Pillars of the Earth (Series Wrap-Up)

Note-This is my review of the first couple of episodes, you should probably read that first.

This is honestly one of the best things I have ever watched. This sprawling adaptation of Ken Follett's novel manages to embrace a huge scope of history, taking in tumultous events, and yet remaining intimate so that the viewer could gain a close tie with the characters that populated the series.

Plot-wise, I don't want to give too much away. Needless to say, the secret that Bishop Waleran (Ian McShane) and Regan Hamleigh (Sarah Parrish) are hiding is revealed, and the good and the bad get what they deserve. This is after numerous deaths; some natural, some very much unnatural and many years of confusion over who exactly is the rightful leader of England; Maud (Alison Pill) or Stephen (Tony Curran) and who will follow them-Eustace (Douglas Booth) or Henry (Freddie Boath). I enjoyed the addition of Elisabeth (Skye Lourie), a young girl who is married to the vile William Hamleigh (David Oakes) and the character arc of Remigius (Anatole Taubman) developed beyond what I expected.

The performances continued to be strong throughout the series. Ian McShane, acting like an Iago figure-constantly setting up characters for a fall for his own gain-continued to be strong in his work as a corrupt bishop, who seems to be convinced that he is merely carrying out God's work. Eddie Redmayne who plays Jack Jackson also reveals himself to be a strong actor, despite being saddled with a somewhat predictable romantic storyline, as Jack moves from being an almost mute to be in charge of the build of the cathedral, Redmayne's performance also gets stronger. I also continued to enjoy the work of Matthew Macfayden as Philip, a character who like Waleran believes he is guided by God but takes his word in a different way, and John Pielmeier as Cuthbert, Philip's loyal follower whose storyline almost reduced me to tears. I'd also like to mention Sam Claflin who plays Richard, Aliena's brother, who strives to regain his father's title and in the process goes from slightly weak young boy, to a brave and dashing knight.

As I've said, I loved this series, and I have the book waiting for me to read. The only slight problem I had was that the characters barely aged between decades, and so when a considerable amount of time has passed the sudden change in appearance of the characters-Philip and Ellen (Natalia Worner) in particular-comes as a bit of a jolt.