If Period Drama Characters had Internet Bios #2

(I might make these a little series, what do you think? Are there any Period Dramas you'd like me to cover?)

EMMA

@The_Emma_Woodhouse Connoisseur of other people's hearts+aspirations. Look on the bright side and win all the arguments! #Emma
@MrKnightley Enjoy good company, live in Donwell Abbey and that's about all I wish to say about myself online.
@ChurchillboyFrank Love blonde pretty girls, london haircuts and dancing and whatever my latest fave thing is! YOLO!
@JaneFairfax "It is a common saying, and in everyone's mouth, that life is but a sojourn." - Plato
@The?_Harriet_Smith educated young lady. blonde. i love valentine cards and ship courts i think. #Emma
@Mr_Elton The painting by @The_Emma_Woodhouse of @The?_Harriet_Smith is nothing but perfection.
@Augusta_Elton I am better than all the other girls and you know what lets have a music club i'll organise EVERYTHING!
@MrsWeston Formally Miss Taylor, but now have a wonderful husband. :-)
@MrWeston @MrsWeston's husband. I smile a lot and tell people stories about my son Frank.
@MissBates i really dont know how to write one of these but my mother said i should give it a go so here i am oh i did quite well dont you think?
@Mr_Woodhouse To be ill is the worst thing there is. To be far away from loved ones is even worse.
@Isabella_K There is so much noise in the house.
@John_Knightley Attorney by trade / People are annoying / except maybe my wife and brother and kids.
@RobertMartin Just a random farmer lad trying to get the best in life.

CRANFORD

@Miss_Matty It is the little things in life, I believe, that make one truly joyful. Oranges, beautiful profiles, and lace caps. And peas.
@Deborah_Jenkyns Tradition stands, laughing is vulgar, and I have a headache of phenomenal dimension.
@Marysmith Wearer of spectacles, reader of books, content with my life.
@ThegreatspinsterPole HAVE U HEARD ABOUT @Dr_Harrison lets chat 2gether oh my gosh.
@Mrs_Forrester PLEASE find betsy dear!!! please! i will give you my lace as a prise.
@The_Honourable_Mrs_Jamieson I love my dog / Own my private sedan chair / Survived the attack of a murderer
@Red_Caroline Feeling delicate and beautiful in my new red silk!!! (@Doc_Harrison, r u coming?)
@Augusta_sisterofC Life is interesting. My sister is my best friend.
@Mr_Holbrook "Every moment, lightly shaken, ran itself in golden sands." - Tennyson
@PeterJenkyns the coolest old person in Cranford << i'm back!
@Captain_Brown I enjoy the Pickwick Papers, the railway, and good neighbours.
@JessieBrown "By yon Bonnie Banks and by yon Bonnie Braes. I'll be in India before ye."
@Major_Gordon Redhead Scot in India. Been told I have a good baritone.
@Martha999 I looooove @Dude_Jem and I love working for @Miss_Matty but I'm sorta a control freak.
@Dude_Jem I have strong arms and I once was a bush. yolo. I luv @Martha999
@Doc_Harrison @SophieHutton. That is all. No one else. #ihopethisisclear
@SophieHutton Life is good with cherries, siblings, sunshine and @Doc_Harrison!
@Mrs_Rose Hair dye makes you look younger. (Does @Doc_Harrison agree?)
@The_Lady_Ludlow Waiting for my son Septimus / My estate is lonely
@MrCarter Be good. Be firm.
@Harry_Gregson Mr Carter said that I could have an account now I can write. Thanks, sir. #freemydada
@Miss_Gilando Cover your ears. Everyone deserves an education.
@ReverendHutton Kissing is for after marriage.
@Marshland_Jack Prank-player, sassy-eye lover, grab opportunities to have fun!
@Sir_Charles_Maulver that character that was played by Mr Whilloughby.

CALL THE MIDWIFE

@NurseJennyLee Let us not forget these days, when we were busy, young, in love, and free.
@TRIXIE79 babycham, cigarettes, marilyn monroe songs are the spice of lyfe! embrace your body + be confident! #blondeshavefun
@Cynthia_Miller An old soul trapped into a small stature.
@CallmeChummy I say, what-ho old bean! Jolly spiffing to have you here. I'm big as an elephant and rather enjoy sewing. Toodlepip.
@BernadetteShelagh Married to Dr Turner and loving every moment. My fashion taste has evolved except my glasses.
@Doctor_Turner Love my wife and my boy. #smokingisgood
@TimothyTurner #smokingisnotgood I like long trousers and i wish I was a doctor. I hate my mum's choir, sorry mum.
@Sister_Julienne To be sensible, to be godly, to be good - these are all excellent goals.
@SisterMonicaJoan Cakes in the larder, wonderful as they are, are small in their worth when one compares them with the galaxies of Mercury!
@Sister_Evangelina Shocked to find my fellow sisters online! There is work to be done!!! #Mercuryindeed
@Jimmy My life went downhill.
@Constable_Noakes I love @CallmeChummy and our little man, Freddie. Police helmets are more comfortable than they look.
@Fredthechap the best deals here, contact me for info about candy apples on sticks and my fair lady tickets. #scooterlessonsattwo

You might be in a Period Drama if...

... You had a cow, you would call it Bessie, and often add a 'dearest' at the end.

... The only reason you're scared to have kids is because your husband might die when he drives to tell your family the good news of the birth. Or, if you're male...

... The only reason you're scared to have kids is because your wife might die of childbirth all because your parents-in-law chose the wrong doctor.

... Mothers usually have nerves.

... You talk about the fine weather when awkward silences arise.

... You have many, many one weaknesses. (But 'food' is the most frequent one weakness.)

... If your cat swallowed lace, you would not only make him vomit it, but you'd wear it afterwards.

... Songs played in F-major are big, hooty jokes.

... Valets with a limp somehow remind you of endless prison visits.

... You think the best cardrivers are Irish.

... You once told Sparkler to be quiet when he said there was no nonsense about you.

... You wonder how you could exist without a piano. (Life would just be a blank to you.)

... You decide to start up a music club.

... Mauves are more becoming than blacks.

... You've always wanted a wooden coal shovel.

... The Wind Do Blow when it's Christmas time.

... The guy you don't like just happens to ask you - and nobody else but you - to dance at a ball, and you just have to, and then it's awkward.

... You've spotted exchanging notes with the previous love interest of your stepsister. (Plots are complicated.)

... You know someone who thinks puffed sleeves are so ridiculous because you have to turn sideways to go through the door.

... Using big words means that you've swallowed a dictionary.

... An old man once jilted you at the altar.

... Railways are romantic places.

... Romances always get second chances, and the second chance always works out perfectly well.

... You're engaged to someone you don't love.

... Your older sister will always be ten times prettier than you will ever be.

... You have a younger sister who walks about in the hallway without being properly dressed.

... Shells are strung up on strings.

... Engagements and Elephants are two very different things.

... You have a friend who can't figure out what love riddles mean. (Maybe Shipcourt? Is that a word?)

... Chicken thieves are annoying.

... You get told on your wedding that, "She is VEE-RR-EEE Beeauuutiful. Veerrreee Beautiful."
... You can't ride a bike, but you can ride a horse and that's pretty much the same, right?

(By the way, thank you SO SO much for all your lovely comments on my last post. The fact that you are excited for us makes us even MORE excited and gah, I love you alllll.)

Cranford - Very Long And Picture-Heavy Review

Cranford is one of 'the' Period Dramas in our house. Or, as my seven-year-old sister aimiably puts it, it's one of the 'Naomi-movies.' (I plain love that she calls British Period Dramas 'Naomi-movies.' It's accurate, to say in the least.) It gets re-watched occasionally, and the inside jokes about Cranford have long been running and going. (The inside jokes are so stupid, I dare not mention them for fear of embarrassment. Deborah would not have agreed.)

I have to say though, as much as I love LOVE this movie and as much as I yearn to visit 'Lacock Village' (we might visit it soon, actually - eeeeep.), Cranford is not in my top ten Period Dramas. (Well, maybe it is. I need to make a list to see.) Cranford has it's boring parts, even. Fun Fact Of The Day: My dad can't watch it without falling asleep.

I will TRY, for the sake of some of my viewers who have not had the pleasure of viewing this lovely miniseries (Miss MEG, for instance, has not yet had that pleasure), to warn you when there's a spoiler coming. But do not RELY on it. I can easily slip something out of my tongue (I know I'm writing, hush. This is a metaphor.) or a picture might give some things away.

So I'll try to warn you, but don't RELY on it. :-P

Another thing: All the screencaps in the post are screencapped by me. They are all from the last episode. Just for your interest. (Yes, there will be quite a few screencaps from the gorgeous wedding at the end. I could not help it, it was irresistible. Sophie and Frank are too cute for words.)

Now, without any further ado, zee review may start.

I'm going to be very pessimistic and start off with the things I do not like about Cranford:

1. Miss Matty.

*waits for the whole world to throw sucked oranges at me*

Miss Matty is a kind-hearted, good lady. I GET IT. She's a darling! I'm not saying she's not. But she is also, frankly, rather dreadfully dull. That is to say, the scenes in which she makes an appearance are often my least favourite scenes. I can't EXPLAIN. I LIKE Miss Matty, but she's just not interesting enough for 100 scenes about her. Miss Matty just drives me batty. (I am a poet, and you did not know it.) (Hush. It's the custom to say that.) Maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of Judy Dench. To be honest, I've never seen her as such an amazingly good actress, much to the shock and grief of the world in general. Maybe it's because I'm not very interested about constantly hearing what 'Deborah WOULD HAVE done' and what "shocking" thing Peter did. Maybe it's because I'm not interested in tea shops and Mr Holbrook's profile. I don't know.

Oh. Now we come to another character that drives me crazy.

2. Mr Holbrook. SERIOUSLY THOUGH. THE SCENES WITH HIM TAKE AGES.

I normally love cute old couples in love, but there is no cuteness between Matty and Mr Holbrook. None whatsoever. They just gaze whimsically at each other and talk about poetry. I don't ship them. I just... don't like their scenes. (Michael Gambon isn't my favourite actor, either. I like him as Mr Woodhouse, but his role as Mr Holbrook is definitely not my favourite.)

3. Lady Ludlow. UGH. HER SCENES MAKE ME SNORE. Lady Ludlow really annoys me, and I just don't care about her scenes. She's always moping and moping about Septimus and that white pony. Like, stop feeling so sorry for yourself - brace up, SMILE. And her face is white as a chalk. (I suppose that's mean of me. But she could go out in the sun now and then instead of staring out of the window in her dark and grey house.)

Lady Ludlow WAS nice in some bits, and I liked her slightly more in the end, especially when she starts to see that Harry has potential. But all in all not a favourite character of mine. I can understand why Septimus (ghastly name, by the by) doesn't want to come home.

(I sound very harsh today. These characters aren't that bad.)

Isn't her hair pretty? (Heh. Heh.)

4. There are, in my opinion, slightly too many deaths. Elizabeth Gaskell is a big fan of killing off characters. She likes to create them, and she often doesn't know what to do with them. So, because it's fun, she decides to kill them. Cranford has quite a few deaths. While it's not half as bad as North and South, it's still a bit... Well - SAD. Sometimes.

It breaks my HEART when (spoiler alert!!) dear little Walter dies (WHAT'S UP WITH THAT NAME), and dear Mr Carter dies. (spoiler is over for the time being.) Thank goodness it wasn't too bad, the deaths. Captain Brown dies in the book, but since Elizabeth Gaskell later on acknowledged she regretted his death, Sue Birstwhistle and the Cranford makers decided not to kill him off. (Thank you.)

5. Caroline Tompkinson annoyed me sooo much. But let's be honest, Cranford wouldn't be the same without Caroline Tompkinson in the plot, her 'Oh Sister!'s, her fake swoons and ridiculous grins.

But she's a bit of an EWWW character. And her hair annoys me so much I can't even.

6. The ending was far too rushed, too. I wanted MORE of an ending.

Now. Time for zee positive list. Which, I assure you, is long and rambly and by far exceeds the negative list. I love this miniseries to bits. It makes me cry a lot, it makes me laugh a lot, and it gives me squeeful little feelings inside - you know the kind. It's colourful, old-fashioned, appropriate and just GOOD. Ahh, I do love a good British BBC miniseries. I will always have an  un-diminishing fondness towards them. Forever and ever.

I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO START WITH THE POSITIVE LIST.

*Takes deep breath and begins*

MISS POLE. Oh my goodness. Is she hilarious or what? (Don't say what.) If it weren't for her, many of the 'old-ladies-of-Cranford-scenes' would be rather pale and insipid and boring. But she just makes the show. She's a genius. Ugh, the way she performs her lines, and the way that ridiculous feather on her hat bobbles around whenever there's some delicious news of gossip.

She's HILARIOUS. From her continually spreading grossly exaggerated gossip in enormous, entertaining gusto, to her friendly spirit and leading character. Gah, I love Miss Pole. I would love to spend a weekend with her, although I'd probably have enough of her by the end of it. I love that she's annoying and ridiculous as well as friendly and goodhearted. She's a dreadful gossip, but she means so well, doesn't she?

And she has some delicious lines. "My father was a man. I think I know the sex." That's my favourite. :-)

And then we have the adorable and cute Mrs Forrester. Awww. Just AWW. She's so sweet. She's absurdly emotional, but so sweet and just ADORABLE. Like a three-year-old toddler, but then even cuter. She's a bit silly, but she means so well, and we all love her. You can't just NOT like Mrs Forrester. The cat-and-lace incident was hilarious ("there is LACE at stake!!"), and the Bessie-Dearest incident always makes me laugh.

And Bessie's PYJAMAS. "There's a flap underneath."

When she makes that little speech in her front garden, and basically apologises for being poor, my cold heart tares a bit for her. Poor lil' human being, you shouldn't apologise! Here, let me give you a big, long squishy hug. As Miss Pole wisely said, 'Control your emotions, Mrs Forrester.' :-P (*Wine glass falls*)

Something  *I* find odd is that Miss Matty and Miss Pole and Mrs Forrester neither of them have even a hint of grey hair under their caps. Surely, they all must be nearing sixty? Miss Pole perhaps not, but Mrs Forrester...?

Then we have the Tompkinsons, who were a bit annoying. I could've smashed them up because of their treatment towards poor Dr Harrison. Tomkinsons, CAN'T YOU SEE he is NOT interested in HER. Thank you, and now buzz off. No, Caroline, you are NOT ill. You are not pale. You are only IMAGINING it. And stop weeping over that SILLY Valentine.

(There.)

I just love their little community, though. These ladies have grown up with each other; they are like one big, busy family. They help each other, they lose their temper with each other in brutal honesty. They talk about muslins and silks and the latest 'shocking' news. I want to live in Cranford.

Oh, there are two ladies I haven't talked about yet. Miss Deborah, first. Who (spoiler) dies rather soon. (spoiler over for the time being.) Miss Deborah was rather sour-faced, and goodness so STRICT about everything, but she was funny. She has little musical talent though, I'm sorry to say. Tinking a teaspoon during Loch Lomond isn't a terribly musical thing to do. Frankly.

I liked the way she talked though.
"We shall go to our rooms and consume our fruit in solitude."
"I suddenly have a headache of phenomenal dimension."

And then there's Mrs Jamieson, who loves to show off that she's slightly richer than any other person in Cranford by dressing her dog in outfits as ridiculous as her own, and by looking through a glasses-on-a-stick-thing. (That indicates wealth.) Mrs Jamieson wears silks and bright stripes and doesn't have her frock crumpled because she has her own carriage. Many of the Cranford ladies - Miss Pole in particular - are envious of her silks. But then they'd rather die than admit it.

Does her dog have a name? Is it mentioned? Because if it's not mentioned, I'm calling him/her Bernadette. It just seems to fit. #random.

Enough about the 'older ladies of Cranford' now. At this rate I will be typing away at this review all week! (It's taken up my whole morning already. Heh.) Now I will talk about Miss Mary Smith. Who has an adorable crooked smile, odd spectacles, two dresses and who's an absolute peach. Mary is, in my opinion, the heroine of the story.

It is Mary who solves the whole Valentine-Mr-Harrison-sent-to-Caroline-error. She writes to Jack Marshland. She goes to the Tompkinsons to explain.
It is Mary who writes to Major Gordon to tell him that dear Jessie Brown regrets turning him down. It is Mary who asks him to bring home Peter Jenkins.

Mary's a GOOD sort. She deserved some kind of a reward.

We all wish these two got married. But Return to Cranford hints otherwise. I'm not a huge fan of Return to Cranford. I prefer to stick with simply Cranford. I LIKE RtC, and Tom Hiddleston is adorable in it, but Cranford is indubitably better. In my opinion, that is.

ANYWAY. Now we had a picture of Jack Marshland, I suppose I may address him. He ANNOYS ME SOOOOO MUCH, except in the last episode. I like him in the last episode. I even think he's handsome in the last episode. But I really really DO NOT like the fella in other episodes. He's just a nuisance, and I don't like his singing 'talent.'

Mr Carson Captain Brown was a very good sort of character - he really MEANT so well. His sideburns are dreadfully huge, but he wears them well. And I love his line; "I defy you not to roar."

Moving on, there's the Mr-Carter-and-Harry plot, which was a plot I really enjoyed, despite the fact that Lady Ludlow is often involved in it. (I don't like the said lady. Scroll up for my explanation if you skimmed it earlier on.) I love Mr Carter. He barks a bit sometimes, but he never bites. He has a good heart. AND HE BROUGHT MISS GALINDO FLOWERS. That kind of was kind of cute.

I LOOOVE how he takes care of Harry. He's doing a million times better job than Mr Gregson's doing, just sayin'.

Harry was such a good lad. The way he said 'Dada' instead of 'Daddy' was kind of aggravating, but at least he didn't say Par, like Laura Timmins does. Dada sounds slightly cute, and Par does not.
I was very impressed with the acting of the boy who acted Harry; especially when he read the poem in front of a certain dead body and then cried while reading it. That made ME cry. Well, thanks.

Harry was adorable and had far too much responsibility for a boy his age. I loved him. "Just a sixpence then. Sorry sir." (And the smile Harry smiles after this line is so adorable I could eat it.)

OH. AND WE HAVE JULIA SAWALHA. I love this actress so much. I don't know why, there's just something about her that makes me so fun to watch, giggly role, wise role or 'sad' role. Jessie Brown's an absolutely sweet-heart, and my heart always beats a little faster when a gentleman's voice joins hers while she sings Loch Lomond for the second time.

SHE SO DESERVED THAT ADORABLE HUG. Ahhhh. *wipes happy tear* I'm sure she and Major Gordon had a lovely married life together, in India, overseas, or wherever.

I also loved seeing Julia Sawalha in 'the making of Cranford', in which she said, "I love costume dramas. I just find it all really thrilling, because I just love dressing up. It's as simple and shallow as that." (I would be exactly the same, if I got a chance to be in a Period Drama.)

While Martha was a bit annoying sometimes, I looooooved her and Jem together. (Haha, I wrote Jam first. You know, like the spread.) Jem is such a good sort. I like Jem. I love Jem.

I like Dr Harrison too - I like him more every time I watch Cranford, actually. Still though, he's not in my list of 'favourite Period Drama gentlemen.' I don't love him to bits - nor do I think he's really terribly handsome. (He's not badlooking, though. I love his blue eyes. And compared to his role as Mr Bingley, he's IS terribly handsome.)

But yes, Dr Harrison is a good man. I feel SO SO SO sorry for him at the end of episode four. LIKE SO SORRY. I even added him to my post 'Seven Period Drama Characters I feel Sorry For.'

Sophie Hutton was an absolute SWEETHEART, on top of being gorgeous and having the most pretty silky blonde hair I've ever seen. (And I want that blue dress. And her room. Just look how adorable everything about her is.) I love Sophie so much, I think we could be great friends. (Let's meet up, Sophie. I'll come to England, or you come to Belgium? You choose.) She takes such good care of her family, and she's just so SWEET. No wonder Dr Harrison fell in love.

I WAS rather disappointed that Sophie didn't THINK for a moment, about Dr Harrison. Does she not trust him? Can she really see the man she loves proposing to two other women? Anyway.

Helen and Lizzie Hutton TOTALLY deserve a paragraph of their own, because they absolutely saved their sister's life by running to Dr Harrison's house and tell him to come. I have to say though, when Helen (the brunette - the queen of the May Day) yells, 'What would mother say?' to Lizzie, who's running ahead... isn't their mother dead? Is that an error? (I hope so. I love spotting errors. I feel very clever doing so, and I rarely feel clever. :-P)

Anyway, yay for Lizzie and Helen. I love you girls.

This is probably my favourite scene EVER EVER. Ughhhh. THESE TWO ARE DISGUSTINGLY ADORABLE. I am going to go through all my favourite Sophie-Dr Harrison scenes. No, I'm going to go through all the Sophie-Dr Harrison scenes. Period. (Spoiler ahoy.)

1. SO. When they meet first. Practically love at first sight, but it's ADORABLE and it's WELL DONE. Dr Harrison is young and charming, and wears a red coat, Sophie is blissfully gorgeous with her blue dress and yellow curls. Plus she takes such good care of Walter, and she brings him cherries.
JUST AWW.
2. Then he buys a rake and a purple gloves, just so he can say hello to Sophie in the shop. (That always reminds me of Matthew Cuthbert buying a rake and twenty pounds of brown sugar.)
3. Then they have these adorable cute moments at Lady Ludlow's garden party. Mainly just smiles and talking-with-or-about-Walter, but still really, really cute.
4. AND THEN THE BLESSED LITTLE BOY WALTER DIES AND IT'S HEARTBREAKING. They have a little break-up. Just a tiny one. It's a very sad break-up.
5. But then it's Valentine's day. And Sophie receives flowers with 'the compliments of Dr Harrison.' Much to the delight of Lizzie and Helen (who I love because they ship the two of them from the start.)
6. And THEEEEN. Dr Harrison goes to talk with Sophie's father, Reverend Hutton (who's annoying as well as nice), and that makes their romance kind of official.
7. They have an adorable walk in the garden. And they don't even hold hands because Reverend Hutton is probably looking at them secretly through the window.
8. Dr Harrison watched Sophie teach a group of black-cladded girls to dance for May Day, and he falls all over in love with her again. He hoped for a private ride with her, but alas, Lizzie and Helen must go as well. Then have an ADORABLE talk between blue bells (gahhh) and they ALMOST kiss. (It got interrupted before it began by two said sisters.)
9. At least that date ended with adorable giggles and laughs.
10. But THEN. Bam bam bam. There's the scandal. And all hopes and dreams are shattered to pieces. But Sophie's illness is a blessing in disguise, Dr Harrison saves her life just like a hero must, and before we know it...

THEY ARE MARRIED.

(Spoilers over. Kind of.) We all know that Sophie and Dr Harrison WILL get married. That's not a spoiler. So bask in the gorgeous screencaps of their wedding. I LOVE THEIR WEDDING.

Sophie, clad in Miss Matty's muslin from India (am I the only one who finds it really weird how Miss Matty and Sophie suddenly seem like best friends in the end?), makes the most STINKING GORGEOUS AND ADORABLE BRIDE EVER. And Dr Harrison wears a blue coat, which becomes him exceedingly well. (I love this couple.)

Is not their wedding adorable?!!! The smiles and the HAPPINESS and the Cranford-ness. I love it to biiiiits. (And you can spot Jessie on Major Gordon's arm in the back, and Jack and Mary grinning to each other, and Mrs Rose on Doctor Morgan's arm. (Mrs Rose chose the good doctor the second time.)) I let the pictures do all the talking. I'll hush up.

And now I sign off with one last picture. To say goodbye.

Have you seen Cranford?

What do you think of it?

PS. Oh, is this movie suitable for children? Well, yes. There's a scary amputation scene - we just turned off the sound for a few seconds (movies without sounds aren't scary at all) - and then there's the scene where Jem gets wounded. His wounds look very scary, but it's not filmed up close. We watched it with the whole family.

PSS. Go check out a Little House related post I wrote at Ashley blog, will you? Thaaanks.

7 Period Drama Characters I feel so sorry for

I love millions and billions and zillions of characters, but I don't feel sorry for all of them. Of course, there are more than just ten characters I feel desperately sorry for, but here are seven. Ten characters who I want to hug, ten characters my heart goes out to in deep compassion. The poor mites.

#1.

~*~ Edith Crawley ~*~ Downton Abbey ~*~

Poor girl. Sure, she made some very bad mistakes which I do not applaud at all, but seriously - the poor girl. 

Firstly, she was in love with Patrick, who was engaged to her older sister. Patrick died in the Titanic. Okay, sure, that happend. No-one really cared about Edith, she kind of gets shoved away. Then she finds love in the elderly kind bachelor, Anthony Strallam, who warms her heart and makes a nicer person of her. She gets jilted at the altar by him because he realises he is too old for her. Okay, yeah, that had to happen. Edith is, obviously, heartbroken.

Then, all that with her next lover, Michael Gregson. As I said, I don't approve what she did, but she seemed to deeply regret it afterwards, and I felt deeply sorry for the poor thing. Michael Gregson died. All those problems with her daughter Marigold. I mean... poor girl.

Edith is really the kind of character everyone desperately wants to see happy. I once watched an interview with the Downton Abbey creator, Julian Fellowes, who said that a random lady was once following him around in town. At one point, he (Julian) said, he turned around and asked the lady what the matter was. She just said one thing. She said, 'PLEASE MAKE EDITH HAPPY!'
Haha.

All that said, I hope Edith has a better time in the next season!

#2.

~*~ John Chivery ~*~ Little Dorrit ~*~

Ohhhhh. JOHN CHIVERY. *wails and cries bitter tears of compassion*

I feel so, so, so, so, so sorry for this fellow. My heart sheds tears whenever I think of the guy. My siblings are used to me sometimes (ahem - often) going, 'Oh! John Chivery! POOR him!' I did that especially often when I had just seen Little Dorrit. He is probably the character I feel the MOST sorry for in all Period Dramas.

John Chivery is an emotional, young, happy-with-simple-things, big-dream, sweet-smile, boyish young man, who has a huge, serious, and yet-almost-childish crush on Amy Dorrit. The word 'crush' is an understatement, actually. He really is deeply and utterly and dreamily in love with that childhood friend of his. He would throw himself down a cliff if she asked him to. He worships the very ground she treads on. He loves her so much that he already imagines what people will write on his gravestone about how much he loved his beloved wife, Amy.

(Are you crying yet, guys?)

Now, unlike some people (haha) I do not think of Amy and John as a couple. In more modern terms, I do not 'ship' them. Amy and Arthur BELONG to each-other. Amy doesn't love John Chivery, and hard as it is for her, can't marry him. I also feel very sorry for Amy, by the way, but we'll talk about that later. But back to darling John Chivery- John cries when Amy rejects him. He tells Arthur Amy loves him, with tears in his eyes, because he loves her and just wants her happy. And then when we see him in that blue jacket of his at Amy's wedding. 

OH JOHN LET ME HUG YOU. I just want John to be HAPPY. *cries*

#3.

~*~ Molly Gibson ~*~ Wives & Daughters ~*~

Goodness, this girl, the POOR MITE. I want to bash into the screen and give her a hug. Firstly, she gets a new mother. And not just any mother. A mother who behaves more like a peacock, who barges into her room and throws all her 'old' things away (I WOULD BE SO ANGRY if someone did that to me! Gosh!) and a mother who doesn't know the difference between an engagement and an elephant. Or whatever.

Then, the person she is in love with (this seems to be a bit of a theme in this post, right?) goes off and proposes to her rather flighty but none-the-less kind step-sister, Cynthia. And then she (Molly) goes and cries in front of the window, looking at Roger walking away in the rain. OH PLEASE.

I feel very sorry for Molly.

#4.

~*~ Amy Dorrit ~*~ Little Dorrit ~*~

In most movies, when we have a rejected proposal, one roots for one side of the match, normally. Lizzy Bennet and Mr Collins - it is Lizzy we understand. Etc. But in Little Dorrit I felt disastrously sorry for both sides. I've talked about my heart-ache for poor John, but we have to think about Amy too! Amy is a lovely humble girl with a servants heart - but she knows what she wants and she does want to be happy. It must have been very hard for her to tell John that no, she didn't love him. Amy hates, hates, hates to make people unhappy. It's her worst nightmare. So, POOR AMY, everyone.

But that isn't the only time I feel sorry for Amy. I basically feel sorry for the almost-too-kind, always-trying-to-please-everyone, always-doing-the-chores Amy all the time. That about sums it up. I always feel sorry for her (especially on that trip in Italy when she has to act like a posh lady. Poor girl.)

Amy just deserves so much. Arthur knew it, everyone with a good mind knows it. I was so bursting-with-joy happy when I saw her so happy and relaxed and flowery and in love on her gentleman's arm in the end.

May you live happily every after, Amy. You deserve it so much I can't even tell you.

By the way, people, did you KNOW? I have been to the Marshalsea! That 'prison' Amy lives in! It was filmed in Hampton Court Palace, which is where my Grandparents go to Church every Sunday and which is where I have been so often in my life! When I realised it was filmed in Hampton Court I literally squealed in delight. I WAS THERE.  :-) It was really cool being able to recognise Hampton Court when we went on watching it afterwards. (My Grandma says she remembers it getting filmed. Had I known I would have gone then! (Okay, I was only nine when they filmed it, but still.))

#5. 

~*~ Tom Pinch ~*~ Martin Chuzzlewit ~*~

Tom Pinch! We're in the John Chivery situation again, guys. I guess Charles Dickens is good at makes us weep in compassion for dear characters such as Tom Pinch (who, by the way, is not the guy taking the ham in the picture, it's the one with the weird hair-style.)

The only thing I don't like about Tom Pinch is his awful hairstyle. The only thing. For the rest, he's an angel come down from heaven. He's a saint. Super nice, always good. A bit shy, rather quiet and keeps his thoughts generously to himself. Therefore no-one (or hardly anyone) knows, ever, that he is in love with Mary (who always tells him how much she loves Martin) - which makes it so much more... sorry for him-like.

Loads of people like him. At one point, the whole town is singing 'For he's a Jolly Good Fellow' to him (which he so deserves) - and Mary, the sweet little thing he is in love with, likes him too, and shares her heart-ache for Martin with him. It must be so hard for him, but he never ever lets Mary know his feelings for him.

In the end we see him alone on a bench, a bit further away from Martin and Mary in an embrace. Poor soul. Then he goes on whistfully saying that not all stories end well. OH NO. JUST NO.

#6.

~*~ Dr Harrison ~*~ Cranford ~*~

Why, yes, I feel sorry for him! Why would you be surprised? (No, I'm not automatically assuming that everyone of you is surprised, don't worry.)

Sure, Dr Frank Harrison (is Frank his name? I think so.) is not the first person that comes into mind when one thinks of 'pitiful' people in the period drama world, but remember that episode. REMEMBER? When he sits there, bewildered and sad. When he somehow, without realising it, got engaged to three people at the same time. When he lost darling buttercup-like Sophie Hutton and when he wasn't allowed to help her when she was deathly ill.

I felt SO sorry for Dr Harrison in the last episode. It's just not fair. It's so annoying when things like that happen in movies, isn't it? That kind of no-one-understands, YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN, and you-feel-dashed-sorry-for-everyone-story. Oh, especially Dr Harrison who everyone kinda shoved away. *clenches fists* Not fair.

And I love it when he just forgave Jack after that anyway. Dr Harrison is super kind.

I remember when we finished that episode that ends like it does in the screen-cap above. I seriously almost jumped out of my skin because I felt so sorry for that young fella. (Okay, not really that serious. I have never even 'almost' jumped out of my skin. I can't.) It was a torture to wait for the next episode, but I so desperately want to see that plot turned well. And Dr Harrison happy.

#7.

~*~ Anna Bates ~*~ Downton Abbey ~*~

NOOOOO. POOR ANNA POOR ANNA POOR ANNA.

*sniffles for about three hours and refuses to admit to the blogging world that I am exaggerating*

What Anna has gone through is just amazing. No person would be able to go through it like she did in real life. This proves, together with the fact that people within one house don't ever die so quickly, that Downton Abbey is, sadly, fictional. Anna is amazing. She tried to solve her Mr Bates' murder plot, she endlessly visited him in prison, she - poor thing - bore that everlasting prison-business better than us viewers did. Oh, this good girl has to be happy. I have to see her 100% happy, I HAVE TO.

Then, obviously, in the next seasons, even more cruel treatments lie await for Anna. She gets abused by a villain-y-type and ends up in prison. JUST NO GUYS. I just feel so sorry for Anna Bates, I can't even say it.

I need to see the next Christmas Special urgently, so urgently, because I'm in great need of a look at a happy Anna, I really am. She needs to be happy. So badly.

Now, THAT's better. :-)

~*~

What characters to you greatly pity?

Have I included them?

I think, that if I were to watch les Mis, I would have millions of more characters on this list, right?