This weekend is simply not the same, no matter how it ultimately turns out. The reason is quite simple: last week saw the finale of two great television series. We love nighttime television here, particularly when the viewing is Scandinavian crime fiction drama. What made these two non-Nordic series so potent was the quality of the female cast.

The first, usually broadcast on a Saturday evening, was Top of the Lake. Elizabeth Moss from the Mad Men series - and now said by some wag to have acted in both Mad Men and Mad Women (being a scientologist would help) - put in a performance straight out of the top drawer. Peggy Olsen had become Robin Griffin ... and the acting was nuclear. It hardly stops us in our tracks to learn that she has been nominated for an Emmy.

Top of the Lake was set in the scenic midst of some outback in New Zealand. The landscape was nothing short of breathtaking. Lakes and Mountains, an aesthetically pleasing terrain that was as vast as it seemed remote yet unblemished by any tinge of desolation.

A pregnant child, Tui, goes missing. She is 12 and the victim of abuse. Her father was a drug dealing thug who murdered a business associate at the start of the show, indicating that he might be the moving force behind the fate of the missing Tui. The history of sexual violence in the locality lends itself to a malevolence that is as much backdrop as the scenery and there is something poetic about the rough justice meted out by a rape victim to one of her attackers years after the event.

The second series to reach its denouement was Sunday evening's The White Queen which had a run of ten weeks. An Irish republican becoming entranced by a drama on English monarchy is one of my lesser sins to be fussed over by St Peter at his pearly gates when it is my time to meet the deranged god of an equally deranged Lady Margaret. Truly truly, I say onto you, this woman, played by Amanda Hale, made god in her own image.

Set in England, based on the novel by Philippa Gregory - which I saw in a Dublin second hand bookshop on Thursday but never picked up - it is the period drama of a power struggle between three women, two who wanted to be Queen and one who wanted the crown on her son's head. Duplicity and treachery, double dealing and double crossing, not to mention a few beheadings, figure throughout.

The star here was the young Middlesborough actress, Faye Marsay, fresh out of acting school and who came away from auditioning feeling that she had 'fucked up.' Unlike Moss in Top of the Lake, who in spite of her prodigious talent was scripted into her throne sans serious competition, Marsay had a more difficult task. She was up against a fine cast of experienced actresses including Amanda Hale, who after her role here, coupled with another in Ripper Street, could easily land herself a leading role in Mad Women. Marsay stepped up to the plate and took the crown with a flawless performance which she held together throughout the ten episodes. No pretender to the throne she.

Moss & Marsay might sound like an appropriate stage name for a stand up comedy duo, but they bring nothing but seriousness to their roles. Both series are destined to have repeat viewings. If you haven't seen them first time round, the effort will be well worth making.

Kings, Queens and Police Detectives

This weekend is simply not the same, no matter how it ultimately turns out. The reason is quite simple: last week saw the finale of two great television series. We love nighttime television here, particularly when the viewing is Scandinavian crime fiction drama. What made these two non-Nordic series so potent was the quality of the female cast.

The first, usually broadcast on a Saturday evening, was Top of the Lake. Elizabeth Moss from the Mad Men series - and now said by some wag to have acted in both Mad Men and Mad Women (being a scientologist would help) - put in a performance straight out of the top drawer. Peggy Olsen had become Robin Griffin ... and the acting was nuclear. It hardly stops us in our tracks to learn that she has been nominated for an Emmy.

Top of the Lake was set in the scenic midst of some outback in New Zealand. The landscape was nothing short of breathtaking. Lakes and Mountains, an aesthetically pleasing terrain that was as vast as it seemed remote yet unblemished by any tinge of desolation.

A pregnant child, Tui, goes missing. She is 12 and the victim of abuse. Her father was a drug dealing thug who murdered a business associate at the start of the show, indicating that he might be the moving force behind the fate of the missing Tui. The history of sexual violence in the locality lends itself to a malevolence that is as much backdrop as the scenery and there is something poetic about the rough justice meted out by a rape victim to one of her attackers years after the event.

The second series to reach its denouement was Sunday evening's The White Queen which had a run of ten weeks. An Irish republican becoming entranced by a drama on English monarchy is one of my lesser sins to be fussed over by St Peter at his pearly gates when it is my time to meet the deranged god of an equally deranged Lady Margaret. Truly truly, I say onto you, this woman, played by Amanda Hale, made god in her own image.

Set in England, based on the novel by Philippa Gregory - which I saw in a Dublin second hand bookshop on Thursday but never picked up - it is the period drama of a power struggle between three women, two who wanted to be Queen and one who wanted the crown on her son's head. Duplicity and treachery, double dealing and double crossing, not to mention a few beheadings, figure throughout.

The star here was the young Middlesborough actress, Faye Marsay, fresh out of acting school and who came away from auditioning feeling that she had 'fucked up.' Unlike Moss in Top of the Lake, who in spite of her prodigious talent was scripted into her throne sans serious competition, Marsay had a more difficult task. She was up against a fine cast of experienced actresses including Amanda Hale, who after her role here, coupled with another in Ripper Street, could easily land herself a leading role in Mad Women. Marsay stepped up to the plate and took the crown with a flawless performance which she held together throughout the ten episodes. No pretender to the throne she.

Moss & Marsay might sound like an appropriate stage name for a stand up comedy duo, but they bring nothing but seriousness to their roles. Both series are destined to have repeat viewings. If you haven't seen them first time round, the effort will be well worth making.

13 comments:

  1. This weekend is simply not the same.

    Two wins on the bounce..max points..and Louis is still banned. Keep the faith, Liverpool will do ok this season. Basically I understand that being a L'pool supporter it(s a hard concept to comprehend (2 wins in a row etc)

    As for TV shows...I haven't owned a TV set since 2007.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Frankie:

    Lol , You cease to amaze me at times.

    So they caught up with you in 2007 and found out you didn't have a license , but , on the other hand the pool is a haven for Loyalists!. Good luck to you as a supporter of liverpool , Louis is on his way out!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Frankie,

    two wins back to back at the start of the season is a a rare one. The margin suggests they are better at the back than they are at the front. They are not going to keep clean sheets all season so in order to progress they can't rely on only one goal per game.

    But their victories do little to address the withdrawal symptoms that come with losing such fine shows!!

    I enjoy TV. I am not glued to it but watch selected shows: and if it is Scandinavian crime fiction, all the better!

    ReplyDelete
  4. If you want to see some good TV and real football (not overpaid premaddonna's lol) tune into the Sunday Game right now lads! Come on Tyrone!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. not my sport of choice Sean. Could never really get into it

    ReplyDelete
  6. Typical "city-slicker" lol. The hurling seems to be the ticket round your neck of the woods!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Soccer Sean. I seen more hurls at IRA funerals than anywhere else!.

    With no White Queen for tonight I am pining!

    ReplyDelete
  8. There's always Big Brother... Usually makes an appearance round this time of year!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Can't stand it. Have never watched more than a few minutes of it.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Anthony

    If you have not seen it already, a great Norwegian film was on TV last night, English title, the King of Devils Island.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Mick,

    thanks for this. Just told Carrie about it so we will try to find it.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It's just...

    What happened in 2007...I bought a puter and my kids stopped watching TV..After a week i said what about the TV and they said..bin it. So I binned the TV. I've never bought a TV license in my life and have no intention of ever buying one..As for footy teams..Man Utd through and through...personally i'd rather read and listen to Rockabilly or Blues..


    AM...

    You could try looking on tubeplus..mostly American shows (you'd need an Ad blocker or smiply click off the pop ups..there is always 2 or 3)..I'm watching Boardwalk Empire & Breaking Bad.

    have you ever thought about coming over to the darkside and supporting UTD?

    ReplyDelete