"The Serpent in Essex" - a series with cool dialogues and intrigue
Miscellaneous / / May 13, 2022
Drama, detective and even mysticism organically mixed in the project.
The Serpent in Essex, based on the novel of the same name by Sarah Perry, premiered on Apple TV+ on May 13. Released in 2016, the book quickly became popular in the UK. It has sold over 350,000 copies and even won the top prize at the British Book Awards.
Of course, the film adaptation was quickly put into production. The production was directed by Clio Barnard, who received an award at Cannes in 2013 for her film The Selfish Giant. Initially, it was planned that Keira Knightley would play the main role, but the famous actress dropped out of the project due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Then she was replaced by Claire Danes. And the main male role went to Tom Hiddleston.
These two actors provide The Serpent in Essex with liveliness and charm. However, in addition to their game, the series pleases with an unexpected plot: it mixes spoken drama, a detective story and a romantic story with an unusual moral.
The characters' dialogues make me want to think about it
Cora Seaborn (Claire Danes) lives in late 19th century London. After the death of her husband, she leaves the capital with her son for the village of Eldwinter in Essex. In these places there is a legend about a certain Serpent - an ancient sea creaturethat attacks people. But Cora, who is fond of paleontology, believes that there is a rational explanation for what is happening.
In a new place, the heroine meets the priest William Ransome (Tom Hiddleston). After the first unsuccessful meeting, the characters gradually approach each other. At the same time, William believes that the Essex Serpent does not exist at all.
If you deliberately ignore the opening scene with the attack of the monster, the series starts off as a typical historical drama. The main character is going through a difficult period, she moves and is forced to change her circle of acquaintances. A significant part of the further plot will be devoted to her attempts to establish communication with the inhabitants of the village.
In fact, "The Serpent in Essex" tells about the banal clash of two worlds. Enlightened Claire, who is looking for an explanation for everything and follows progress, finds herself in a province with inhabitants prone to mysticism and superstition. And in a strange way, the closest person for her becomes a priest.
The unexpectedly well-read and witty William is knocked out of the environment in much the same way as Claire herself. But at the same time, there are significant contradictions between them. Take, for example, the fact that the heroine does not go to church and reads Darwin.
A large part of the series' running time is simple conversations of the main characters with each other or others. But at the same time, "The Serpent in Essex" does not seem boring.
First, all these dialogues are meaningful. These are constant disputes and searches, if not for truth, then for some kind of foothold. Therefore, when viewing, you will involuntarily want to think: the opinion of which hero is closer to you. And it is important that the creators manage to show the ideological confrontation of the characters not in the form of a conflict, but as a conversation between two people who are pleasant to each other - polite and reasoned. If only all arguments were like this.
And secondly, the series is simply beautifully filmed. It is enough to look at trailers or even frames to appreciate, for example, Danes' stylish costumes and Hiddleston. And besides this, the incredible landscapes of the real Essex will delight you.
The series "The Serpent in Essex" intrigues with a detective story
The title of the series and its very beginning set the main intrigue. The Essex Serpent seems to be shown immediately, but with each new scene dedicated to this mystery, the authors will confuse the viewer. As a result, the first half of the season will have to guess: what is real in this story?
Moreover, the series begins to literally jump across genres. The mentioned drama for some time goes into the classic British detective story, where two heroes investigate a complicated case while walking. At these moments, it's hard not to think that Hiddleston and Danes would go for the images of detectives in the style Holmes and Watson.
But the project does not stop there either. After all, as soon as the viewer thinks that everything that happens is pure superstition, something almost mystical happens. For example, in children, incomprehensible seizures occur en masse. And the scenes with the attack of the Serpent look very ambiguous.
It is most interesting to watch the project without knowing in advance about the plot of the original book and without looking into the list of genres in the description of the series. Then it will be literally impossible to understand what kind of denouement lies ahead: logical-detective or mystical.
Melodrama does not look banal
Like many works about the Victorian era, and even more so dedicated to female characters, "The Serpent in Essex" does not do without a love line. But even here the series has something to surprise the viewer.
The authors launch a second storyline dedicated to Martha (Haley Squires) and Dr. Luke Garnett (Frank Dillane). The communication of all the main characters will lead to the traditional romantic polygon, and the action is further complicated by the fact that Hiddleston's hero is married.
However, "The Serpent in Essex" will not slide into the plot "Bridgertonand other melodramas. First of all, because of the ambiguous image of Claire. She didn't just lose her husband. We can say that this tragic event was partly for her deliverance from a cruel person. It was left alone, the heroine began to live the way she wants. And finally, in a series with elements of melodrama, they show that the life of a single woman may not be tied to the search for a man. Moreover, old injuries make her treat others with caution.
And, in the end, a person can be quite happy just being alone.
"The Serpent in Essex" may seem overdone, there are simply too many themes that fit into the drama with detective and mystical overtones. However, the series does not look chaotic. Properly built pace allows you to watch all the characters and immerse yourself in the melancholy and disturbing atmosphere of provincial England.
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