Just finished watching it & started singing 'Scarborough Fair' as it was stuck in my head. Am now terrified Indian ghost lady is going to come after me....
Have we figured out whether Tom was a ghost or not? Since he disappeared off that boat without so much as a splash or a ripple?
Well i wont remember it.
Could have been a great story but to justify her come back and kill his wife,friends or anyone who even tried to help him just because he wouldn't sing the last 2 lines of a song is a bit silly. just give her a real reason like we were always that close nothing came between us. she is jealous of anyone who i befriend then fair enough she can bump everyone off.
I wouldn't mind it's a crap version compared to Simon and Garfunkles
You can say that again! She was the character we were meant to empathise with but she became intensely irritating.
I started to laugh at how many times she said "oh my god" every time she saw Isha. Also did anyone else notice when she came out of the lake, the shoulders and hood of her jacket was bone dry but her hair was wet:D
Like Turn of the Screw and Whistle, it's not literal. Like TotS, it's about the HOLD the dead have on us, how they can haunt us and destroy our lives. How the past can poison the present, how damaging some things are, and how people stay damaged and can't recover - and yet want to, and may, eventually do.
It was too late for ~Tom to live, and he was desperate to, but for Rob, for Hannah and Sean, it wasn't, they had their own pain and traps and sadness but could move on and live.
Some do some don't, it's a truth about life, which is hard and painful, where 'love' can CAUSE the problems, where betrayal is present in many forms, and where people STILL fight like mad to recover and live.
I thought it was beautiful. It was hokumy if you want to see it literally, but you don't have to see it like that.
Michael Palin more or less said the same thing this morning on the Lorraine show.
I really enjoyed it, something a little different and beautifully shot, always a bonus when the filming matches the the themes and mood of the story.
Some of the debates about the legitimacy of Birthday Cards from the Queen, parking tickets etc. on this thread have made me chortle - who'd be a TV writer eh!?
I enjoyed this drama but found it intensely irritating in parts. While everything made sense in terms of the story, I just didn't think some of the plot constructs were very good.
Scarborough Fair was just a plot construct to illustrate that Tom was choosing to have Isha around by not singing the last two lines. But when and why did this become so? It was a song tied to his wife's family, which was long after he first met Isha.
Also, that policeman and Hannah seemed to be deliberately not asking Tom the important questions after the caravan scene. It was irritating and obviously constructed to keep us hanging on which was a bit lazy.
In fact, that's how I would sum it up. Good in parts, but a bit lazy overall. They needed to have a team of writers look over it and tighten it up before it was filmed.
Also, Michael Palin was absent in most of it which was a shame.
As for the suggestion that this was one for the ladies, i think this is pretty ignorant.
She was asked to make the journey back from India with the family as Tom was so fond of her.
Once in London she was told her services were no longer required and she was left to find her own way home (Something that happened to a lot of Ayah's as said by Mark Addys character).
She was still in London (trying to earn the fare home) when she heard about the death of Tom's parents and decided to go and look after Tom.
BIB I don't think that's correct. She was on the ship back to India when she drowned.
I enjoyed the first two episodes but thought the last one was a bit silly. It was one episode too long imo. There seemed to be no relevance in the age thing, I don't think it would've made one iota of difference whether he was in his 80s or 110. It seems it was something to make a big thing of to try to add a bit of intrigue but in the end to no avail. The same with all the copies of Scarborough Fair music sheets in the music stool. Just no point to them to my mind except to say he was obsessed with the song nothing more. Hannah cried enough tears to drown everyone in sight!!! didn't need the ghost to do that. I agree with others who feel the ghost was too random choosing who to kill.
I enjoyed this drama but found it intensely irritating in parts. While everything made sense in terms of the story, I just didn't think some of the plot constructs were very good.
Scarborough Fair was just a plot construct to illustrate that Tom was choosing to have Isha around by not singing the last two lines. But when and why did this become so? It was a song tied to his wife's family, which was long after he first met Isha.
Also, that policeman and Hannah seemed to be deliberately not asking Tom the important questions after the caravan scene. It was irritating and obviously constructed to keep us hanging on which was a bit lazy.
In fact, that's how I would sum it up. Good in parts, but a bit lazy overall. They needed to have a team of writers look over it and tighten it up before it was filmed.
Also, Michael Palin was absent in most of it which was a shame.
As for the suggestion that this was one for the ladies, i think this is pretty ignorant.
This is the bit I cannot tie in to the rest of it. If some kind FM can explain this I will be a very happy bunny.
BIB I don't think that's correct. She was on the ship back to India when she drowned.
Nah it says she was going back to find Tom after reading about his parents dying in the papers. Why would a boat from London to India be going past Scarborough?
Scarborough Fair was just a plot construct to illustrate that Tom was choosing to have Isha around by not singing the last two lines. But when and why did this become so? It was a song tied to his wife's family, which was long after he first met Isha.
This is the bit I cannot tie in to the rest of it. If some kind FM can explain this I will be a very happy bunny.
Tom was obsessed with Scarborough Fair before he met Dorothea. In fact, it's how he met Dorothea. He goes to her Father's house to find out the secret verse.
As for why he was obsessed with SF, I think we have to assume he heard the legend about the unknown final verse being able to lay a ghost to rest. Tom is always conflicted about Isha, he wants to be free but can't bring himself to let go. He says he told Dorothea everything, they come home after getting married to sing the song to lay Isha to rest, but Tom changes his mind. Nancy hears Tom say "I don't want to sing it anymore".
60-70 years later Tom is finally able to make up his mind.
I think the link with Isha kept him alive, she would let him go she was unsure if he died he would stay with her. At the end she is holding him tight as the sink to the bottom of the lake, perhaps making sure they will pass on(to whatever afterlife you believe in together), making them inseparable.
One of the negative reviews I've read online put it quite well when they said that the writer ended up sympathising too much with the Indian woman. Once the ghost was revealed to be just a bit confused it sucked all the spookiness out of the story. The ghost was no longer threatening or scary. It was just a woman stood in the water wearing a sari. Hardly pant-wettingly frightening.
The reveal is usually the least scary part and is also the hardest to get right, it probably would have been better if we never really saw her. On the whole though I found this very scary (especially the first episode) whereas I yawned my way through "Saw" when I really couldn't care what happened.
I know some of you didn't enjoy this, neither did the TV critic of the Daily Telegraph but I was gripped by it. I watched in on a large screen TV with a surround sound system that made me jump several times. I hope those of you that didn't like it weren't texting at the same time, this was a drama to be watched in the dark for maximum impact.
Tom was obsessed with Scarborough Fair before he met Dorothea. In fact, it's how he met Dorothea. He goes to her Father's house to find out the secret verse.
As for why he was obsessed with SF, I think we have to assume he heard the legend about the unknown final verse being able to lay a ghost to rest. Tom is always conflicted about Isha, he wants to be free but can't bring himself to let go. He says he told Dorothea everything, they come home after getting married to sing the song to lay Isha to rest, but Tom changes his mind. Nancy hears Tom say "I don't want to sing it anymore".
60-70 years later Tom is finally able to make up his mind.
I know some of you didn't enjoy this, neither did the TV critic of the Daily Telegraph but I was gripped by it. I watched in on a large screen TV with a surround sound system that made me jump several times. I hope those of you that didn't like it weren't texting at the same time, this was a drama to be watched in the dark for maximum impact.
Yes I don't think it's a coincidence that I found the first the scariest when I watched that late at night on my own rather than earlier in the evening with my wife.
Well we can only guess. There was certainly an implication that Tom was being kept alive for an unnaturally long time by Isha, maybe he stopped aging at the time he would have passed away naturally.
Winter is Coming! I just caught up with this and have finally twigged the cop was Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones!
Good drama overall, I enjoyed it, but I agree with those who think that it appeared to lack some internal consistency. You can get away with that with most ghost stories of course, but I think the best are the ones that tie up, even if it takes a bit deep analysis to effect that. The actors were all brilliant though.
Comments
Have we figured out whether Tom was a ghost or not? Since he disappeared off that boat without so much as a splash or a ripple?
Could have been a great story but to justify her come back and kill his wife,friends or anyone who even tried to help him just because he wouldn't sing the last 2 lines of a song is a bit silly. just give her a real reason like we were always that close nothing came between us. she is jealous of anyone who i befriend then fair enough she can bump everyone off.
I wouldn't mind it's a crap version compared to Simon and Garfunkles
I started to laugh at how many times she said "oh my god" every time she saw Isha. Also did anyone else notice when she came out of the lake, the shoulders and hood of her jacket was bone dry but her hair was wet:D
Palin was the only reason I bothered watching this at all and he delivered. His performance in Ep 3 was superb.
Jodie Comer also performed very well, particularly when you consider she was acting against Palin and Addy and even Julia Sawalha.
I actually thought Ep 3 was just as good as Ep 1. Ep 2 was good but enough Palin.
Michael Palin more or less said the same thing this morning on the Lorraine show.
Is Peter Pan syndrome the same as being an infantilist/Adult Baby/Diaper lover?
Some details about the locations here
http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/remember-huddersfield-find-out-filming-8236845
Agreed.
Scarborough Fair was just a plot construct to illustrate that Tom was choosing to have Isha around by not singing the last two lines. But when and why did this become so? It was a song tied to his wife's family, which was long after he first met Isha.
Also, that policeman and Hannah seemed to be deliberately not asking Tom the important questions after the caravan scene. It was irritating and obviously constructed to keep us hanging on which was a bit lazy.
In fact, that's how I would sum it up. Good in parts, but a bit lazy overall. They needed to have a team of writers look over it and tighten it up before it was filmed.
Also, Michael Palin was absent in most of it which was a shame.
As for the suggestion that this was one for the ladies, i think this is pretty ignorant.
BIB I don't think that's correct. She was on the ship back to India when she drowned.
I enjoyed the first two episodes but thought the last one was a bit silly. It was one episode too long imo. There seemed to be no relevance in the age thing, I don't think it would've made one iota of difference whether he was in his 80s or 110. It seems it was something to make a big thing of to try to add a bit of intrigue but in the end to no avail. The same with all the copies of Scarborough Fair music sheets in the music stool. Just no point to them to my mind except to say he was obsessed with the song nothing more. Hannah cried enough tears to drown everyone in sight!!! didn't need the ghost to do that. I agree with others who feel the ghost was too random choosing who to kill.
Why do you think he was a ghost? I don't think he was.
I should think it was so deserted because of the terrible weather there.
This is the bit I cannot tie in to the rest of it. If some kind FM can explain this I will be a very happy bunny.
Nah it says she was going back to find Tom after reading about his parents dying in the papers. Why would a boat from London to India be going past Scarborough?
Tom was obsessed with Scarborough Fair before he met Dorothea. In fact, it's how he met Dorothea. He goes to her Father's house to find out the secret verse.
As for why he was obsessed with SF, I think we have to assume he heard the legend about the unknown final verse being able to lay a ghost to rest. Tom is always conflicted about Isha, he wants to be free but can't bring himself to let go. He says he told Dorothea everything, they come home after getting married to sing the song to lay Isha to rest, but Tom changes his mind. Nancy hears Tom say "I don't want to sing it anymore".
60-70 years later Tom is finally able to make up his mind.
OK, so he really was 110!
The reveal is usually the least scary part and is also the hardest to get right, it probably would have been better if we never really saw her. On the whole though I found this very scary (especially the first episode) whereas I yawned my way through "Saw" when I really couldn't care what happened.
Thank you diplodocus, that really helps.
Yes I don't think it's a coincidence that I found the first the scariest when I watched that late at night on my own rather than earlier in the evening with my wife.
Why did Tom stop ageing at around 75?
Why this age?
Well we can only guess. There was certainly an implication that Tom was being kept alive for an unnaturally long time by Isha, maybe he stopped aging at the time he would have passed away naturally.
Or because it was filmed in winter?
Winter is Coming! I just caught up with this and have finally twigged the cop was Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones!
Good drama overall, I enjoyed it, but I agree with those who think that it appeared to lack some internal consistency. You can get away with that with most ghost stories of course, but I think the best are the ones that tie up, even if it takes a bit deep analysis to effect that. The actors were all brilliant though.