Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell: The Black Tower Books Included

June 21, 2015 6:44 PM - Season 1, Episode 6

Having fled England to Venice, Strange attempts to drive himself insane as a way of gaining access to the fairy magic that he believes can help his wife. In so doing, he unleashes a curse that threatens to destroy him utterly.
posted by infinitewindow (10 comments total)

This episode went back to a very straight adaptation of the novel. Sure, we lose Aunt Greysteel, Lord Byron and the days in Venice as Strange realizes he could make a completely new life, but on the whole I think it's stronger for that. Bertie Carvel portrays the half-mad, obsessive, strangely genteel Strange from the novel very well, and it's his face I shall see when next I read it.

I was a little disappointed that the black tower was more like a stationary tornado, but when I modeled an infinitely high rectangular solid of darkness as described in the novel, it was visually kind of blah. *shrug*
posted by infinitewindow at 9:34 PM on June 21, 2015 [1 favorite]

They did a great job capturing Jonathan's love of eggs. Every episode, somewhere eating an egg.
posted by absalom at 9:32 AM on June 22, 2015 [3 favorites]

IMHO, the best dramatic pacing so far. Even the Gentleman managed to up the creepiness quotient this time around. I did miss the rampant pineapples, though.

Of course, now I'm leaving the UK, so it will be several months before I see the final episode in the US.
posted by thomas j wise at 2:47 PM on June 22, 2015

That was not a 1 mile wide tower of night. I could probably accept the swirling winds but it is far too small.

And I too miss the pineapples. It would have been a great scene.

I'm unconvinced by Flora's casting (or making her a disgraced Byron groupie, though it does simplify the plot). I also feel there should have been more discussion of Arabella, because this has been a bit too compact.

Lascelles is tending a little frat boy, which isn't quite how I pictured him. Not that it's bad, just a bit unexpected. And Norrell's responses to him are not quite right, somehow, when interacting with Childermass.

I also wish the Raven King had been more of a presence. Interesting that it is him and the fairy who are the most poorly dealt with in the show.
posted by jeather at 7:18 PM on June 22, 2015

I wasn't convinced by Flora, either, and it didn't feel like there was enough time between meeting Flora, Drawlight's letter about Strange wanting to marry her, and Strange discovering that Arabella was still alive. There's not really an indication of much time passing in Venice (or in England).

Carvel's mad Strange is great - even his teeth look weird when he's under the influence of mad mouse liqueur.
posted by minsies at 12:28 PM on June 23, 2015

I noticed that! They're not just discolored, right? They're snaggly?
posted by infinitewindow at 2:31 PM on June 23, 2015

I hadn't noticed before, but The Gentleman (etc etc) is the actor who played Teatime in the Hogfather TV adaptation.

I don't know, I'm a little underwhelmed by this series. No pineapples, no people with candles in their heads - it has that British TV budgetitis.
posted by the uncomplicated soups of my childhood at 5:12 PM on June 24, 2015

In retrospect, I think mr. soups is right about the budget considerations. It would have been difficult to go all-out with this episode. Oh well
posted by shii at 6:02 PM on June 25, 2015

I’ve been reading the JS&MrN wiki, The Library at Hurtfew, and I’ve been finding it absolutely delightful. Not only informative, but often capturing the feel of Susan Clarke’s writing:

Further proof of Miss Greysteel's personal charms may be found in Lord Byron's exclamation on first meeting her father, "Ah!...The physician with the beautiful daughter!"[56]; and the interest she immediately arouses in the gentleman with the thistle-down hair[54]. (And to be candid, it is hard to say which of these two admirers would alarm a careful parent more.)

posted by 1970s Antihero at 7:42 AM on June 28, 2015

This episode went back to a very straight adaptation of the novel. Sure, we lose Aunt Greysteel, Lord Byron and the days in Venice as Strange realizes he could make a completely new life, but on the whole I think it's stronger for that. Bertie Carvel portrays the half-mad, obsessive, strangely genteel Strange from the novel very well, and it's his face I shall see when next I read it.

The only book-to-screen change that stood out for me in this episode was in the meeting of Jonathan, Arabella, and Lady Poole at Lost Hope. It made sense to have show-Arabella be enchanted, and Jonathan's reaction to seeing her was heartbreaking. But it jarred with my memory of the book, where Arabella thinks Jonathan has come to rescue her at last, and Lady Poole is all 'I told you magicians were of no help, let us away'
posted by oh yeah! at 4:36 AM on July 20, 2015