Mel O'Drama
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Reunion
Throughout the series, several characters at different points mentioned that life in internment felt like the only reality, and memories of life outside didn't feel real for them. Without explicitly saying so, Reunion reinforces that by simply demonstrating how strange it feels for us to see the women living their disparate normal lives. Even with easing out of camp in the Third Series, there's something incredibly novel about seeing the characters in everyday life.
I'm fairly certain this also marks the first time we've set foot on English soil (within the story at least). This adds to the dreamlike quality.
That's not to say it doesn't work. There's something very right about many of the women's current lives. It's where I'd have imagined them to be. There are still one or two surprises, but even those are nice surprises - mostly.
Perhaps the biggest surprise - the most instantly impactful - is Dorothy. Now every inch the Sloane Ranger - or at least she would be if the Sloane Ranger had existed in 1950. It’s excitingly fresh, but even this is a natural evolution of her character. Since the first series, Dorothy has been focussed on trade and commodities. With hard-headed pragmatism, she’s survived by using whatever commodity available to her is most valuable to acquire herself little luxuries. The Dorothy dealing in antiques, with an eye for ivory or rubies, very much has her roots in the Dorothy who spotted the Hepplewhites; or who earlier traded English lessons for cigarettes; her body for vital medicines; or right at the start of her journey, the Dorothy who grafted for Mrs Van Meyer to get the money to buy Violet an egg. Dorothy has always been a go-getter who sets her sights on something and works out the way to acquire it. And it’s taken her places.
In that first meeting between Marion and Dorothy, I found myself rooting for them to connect again, in spite of Dorothy’s insouciance. Partly because it was evident how much Marion needed it. But also because I couldn’t wait to find out how that familiar energy that comes from the women being together would work now that they’re living different lives. And thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long.
The gaps being filled in by catching up with each of the characters as Marion’s letter reached them worked well. I liked that they hadn’t lost touch completely. Some had stayed in touch, others hadn’t. And that feels very real.
The scene of the conversation going sour between the women over Marion’s toast in their first night at Raffles (beginning by remembering absent friends, but then expanding it to include their captors) was very nicely done. It felt very real. The kind of thing that might happen in a family when a sore subject comes up.
Seeing Domenica’s happy new home life was great fun. And after her unhappiness towards the end of Series Three, it feels like she deserves it as well. And she’s married to Mr Ann Bell, who was a very nice addition to the cast. The lovely scene in which Teddy asked Marion to be there for Domenica if anything should happen to him took on a whole new dimension in hindsight, with the knowledge that the two are husband and life in reality. I always find it enjoyably amusing when real-life couples play strangers like this.
Maggie was more enjoyable for me here. Perhaps because her life is now her own and she’s not walking in Blanche’s shadow so much. I felt like she was wisely not so much in the centre of things here. I knew things were better when I watched a scene with Maggie and Alice at the marketplace and simply enjoyed the scene without thinking of them as the newcomers.
Likewise, it was good to see Jake back. The pairing with Dorothy (and the resulting friction between her and Maggie) and his new role as a tracker all fitted the story well without feeling forced.
It was good to see the change in Alice, who has grown in confidence. Curiously, she reminded me at times of Christina at the beginning of the series. Someone with a good education who is at times unsure of herself. Even when she got upset while the women were held hostage, I was reminded of Christina crying when they first arrived at camp. Ironic, given Christina’s role during the hostage sequence.
Although high drama, the women being held at gunpoint felt tonally right for this series. Them all being lined up in front of the armed, uniformed men felt essentially like another tenko. And it’s far from improbable given the civil unrest in the area at the time. It would be interesting to watch the scene a second time following the reveal later in the instalment, but it was so memorable that it was easy to picture later when the moment of Christina’s “order” was talked about (many lesser series might have employed a flashback to the scene following the new knowledge. I love that Tenko hasn’t once resorted to this gimmick. Somehow it would have diluted things a little).
I knew something had happened when Ulrica was stopped at the roadside, and the what created a little suspense. Until the armed men piled out, I convinced myself that a bomb had been planted. Incidentally, the vision of Ulrica trucking along the lonely roads and singing Bye Bye Blackbird is one of my favourite images. It’s comical, but also very endearing. And of course it all leads into the drama that ends up with Ulrica being shot. Poor woman. She narrowly escapes a blast at the beginning only to end up with a bullet in the back. I love how resilient she is.
As suspenseful as Ulrica’s drive was Beatrice trying to find her way round a strange house while barely able to see without her glasses in order to hide and summon help while the others were held at gunpoint.
While Lau Peng’s role as a traitor was well telegraphed with the photo set up, Dorothy’s part in things came as more of a surprise, despite her increasing anti-British sentiments in Series Three. Even as clues to her role were given earlier in the episode, I assumed they were red herrings to create interest, and just assumed there’s no way a main original character would betray her friends. It’s a betrayal of the viewer’s investment as much as it is her friends. And I suppose that’s intentional. I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
The stories were wrapped up nicely, without being too primly neat. There were hopeful hints of future plans, but very few cast iron guarantees. And that’s all for the good.
Ending things with a Christmassy moment was a nice touch. It’s the kind of scene that would have been unimaginable for either the characters or the audience at any point in the first two series, and I applaud them for bringing us organically to this point. And so much the better that it ended on a happier toast to their absent friends.
There’s most definitely going to be a Tenko-shaped hole in my life for a while.
Throughout the series, several characters at different points mentioned that life in internment felt like the only reality, and memories of life outside didn't feel real for them. Without explicitly saying so, Reunion reinforces that by simply demonstrating how strange it feels for us to see the women living their disparate normal lives. Even with easing out of camp in the Third Series, there's something incredibly novel about seeing the characters in everyday life.
I'm fairly certain this also marks the first time we've set foot on English soil (within the story at least). This adds to the dreamlike quality.
That's not to say it doesn't work. There's something very right about many of the women's current lives. It's where I'd have imagined them to be. There are still one or two surprises, but even those are nice surprises - mostly.
Perhaps the biggest surprise - the most instantly impactful - is Dorothy. Now every inch the Sloane Ranger - or at least she would be if the Sloane Ranger had existed in 1950. It’s excitingly fresh, but even this is a natural evolution of her character. Since the first series, Dorothy has been focussed on trade and commodities. With hard-headed pragmatism, she’s survived by using whatever commodity available to her is most valuable to acquire herself little luxuries. The Dorothy dealing in antiques, with an eye for ivory or rubies, very much has her roots in the Dorothy who spotted the Hepplewhites; or who earlier traded English lessons for cigarettes; her body for vital medicines; or right at the start of her journey, the Dorothy who grafted for Mrs Van Meyer to get the money to buy Violet an egg. Dorothy has always been a go-getter who sets her sights on something and works out the way to acquire it. And it’s taken her places.
In that first meeting between Marion and Dorothy, I found myself rooting for them to connect again, in spite of Dorothy’s insouciance. Partly because it was evident how much Marion needed it. But also because I couldn’t wait to find out how that familiar energy that comes from the women being together would work now that they’re living different lives. And thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long.
The gaps being filled in by catching up with each of the characters as Marion’s letter reached them worked well. I liked that they hadn’t lost touch completely. Some had stayed in touch, others hadn’t. And that feels very real.
The scene of the conversation going sour between the women over Marion’s toast in their first night at Raffles (beginning by remembering absent friends, but then expanding it to include their captors) was very nicely done. It felt very real. The kind of thing that might happen in a family when a sore subject comes up.
Seeing Domenica’s happy new home life was great fun. And after her unhappiness towards the end of Series Three, it feels like she deserves it as well. And she’s married to Mr Ann Bell, who was a very nice addition to the cast. The lovely scene in which Teddy asked Marion to be there for Domenica if anything should happen to him took on a whole new dimension in hindsight, with the knowledge that the two are husband and life in reality. I always find it enjoyably amusing when real-life couples play strangers like this.
Maggie was more enjoyable for me here. Perhaps because her life is now her own and she’s not walking in Blanche’s shadow so much. I felt like she was wisely not so much in the centre of things here. I knew things were better when I watched a scene with Maggie and Alice at the marketplace and simply enjoyed the scene without thinking of them as the newcomers.
Likewise, it was good to see Jake back. The pairing with Dorothy (and the resulting friction between her and Maggie) and his new role as a tracker all fitted the story well without feeling forced.
It was good to see the change in Alice, who has grown in confidence. Curiously, she reminded me at times of Christina at the beginning of the series. Someone with a good education who is at times unsure of herself. Even when she got upset while the women were held hostage, I was reminded of Christina crying when they first arrived at camp. Ironic, given Christina’s role during the hostage sequence.
Although high drama, the women being held at gunpoint felt tonally right for this series. Them all being lined up in front of the armed, uniformed men felt essentially like another tenko. And it’s far from improbable given the civil unrest in the area at the time. It would be interesting to watch the scene a second time following the reveal later in the instalment, but it was so memorable that it was easy to picture later when the moment of Christina’s “order” was talked about (many lesser series might have employed a flashback to the scene following the new knowledge. I love that Tenko hasn’t once resorted to this gimmick. Somehow it would have diluted things a little).
I knew something had happened when Ulrica was stopped at the roadside, and the what created a little suspense. Until the armed men piled out, I convinced myself that a bomb had been planted. Incidentally, the vision of Ulrica trucking along the lonely roads and singing Bye Bye Blackbird is one of my favourite images. It’s comical, but also very endearing. And of course it all leads into the drama that ends up with Ulrica being shot. Poor woman. She narrowly escapes a blast at the beginning only to end up with a bullet in the back. I love how resilient she is.
As suspenseful as Ulrica’s drive was Beatrice trying to find her way round a strange house while barely able to see without her glasses in order to hide and summon help while the others were held at gunpoint.
While Lau Peng’s role as a traitor was well telegraphed with the photo set up, Dorothy’s part in things came as more of a surprise, despite her increasing anti-British sentiments in Series Three. Even as clues to her role were given earlier in the episode, I assumed they were red herrings to create interest, and just assumed there’s no way a main original character would betray her friends. It’s a betrayal of the viewer’s investment as much as it is her friends. And I suppose that’s intentional. I’m still not sure how I feel about it.
The stories were wrapped up nicely, without being too primly neat. There were hopeful hints of future plans, but very few cast iron guarantees. And that’s all for the good.
Ending things with a Christmassy moment was a nice touch. It’s the kind of scene that would have been unimaginable for either the characters or the audience at any point in the first two series, and I applaud them for bringing us organically to this point. And so much the better that it ended on a happier toast to their absent friends.
There’s most definitely going to be a Tenko-shaped hole in my life for a while.