Least Favorite Moment?

I find the opening dull with the army on the move. The series gets going when they wash up at Brideshead. Before that it is, to use a famous Waughism, 'meh'.

@dizepat on Sat Aug 17 2011

I agree with what you say about Charles and Celia, and also about episodes eight and nine. In general, the early episodes are more interesting than the later ones, despite the fact that the latter constitute the major points of the series (Lord Marchmain's repentance and Charles's conversion). Both of these scenes are handled well. But the episodes in question are simply too long.

@dizexpat

You ask, in effect, "What is your least favorite moment in the series?"

Three days ago I indicated several scenes I find tiresome because they are too long.

Today I shall add: Any of the scenes with Mr Samgrass.

I don't like the scenes by the fountain with Charles and Julia -- not the "peace" scenes, where Julia wants a few years of "real peace" etc. and definitely not the two crises at the fountain. The two of them just don't work together there.

But I liked the scenes between them on the ship; and I think their scene on the stairway is gut-wrenching.

Part of my problem is that Charles is at his least appealing and least interesting while living with Julia at Brideshead. He looks like such a fop, and such a poseur, it's hard to care about him or their relationship.

When I first saw the series, I sorry to see Sebastian fade away, because he and Charles were so fascinating together. But all these years later, I enjoy watching it for some of the funny scenes. I,too, love the tortoise line -- also Bridey's comment about there being no moral obligation to be Postmaster General or live to walk ten miles at 80. Rex Motram is a brilliant character, and Boy Motram hysterical. Etc. etc.

But way back then, and ever since, I cringe inside during the fountain scenes in that episode.

I dislike the ending.

When Lady Marchmain tells Charles that the rich can sin by envying the poor's privileges I wanted to rip her throat out.

The scene is very well-acted and very cleverly telling re her Ladyship's character but she is so insufferably smug, she really is the poster child for the 1%.

I've just been watching the middle episodes and personally, as I can only speak for myself, I haven't been finding episodes eight and nine boring. Obviously it's different without Sebastian in the picture but the story naturally moves on.

As far as Celia, as you mentioned, it's meant to be an empty, unhappy marriage. Celia comes across as a sort of plastic woman as she's meant to, especially beside Julia during the shipboard sequence. She's a social climber, interested in building her husband's career in ways he'd never entertain. Which is a little ironic, actually, as Charles also aspires to the upper classes. Overall, their marriage seems very detached for both of them. Otherwise, why would he refer to Caroline as "your baby" and "it", and why would she not even bother mentioning the baby's name in her letters? And I wonder if that line was Charles' way of facetiously expressing his feeling that Celia was marginalizing him in the family life? Of course, he had been gone for two years. All in all, it seems like fault on both ends. Call me weird, though; I could actually have watched a lot of Charles and traveling and painting, growing a beard. He describes a ten-year "dead period", but I think most people would find his traveling life quite adventuresome and fun, not to even mention the creative/artistic immersion. I know I would have. Granted, you can't leave his domestic life out of the picture.

One reason the scenes with Celia may have seemed off is that we were introduced to Charles' marriage very quickly, when ten years were condensed into a few minutes onscreen. Funny that you mention Antony Blanche. He was also seen in Episode 7. It almost seemed to me like the party they were at could alternatively have been used to introduce Celia. Didn't Boy actually say something about it having to do with his sister? Still, it seems like the filmmakers made the conscious choice to sometimes handle exposition by *not* explaining and letting the pieces appear in front of the viewer.

To me, the shipboard setting is very interesting with wonderful romantic overtones. So I actually enjoy those parts quite a bit. Overall, it's very difficult to choose a least favorite. In my opinion, there's very rarely a boring moment and even more rarely an ill-advised one.


'Irregardless' is not a word

When Charles goes to meet Sebastian in Morocco. Luckily it's not overly long.