Vanity Fair Chapter 3 "A Quarrel About An Heiress" Review

                                             
Things were hotting up this week as Becky Sharp (Olivia Cooke) wanted to be with Rawdon (Tom Bateman) and drove away in the carriage after kissing.  No guesses where they were headed, though in true TV drama fashion this wasn't shown until later.  No, until then Becky continued to be the friend for Matilda (Frances de la Tour) reading to her and at her beck'n'call.  Making friends with Matilda's own companion, Miss Arabella Briggs (Felicity Montagu) who was delighted to have another friend in Becky as she felt Matilda no longer wanted her company.  Of course Becky made her believe otherwise, the sharp (no pun) manipulator she is.  As Matilda couldn't eat another piece of meat and wanted some "sweetmeat" instead; thus retiring early leaving the coast clear for Becky to ply Arabella with wine and ensure they were on each other's side.  It was kind of charming for Arabella to find someone she thought was like her, but she was rather gullible.  More glancing at the camera from Becky this episode and her pulling faces when she's clearly disapproving of someone, such as Mr Raggles (Peter Wight) who grew up at Queens Crawley and will be becoming a landlord.  At least he made his fortune honestly!

Pitt (Martin Clunes) opens the paper to read that Napoleon has escaped Elba and thus war looms.  However, Lady Crawley (Madeleine Hyland) was away in her own little world and not interested.  George (Charlie Rowe) reads this too and they know they will be sent away any minute.  As Mr Osborne (Robert Pugh) tells him to find someone else and he should give up the Sedley girl once and for all.  Of course Mr Sedley (Simon Russel Beale) also tells this to Amelia (Claudia Jessie) that she should call of the engagement.  Becky visits with Amelia, taking Rawdon and Matilda with her, as George also turns up.  Matilda having a racist and snooty view of Sam (Richie Campbell) as she refuses to take any refreshment and asks Mrs Sedley (Claire Skinner) how she can leave him around with the silver.  Of course Sam is more put out by there not being any wine to serve as Becky wanted since Sedley sold the wine seller.  However it did not get him out of debt.  George advises Rawdon to be careful of the "wild flirt." 

Lady Crawley has an accident tripping over her dress and falling down the stairs and expiring.  Thus leaving the road clear for Pitt to remarry.  As he heads to London and a beeline for Becky.  That smirk on his face said it all and he couldn't wait to be free again.  He proposes to Becky as he fears he's in dire need of a wife, someone to sort out his finances too and she can be mistress of the manor or anything else she wishes.  Becky having to confess that she is already married but not to tell anyone of this.  Arabella rightly guesses that an affair of the heart may have led Becky to reject Pitt's proposal.

That proposal made Matilda get out of bed quick smart, putting on a turn whenever the fancy caught her but not now.  She would have approved of Becky marrying Pitt but not Rawdon.  As she finally reveals this to her and to us.  Showing that she was wearing white and they indeed rode in the carriage to church and to get married.  However there is no easy way to tell Matilda and she sends a letter to Arabella for her to break the news to her.  That her beloved Rawdon is now her Rawdon too.  Leaving Matilda in another tizzy!  Shrieks of "treasure hunter!  Vixen!" Vowing that she's nothing but a gold digger and she will leave him nothing or give him more money!  But then prithee tell who would've been a suitable match for Rawdon since he was clearly besotted and did the right thing in marrying her.  Though of course Becky would have the last word in that too since she thought she'd be set up for life!

Rawdon also tells Gorge and the other men of his nuptials since he asks if the men wouldn't marry someone they loved, money be damned.  Whereby George receives a letter from Amelia calling off their engagement.  There is a bankruptcy sale at the Sedley's and Becky meant to be nosey and spend Rawdon's money on the painting with the elephant and also the piano, as she never had one.  However Dobbin (Johnny Flynn) outbids her and walks out ignoring them.  The piano is delivered to Amelia and she thinks George bought it for her.  Yeah skinflint George who scarce sent a penny on her and yet claims he wants to do the right thing by her, with some prompting by Dobbin.

Osborne organizes a dinner and introduces George to a woman who has an allowance a month and is from Miss Pinkerton's school also.  A native of the Bahamas.  She's here to learn English and George rejects her claiming he's in love with Amelia and they are engaged.  Sedley is angry and George says he will marry Amelia. As he accompanies Dobbin to her house, he sees a sight he never thought he would, Amelia washing clothes.  Dobbin tells Sedley that Osborne was his friend and he should let them marry, but not the way Sedley sees it as Osborne treated him appallingly in calling in his debts.  Wonder if George got the notion she was just a gold digger too after learning she was also at the Pinkerton school.

Amelia spends the night at Becky's in preparation for the big day and she speaks of how she loves George.  That they are to be wives now and throughout it all, Becky never once says that she loves Rawdon.  Who has attempted to see Matilda but was prevented from doing so by Martha (Sian Clifford) who had been called to take over the house and Rawdon suggest she's been withholding their letters.  Shutting the door on Becky's face.  Pitt has a screaming fit when he finds out Becky married Rawdon and proceeds to break the frame with his picture in it.  More like he was angry she didn't marry him!

Becky attempts for Rawdon to write to Matilda and meet with her as she dictates a letter from him which doesn't sound like Rawdon at all, since he wouldn't use words such as "beseech" with two 'e's.  Obviously she has an extremely low opinion of Rawdon and he later tells her that.  Arabella meets with them in the hopes they may find a way to convince Matilda to see him.  She brings her to the park but she drives straight past them and Becky encourages him to run after and get into the carriage.  Matilda tells him to meet her lawyer the next day. 

The day of the wedding, which goes without a hitch and Becky remarks to Dobbin how he managed to do the right thing for Amelia even if he didn't want to.  Rawdon tells her he got £20 from Matilda and told to keep away.  Becky saying they couldn't even pay the rent, so she decides they should go to war with their husbands as other wives do!  A bad idea!

Yes Becky does think so poorly of Rawdon and he was just a rich meal ticket to be kept in luxury.  And boy did fortune backfire for her and become misfortune.  Especially when discovering that Matilda is just as stuck up and judgemental as Pitt and all the wealthy in society.  Just wanting another servant by her side, someone to keep her company and even if her mother was more than an opera girl or someone far worse as Martha tells Matilda before being sent packing.  Look at Matilda's treatment of Sam as well, who will be the one doing okay out of all the fiasco, much better than the so-called better off.  Becky also being snooty when she tells George that he could have done better if he married someone with a background like her.  Perhaps someone should've used Abba's Waterloo as a song in the end credits, a tad uncalled for in this episode, but with war looming around the corner, it'd be a bit apt when you think about it.  After all "...at Waterloo Napoleon did surrender..."  Perhaps also defeat lies awaiting for Becky too.

Paranormal Lockdown UK 1.2 "Drakelow Tunnels" Review

Drakelow Tunnels below Kingsford County Park, north of Kidderminster, is an oft visited site by many people, paranormal groups and others and is said to be one of Britain's actively haunted sites.  Having being built here in 1941 during the Second World War for building airplane parts etc, it housed a number of people.  There were numerous deaths and as Sid, the site manager told Nick and Katrina, there were about five known deaths but if there were more, then certainly no one would have recorded them and said anything about them, especially not during the war.  There were some who were killed when the tunnels collapsed and three men were reported to have been buried alive.  As well as reported hauntings from shadow figures, various apparitions and a lady seen with a child. 

Of course having worked there for twenty years, Sid had his own sightings too, with someone he calls "Oswald" aka Harry.  Sid was pushed off his ladder and broke his leg.  The tunnels are long and span at least three and a half miles, dark, dank and dusty and if you get lost in the dark, it will take forever to get out, well not literally but the only light source being a torch.  Which is what happened to Nick on the second night when he couldn't sleep, was awoken suddenly and tried to find Katrina, who was clearly away with the pixies.  Strangely, Katrina slept in Tunnel 1 on the first night and nothing happened to her.  Nick got lost and saw the figure of a man he said was following him.  His IR light went out and he only had his torch. leaving him panicky and calling out for Katrina, who obviously wouldn't hear him.  Though when Katrina did get up, she thought she was up before him and went to seek him out.  Nick crawling through a crawl space by this time, but managed to hear her calling that way.  Nust've been a tense time being so far apart from each other.

Their photo showing the dark figure is the top one, the bottom one I took.

As they treaded the tunnels, they got a few objects thrown at them, well twice, the first one being aimed at Katrina and hitting her jacket and the second one they said was a brick, so clearly the spirits were trying to get their attention, or were being more aggressive.  Nick used the Afterlife Box app using an analogue radio, which generates phonetic words and captured quite a few voices.

As Nick was sleeping with the lasers, there was an orb/light anomaly that passed through the light from the lasers and can be seen where the blue arrow is marked.   Will try and upload a video for this and for the solid figure that Nick saw.

A voice also said, "that man" in reference to Sid most likely.  Getting Sid's name mentioned twice: "Sid sick" and "Sid sorry."  For throwing his off his ladder most likely.  As Nick later told Sid, Oswald was not a violent or dangerous spirit, but more curious and was aggressive in that the renovations took place there, where they belonged.  Sid did say he was sick on the same day they caught that voice.  Lots of doors slamming too and what both Nick and Rob described as an army of fifty men marching through the tunnels.  Which Katrina said was probably as she asked if she felt safe there in the canteen area.  It did sound like shuffling to me, but not fifty men, guess you had to be there in the moment.  Again after seeing shadow figures, they weren't able to pick any up with their equipment.  Begging the question of how so much equipment just turns out to be useless or no good where such figures are concerned. 

Earlier on on the walk through, they did manage to get a voice in response to Sid's question of whether he's liked now and the voice distinctively replied, "no!"  Setting up infra red lights in the tunnels for their experiment where Nick saw the solid man, with the LED lights on the light panel. The path was crossed and that's when the brick-like object was also thrown.  Also a voice coming through and saying "into a trap."  When the light panel lit up.  Other voices were: "killed," "appear," "computer" all captured through the Afterlife app.

Other voices were heard during the early part of the investigation where Katrina was asking questions and a voice asked, "who's that?"  Katrina introducing herself, Nick and Rob.  A voice also says "hi."  That was strange since this greeting isn't traditionally associated with the UK.  Katrina asks what country they're from and the reply is "America."  So clearly they were getting intelligent responses.  Later when Katrina asks about Oswald or Harry, a woman's voice which is shown as Inaudible on screen, actually says "sit down."  Now that was a cockney/posh accent like they used to speak back then.  If you watch any British black and white film from the 1930's/40's, you will hear the typical accent I'm referring to.  Made me think if it could have been the woman who has been spotted with the child and whether that could have been residual. 

A troublesome ep spending 72 hours in the confines of darkness without light or sunlight and extremely cold, of course without sleep, especially for Nick, he would be frustrated and a little out of his mind when he saw that figure. But an awesome catch!  Right a visit to these tunnels is called for!

Next ep we're off to a pub!!   Definitely getting into the spirit of things then!

Vanity Fair Chapter 2 "Miss Sharp Begins to Make Friends" Review

                                        
Having left the doldrums of London far behind, Becky (Olivia Cooke) begins her tenure as a governess with much aplomb.  Firstly mastering the subtleties in winning Violet (Orli Goldstein) and Rose (Niamh Durkin) and helping them by speaking in French, but then meeting Rawdon (Tom Bateman) at every turn.  Rather he was the one doing the chasing, as his brother Bute (Mathew Baynton) and his prim and proper and utterly boring wife, Martha (Sian Clifford) watch her, the veritable hussy take over the household.  Not so but she begins to bring Pitt (Martin Clunes) around by wanting to become his secretary as she impresses him with her legal knowledge, everything she picked up from her father and his troubles.  Bute thinking she will get to be with Rawdon, as well as Pitt and take over.  Although Pitt is now married to his second wife, he is impressed with Becky's work and has developed a soft spot for her too..

Until the arrival of Aunt Matilda (Frances de la Tour) Pitt's sister has everyone in a tizzy as she has the money in the family too and has not made a will.  Alas she only has eyes for her beloved Rawdon as he accompanies her to Queens Crawley.  Becky even teaching the girls how to curtsy to impress Aunt.  As well as impressing Aunt herself, at singing and playing the piano.  She confesses she hopes someone will take Rawdon away, some rich woman as he hasn't a penny to his name and is in debt.  However Becky tells her it is more apt if he marries a poor miller's daughter which makes all the rich ladies envious.  Cos this life is all about money as Bute and Martha also want to inherit Aunt's thousands.  Completely greedy as the eldest he will also be getting Queens Crawley too.  Though he's rather a Mr Collins' character from Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, not failing to throw in a sermon over and over.  Even when Aunt tells him she doesn't want any sermonizing from him.

She finds solace in Becky and as Becky tells her she is a friend to her now.  As Martha goes to Miss Pinkerton (Suranne Jones) to get the lowdown on Becky's father, whom she tells her was a drunk and her mother an opera dancer, thinking this will help in her plan to rid them of Becky.  A plan which Bute labels "brilliant;" not quite as they've not encountered the likes of Becky Sharp before.  Nor likely ever will again.  She thinks Rawdon will seduce Becky at the dance and she will be shamed and will have to leave.

As Rawdon gets Becky alone outside after a dance and says he's never met anyone like her, so full of life and that he would not take advantage of her.  As they are about to kiss they're interrupted as Becky hears the music has stopped and Aunt asks for her.  Pitt's feeding her mutton has made her ill.  However Becky looks after her, helping her remove her wig.  The next day she leaves for London with Aunt who has made Becky her nurse. 

In London, Amelia (Claudia Jessie) is not having much luck with George (Charlie Rowe) who hasn't written or replied to her countless letters and Dobbin (Johnny Flynn) berates him for this as he's playing billiards with Rawdon, on a winning streak.  George begs (yes begs) for money from Dobbin and he gives him some to enable him to buy a present for Amelia.  However he buys a cravat pin for himself!  Whilst waiting for Amelia, Mr Sedley (Simon Russell Beale) asks about his father and how they were good friends.  Yet George's (Robert Pugh) father doesn't carry that same opinion of him and is only looking for George to make a better match than a "lame duck."  He tells George to demand £10,000 otherwise he should find someone better, ie more wealthy.  Calling in all of the Sedley loans.  As Amelia comes to visit Osborne, Sedley accompanies her but isn't allowed into the house, whereby he has a turn and must be helped by Amelia and Sam (Richie Campbell).  Becky finally writes to Amelia about her adventures in darkest Hampshire. 

As Thackery (Michael Palin) says in the opening it's all about people being concerned about worthless things and everyone just wants to get money any way they can.  Of course George wouldn't fight for Amelia when he can do better and didn't even want her.  As Rawdon skulks after Becky.  Shall I say skulks after his funny line of "relatives skulking" around as he proceeded to do the same on the stairs and where he asked Becky if she's smoked a cigar before.  Which she does now in a replay of eating extra hot curry from part 1.  As for modern song inclusions, this episode ends with Madonna's Material Girl being played as she rides off in the carriage with Aunt and confesses who her parents really were which Aunt finds marvellous!  Roll on Chapter 3.  Finally Becky meets someone who doesn't judge her for who she is.

Vanity Fair Chapter 1: "Miss Sharp In The Presence of The Enemy" Review

                                            
ITV's new adaptation of Vanity Fair was much talked about and promoted with numerous interviews, articles etc and could even be said rather hyped up, gearing viewers for a must-see extravaganza for the month of September.  Though it really didn't disappoint at all!  If you haven't read the book or watched any of the adaptations in the past you were missing out.  Vanity Fair is not everyone's cup of tea but it is one that can be said is truly for this day and age.  What with an 'orphan' starting out in the world without means versus those who have everything.  It's no surprise heroine Becky Sharpe (Olivia Cooke) did not want to venture into "darkest Hampshire."  Her 'punishment' for acting out at Miss Pinkerton's  school for girls.  It was Miss Pinkerton's (Suranne Jones) revenge for having to put up with her, but Becky did manage to get one up on her.  Not only did she talk her way into staying with her friend, Amelia Sedley (Claudia Jessie) but she even proceeded to embarrass Pinkerton by speaking in French and telling the girls she didn't even know French for the amount she was getting paid for teaching it.
Olivia bears such a striking similarity in terms of looks to Jenna Coleman!

Even throwing out the coveted dictionaries passed onto the girls who were leaving.  Yes a dictionary will help the richer classes find their way into this world, when most of them would already have their lives mapped out for them through wealthy marriages and other pursuits.  So Becky got to spend a week with Amelia and her family, who didn't receive visitors well and for all their 'snobbery' they really weren't that enamoured to have as parents.  Snobbery aside, the real lowliness of their characters showed when they displayed their racism in front of  Sam (Richie Campbell) who could read Becky like a book.  For she was after money and thought she could do well with Amelia's portly brother, Jos (David Fynn) who was in India and returned home, to wow Becky with his adventures of Indian elephants.  Having a week to make this match and propose marriage, she found things wouldn't fall into her lap so neatly.

Cue George Osborn (Charlie Rowe) a preening peacock, always fixing his hair and having high opinions on how ladies should be and behave and betrothed to Amelia.  Jos proved to be a bounder, but if Becky could take him off  Mr and Mrs Sedley's (Claire Skinner) hands and married since Becky has a "white face" and he wouldn't be lumbered with a brown maharani, that was fine for Mr Sedley (Simon Russell Beale) since they wouldn't produce "mahogany children."  Uttered right in front of Sam, who managed to keep a straight face throughout.  Becky attempting to impress with eating hot curry and getting it down and demanding water.

Interrupted at every turn from getting her proposal from Jos.  Even though he was a buffoon and acted as such at their foray to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens.  Where he got drunk and had to be taken home by Captain Dobbin (Johnny Flynn).  Good old Dobby, always seen as a friend, but more a lackey by George, since it appeared the only reason he accompanied him to the gardens was to pay for tickets and carry the shawls.  Then having to take Jos home and George talking him out of marrying Becky since he wanted a lady for a sister-in-law.  As if Jos could attract the attentions of a lady!  Dobby clearly showing feelings for Amelia.

Thus her week was up and she had to leave with Amelia practically giving her everything, including all her shawls, well three of them and the letter writing box which Becky gladly took, but not the carnelian necklace, lest she be accused of being a jewel thief and transported to Australia.  Thus she was on her way to Hampshire, which proved every bit as dark as her expectations and was driven there by Pitt Crawly (Martin Clunes) himself, a skinflint of massive proportions and thus began chapter two where she was to be governess.  Almost throwing the photoframe onto Rawdon Crawley's (Tom Bateman) head as he rides past the window.  Well that was Rawdon, arrogant as ever, in case no one knew yet.  Okay I jumped ahead!

A clever dramatization in places, especially the enjoyable parts where Becky looked at the camera twice, just to ensure we were paying attention to her, but more so it was a plot device to coincide with narration by WM Thackery (the author of the book) himself.  This one will definitely be a ratings winner for ITV and scoring a hit for the cast too.  Lots of mixed reviews on this one with the haters and those loving it to bits.  Some were harsh though.  Okay she's not the 'heroine' everyone wants to read about or watch, but who wants a perfect character everytime.  Becky is manipulative, doesn't suffer fools, wants to get ahead, challenge the norms of the time; but is that her fault, or that of the world she moves in, the society of her times.    No matter what, you can say she is engaging, has a sad life and sympathy on her might be wasted for some; though she's entertaining and a gripping character, never dull.  Always thinking of her next move, although it falls through.

The addition of Thackery (Michael Palin) in the opening with his narration as an introduction to Becky was different and welcome to those who had trouble keeping up with the book, I don't say that for offence (many at school were in this boat) but he adds an extra edge of anticipation, as the cast clamour aboard the carousel.  Life is one big fair after all, to many.  Vanity Fair: "a very vain, wicked foolish place.  Full of all sorts of humbug, falseness and pretensions."  Not very far removed from our  own, modern world at all!

Paranormal Lockdown UK 1.1 "Shepton Mallet Prison" Review

Paranormal Lockdown UK began with Nick and Katrina being locked down in Shepton Mallet Prison.  A prison with an imposing history until the day it closed its door in 2013.  Quite recently too. From the outset they found themselves seeing shadow figures.  Though blowed if we the viewers could get to see any!  They were also told of 'The Woman In White' seen by many but alas not them, which Katrina was a tad sceptical about since there have been so many mentions of women in white throughout many locations.

They met with historian, Paul who took them on a quick impromptu tour of the prison and the main areas where sightings have occurred, as well as providing them with a potted history of events.  Including his own scarring in the Hanging Room: Hanging Shed, at possibly the hands of an American soldier who was imprisoned there during World War II for murder of one and rape of another women.  Paul told of how he was telling the tour group of his final day before being hanged and how his legs buckled under him when he realized this was a reality and uttered, "oh my God I'm going to die."  Paul was then burned with a cigarette as soon as he repeated the soldier's final words.  Carrying the scar to this day.

Other cells were underground ranging from the 1600's where the poor were kept mainly and anyone was arrested and imprisoned for any crime no matter how minor, including children as young as four just for stealing an apple.  Their life expectancy was no more than three months, all huddled in cold, overcrowded cells and plagued with disease. 

As the investigation continued, Nick and Katrina saw shadow figures and in the courtyard they saw the shadow which Katrina described as being that of a cloaked woman.  Perhaps the one Paul told them about as she walked around looking for ferns.  Although Katrina took pictures with a stills camera, they said that nothing was being captured on any of the cameras. Wonder if they tried the kinetic, SLS, stick figure camera Nick used in the beginning, or a thermal camera.  The stick figure camera would have been a good idea right then perhaps.  Cos we didn't see a thing and I wanted to! 

Shepton Mallet is sometimes also known as 'Cornhill'  situated in Somerset.  It was first opened in 1625 but fell into disrepair very early one and was expanded in 1790.  Due to the decreased number of inmates, the prison was closed in 1930, but owing to the outbreak of World War II, it was reopened in 1939 used by the British Army for military purposes and also by the Americans to hold their criminal soldiers.  Hence there was an EVP heard on the Geobox which said "British Army."  The area known as the "Hanging Shed" was built by the Americans for the specific purposes of hanging.  18 Americans were executed here, 16 by hanging and two were shot in the prison yard.  Channel 4 made a film on the prison and how 10 of the18 men hanged here were Black soldiers, and 3 were Hispanic, citing a disproportionate number in contrast to their white contemporaries, which formed 90% of the US army. 
(NB rape was not punishable by hanging (a capital offence) in England since 1841.)

It was only recently opened as a visitor centre this year. 

In the cells where the infamous Kray twins spent six months, they caught the name, "Kray" on the Geobox, as well as other EVPs.  As Nick slept in A Wing he kept hearing doors banging and footsteps, even voices, again we didn't hear those.  As Katrina slept in the room where the condemned men were kept before being executed.  I just then asked whether Nick was going to sleep there, but turned out it was Katrina.  Although she slept soundly the entire night and woke Nick up on two occasions this time round.  As Rob left for the night.
Other voices caught included: "underground" quite a bit and I'm sure I heard, "you found me" when they spotted a shadow figure in the prison corridor.

A cool piece of equipment Nick used here was the Angelus device, which displayed images the spirits would have deemed familiar.  As Katrina pretended she was to be executed and Nick the executioner, they got intelligent responses to their questions by knocking.  These included being kept below and perhaps the amazing one was Cassandra which came through on the Angelus.  As well as Cassandra herself in a British accent saying "I don't want to die."  That was heartbreaking and how she was "killed" for being a thief.  Nick then realizing and piecing together that the knocks, footsteps he heard in A Wing in the night were probably coming from beneath him.  There are 89 cells underground, which have yet to be uncovered.

The Angelus and Light Projection device was used by them courtesy of  Nick's fellow investigator from Ghosts of Shepherdstown and @VIDIspace, Elizabeth Saint and invented by Martin of ExtremeSense.com, which really came through with some great evidence, not bad for a first time experiment on TV.

Nick also slept in one of the uncomfortable 1700's cells with the rubble and a distinct hissing was heard when he entered the cell for the first time.  Although they didn't get anything else when there later, as the energy seemed to dissipate there.  Katrina slept in the courtyard the entire night and didn't get disturbed at all.  Though she did say she didn't realize where she was when she woke up.  That night earlier there were some anomalies flying past her in the courtyard, but again nothing was caught.

The first pic is the one that passed her the first time and the second one is what they specifically highlighted on the ep.

Mind you doesn't this look like a face captured on one of Katrina's shots, facing sideways.  It resembles a suspended head.  Then again I always manage to find such faces quite a bit.

Nick and Katrina played back Cassandra's voice for Paul and this impressed him, as well as shocking, but giving him a new area of investigation in unearthing the remaining cells and finding out more on Cassandra. 

Next ep is Drakelow Tunnels, familiar to UK viewers and not just cos it was the location of an  episode of that awful Most Haunted back in 2014!

The Lieutenant of Inishmore - Noel Coward Theatre

An unusual play in some respects, but have to say the ending was predictable and didn't come as a surprise.  Definitely one for cat lovers and once you see this those never ending cat Gifs will be seen in a new light.  Very gory in places for those with easily turned stomachs, although the blood wasn't real.  Wee Thomas turned out to be such a scoundrel after all!  And appeared as a real black cat whose name was Lenny!

Lots of references to the INLA, IRA and splinter groups.  Padraic's (Aidan Turner) opinion of a splinter group: "that's two words".  Though he would've branched out with his own splinter group and called it !Wee Thomas" after his beloved cat.  He was classed as "mad" and losing the plot over the loss of his cat was hilarious at times, but not at others.  Don't call me a killjoy but I wasn't really lough out loud amused with the entirety of it, as was this particular audience!  Perhaps I'm picky!

Overall the cast did an apt job in their respective characters, but gotta say Aidan Turner for all the critic's views and reviews, didn't feature that much and was just his usual self.  For me he didn't really bring anything, much of anything to this role.  Fans of Poldark would've loved him, I'm not a fan of the show or of him, so maybe that left me wanting, who knows.  But this is the one and only time I haven't written a very favourable review about a play.  Generally I love them all, I breathe theatre and always come away with a feeling of satisfaction and much admiration for the production.  But to each their own.

Though I have to add many were disappointed at not getting to see Aidan close up and getting autographs.  That was a bit mean on his part calling, "that's all" when there were many waiting to see him.  If I was a fan I'd be disappointed!  AT least I get to meet my faves after their performances and they sign/speak'photo op at much length too.  That's always a bonus!  And as I tweeted, sometimes there's only two in a certain production and they take time out to meet each and every one waiting for them at Stage Door.  (I won't name drop here!) A shame then that Aidan didn't quite follow through on this.

No I won't award marks out of ten either!  Spoilt sport!