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.

Pillars of the Earth

Note-There has since been at least one other episode of this that has been broadcast. I feel bad about my sporadic posting lately. School seems to have engulfed me the past couple of nights.

The Pillars of the Earth is a television adaptation of Ken Follet’s epic novel (and one I desperately want to read) of the same name. Set in the 1100’s in England, it is the story of many characters, from kings to builders, whose stories entwine in a time of huge political upheaval.

At the opening, a boat sinks which contains the last legitimate heir to the throne. The succession seems open, and with the king having only a bastard son and a daughter, it would seem that there would be huge political issues were the king to die. However, the church have their eye on Stephen (Tony Curran), the grandson of William the Conquerer as he would protect them. So upon the king’s somewhat suspicious death, despite him asking for his daughter Maud (Allison Pill) to be seen as ruler until her son comes of age, the church crown Stephen king.

Elsewhere William Hamleigh (David Oakes) is desperately pursuing Aliena (Hayley Atwell) to become his wife, yet Aliena has little time for marriage, and Hamleigh seems motivated more by his parents (Robert Bathurst & Sarah Parish) thirst for power.

Aliena’s rejection of Hamleigh leads to repercussions further down the social scale, as Tom Builder (Rufus Sewell) is fired from building the wedding house, as it is no longer required. This means that he and his family is forced to look for shelter in the harsh winter, stumbling across the woodland dwellers Ellen (Natalie Worner) and her son Jack (Eddie Redmayne).

Tom eventually finds his way, thanks to Ellen’s guidance, to a priory in desperate need of repair, governed by the new prior Phillip (Matthew McFayden), and offers his services in creating a new cathedral.

Reading all that back it looks as though Pillars of the Earth is an intensely confusing viewing experience. Yet whilst it has numerous characters, their entwined stories mean that the audience is rarely left not knowing who is who, although occasionally working out the character’s actual familial bonds to one another is somewhat confusing.

The series is hugely ambitious, with the first two episodes being the length of films in their own right. However, the performances save it from being in anyway dull. Sewell as Tom Builder is the heart of the story, desperate to protect his family and achieve his own artistic vision despite huge personal tragedy. Other stand-out performances come from Sarah Parish as the wonderfully evil and slightly incestuous Regan Hamleigh, a woman who quite clearly has a greater understanding of events than her husband and also from Ian McShane as Bishop (I think) Waleran, the epitome of the corrupt English church, a man who despite supposedly being pious is incredibly Machiavellian in his actions. I'I think a special mention should also go to Alison Pill, who plays Maud brilliantly; you would never expect that she is an American actress. Her English accent is faultless, there is none of the over-the-top enunciation favoured by other American actors.

There are also some very powerful moments in these first episodes. The show doesn't flinch from the barbarity of war-showing not just the death of men in battle, but also the sexual punishment of women that was rife in such situations. Nor does it flinch from the crowd-sport that was public executions. On the other end of the scale, the 'miracle' at the quarry led by Prior Phillip against William Hamleigh had to be one of the most moving moments on television I've seen, and I'm not particuarly religious (although this also shows the importance of religion in the early years of England)

After only two episodes it is difficult to really say conclusively what I think will happen. There is evidently some history between Waleran and Ellen, and there is the tentative start of a love triangle between a now destitute Aliena, Jack and Tom Builder’s (horrible) son Alfred (Liam Garrigan). The end of episode two paves the way for yet more uncertainty in society, and whilst I couldn’t resist searching the internet for what happened next historically, the impact of this move on the characters in Pillars will no doubt be huge.