I've seen for long while, well done to the beeb, doing what it does best; great drama.
Not sure what bits you all didn't understand at the end? I thought it cleared up pretty much all points.

Might have to watch it all again in a single weekend when I get home.

kev b

2,708 posts

165 months

Friday 22nd August 2014
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What spoiled this slightly for me was Maggie Gylenhaals performance, she seemed to play the character as far too "dreamy" for want of a better description.

A previous poster said it very well, it was as if she was on tranquilisers, she just did not convince me I am afraid, top marks for Atika though, a very good performance.

Looking back, the rape scene was contrived, why did Atika go so far as to burn the rapist when they were both on the same side, I suspect it was just to make the rapist character sinister and recognisable.

HarryW

15,150 posts

268 months

Friday 22nd August 2014
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kev b said:
What spoiled this slightly for me was Maggie Gylenhaals performance, she seemed to play the character as far too "dreamy" for want of a better description.

A previous poster said it very well, it was as if she was on tranquilisers, she just did not convince me I am afraid, top marks for Atika though, a very good performance.

Looking back, the rape scene was contrived, why did Atika go so far as to burn the rapist when they were both on the same side, I suspect it was just to make the rapist character sinister and recognisable.
I think Atika made it clear more than once the rape was not part of the original plan and I think instinctively reacted at that time. It was I think all part of her actually being the honourable woman in the end. Agree Maggie acted as if she lived her life on mogadon, if only they would have shown one scene early on of her popping the pills before getting out her bed/ safe room every day it would have been more convincing.

RichB

51,431 posts

283 months

Friday 22nd August 2014
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HarryW said:
Not sure what bits you all didn't understand...
Why did the Americans want Palestine recognised as a state? So totally opposite to what is understood to be their position that I felt it needed some explanation writing into the story.

HarryW

15,150 posts

268 months

Friday 22nd August 2014
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RichB said:
HarryW said:
Not sure what bits you all didn't understand...
Why did the Americans want Palestine recognised as a state? So totally opposite to what is understood to be their position that I felt it needed some explanation writing into the story.
Ah I see, yes it doesn't spell it out and like some of Blicks writing he lets the viewer fit some of the pieces together using their own opinions and biases.
So I took that given the murderous and covert nature involved it was not main stream USG action and that perhaps it was factions within the USG who were engineering the event to force through this change in policy. I also presume that not everyone in the US is blindly pro Israel.

RichB

51,431 posts

283 months

Friday 22nd August 2014
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Either way I enjoyed it very much. Unlike when a screenplay is adapted from a book I see this was written for TV. Not being familiar with Hugo Blick (I tend to note authors rather than playwrights) has he done any other productions in the spy genre that you would recommend?

p.s. Did anyone see The Shadow Line a couple of years ago? Was it as well produced as The Honourable Woman? Worth getting the DVD?

p.p.s. I did see on Google that he was in Blackadder!

Edited by RichB on Friday 22 August 11:48

Cobnapint

8,596 posts

150 months

Friday 22nd August 2014
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Just back from the Smoke and have watched the last one. I don't think I've ever had to concentrate so much in my life as I have watching this series, but it was well worth the effort.

The girl that played Atika was superb, and Stephen Rea was stand-out IMO. Both could be carrying off awards at the next NTA and BAFTA bashes. Gyllenhaal was good but like others have said, why the slo-mo diction?