I was disappointed with the second season too (and I wrote a review for it on my 'stack). The biggest problem is it seems they made it for people who've read the books and can fill in the gaps of the story. And by not showing more of that story, it's not very easy for casual viewers to understand what's happening. Looks great, but could've been so much better.
Great post. I'd make a slight distinction on where Mantel's sympathies are in A Place of Greater Safety and where she subsequently comes down on the human cost of change issue. My reading was that Danton and Desmoulins are presented as distinct from Robespierre and Marat - with the former being much more sympathetic than the latter. It's through the suffering of Danton, Desmoulins and their families that we're invited to consider the human damage of the revolution and the errors of the ultra-hardliners.
I was disappointed with the second season too (and I wrote a review for it on my 'stack). The biggest problem is it seems they made it for people who've read the books and can fill in the gaps of the story. And by not showing more of that story, it's not very easy for casual viewers to understand what's happening. Looks great, but could've been so much better.
Super article. Thank you for sharing.
Great post. I'd make a slight distinction on where Mantel's sympathies are in A Place of Greater Safety and where she subsequently comes down on the human cost of change issue. My reading was that Danton and Desmoulins are presented as distinct from Robespierre and Marat - with the former being much more sympathetic than the latter. It's through the suffering of Danton, Desmoulins and their families that we're invited to consider the human damage of the revolution and the errors of the ultra-hardliners.