wesleysgirl (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
wesleysgirl) wrote2005-08-12 08:47 am
wesleysgirl) wrote2005-08-12 08:47 am
Thoughts about PBS reality tv
In the past month or so I've watched
1940s House
Manor House
and
Colonial House
I've enjoyed them all to varying degrees, from 'Better than most of what's on tv now' to 'Wow, that was really good.'
Manor House was my least favorite of the three, despite the slashy goodness of the two footmen sleeping in the same room. This show was set in Edwardian Britain in a grand country house, with a family of five and 14 servants. The primary focus of the show, in addition to the adjustments necessary for 21st century volunteers suddenly living in the early 20th century, is power -- who has it, who doesn't, how social position and hierarchy create a dynamic that doesn't always run smoothly. While I found it interesting, there were so many people in the project that I didn't feel like I got to know most of them all that well, and some of them I downright disliked right from the beginning. (The French chef, for one.) The family upstairs often annoyed me with their sense of entitlement (which granted was obviously historically accurate, but still annoying.) I did like the Butler, although some of the other servants were irritating and whiny; it's not as if they didn't know what the project was designed to be before they agreed to come onboard.
1940s House was my second favorite -- a family of 5 (husband and wife, their grown daughter and her two sons) living in a house in wartime conditions. One of the best things about this show was that the family really immersed themselves in the experience; they didn't whinge on and on about how it was soooo hard and they weren't having fun at all. Quite a few times they said things like "This is what it really would have been like," with a sort of wonder in their voices. They worked hard despite rationing, blackouts and air-raids, learned to cook, and did volunteer work. Because there were only five of them in the project, I got to know them, and finding out about how their modern lives have changed as a result of their experience was very cool.
Colonial House was the best by far in my opinion -- a group of people including families experiencing life as it was in 1628 in coastal Maine. The participants included Americans and Brits, and for the most part everyone threw themselves into the project with a determination that really impressed me. The people were unbelievably hard workers. They made mistakes, but didn't try to deny the fact. While there were a lot of participants, I felt like I got to know some of them, and I really liked most of them, especially the young man who eventually came out to his fellow colonists as being gay. Their pig had babies and they were all so thrilled! In the end, it was very difficult for everyone to leave, and the final shots of them walking away from their village, most of them turning to look back at the houses again and again, made me cry. Awesome.
1940s House
Manor House
and
Colonial House
I've enjoyed them all to varying degrees, from 'Better than most of what's on tv now' to 'Wow, that was really good.'
Manor House was my least favorite of the three, despite the slashy goodness of the two footmen sleeping in the same room. This show was set in Edwardian Britain in a grand country house, with a family of five and 14 servants. The primary focus of the show, in addition to the adjustments necessary for 21st century volunteers suddenly living in the early 20th century, is power -- who has it, who doesn't, how social position and hierarchy create a dynamic that doesn't always run smoothly. While I found it interesting, there were so many people in the project that I didn't feel like I got to know most of them all that well, and some of them I downright disliked right from the beginning. (The French chef, for one.) The family upstairs often annoyed me with their sense of entitlement (which granted was obviously historically accurate, but still annoying.) I did like the Butler, although some of the other servants were irritating and whiny; it's not as if they didn't know what the project was designed to be before they agreed to come onboard.
1940s House was my second favorite -- a family of 5 (husband and wife, their grown daughter and her two sons) living in a house in wartime conditions. One of the best things about this show was that the family really immersed themselves in the experience; they didn't whinge on and on about how it was soooo hard and they weren't having fun at all. Quite a few times they said things like "This is what it really would have been like," with a sort of wonder in their voices. They worked hard despite rationing, blackouts and air-raids, learned to cook, and did volunteer work. Because there were only five of them in the project, I got to know them, and finding out about how their modern lives have changed as a result of their experience was very cool.
Colonial House was the best by far in my opinion -- a group of people including families experiencing life as it was in 1628 in coastal Maine. The participants included Americans and Brits, and for the most part everyone threw themselves into the project with a determination that really impressed me. The people were unbelievably hard workers. They made mistakes, but didn't try to deny the fact. While there were a lot of participants, I felt like I got to know some of them, and I really liked most of them, especially the young man who eventually came out to his fellow colonists as being gay. Their pig had babies and they were all so thrilled! In the end, it was very difficult for everyone to leave, and the final shots of them walking away from their village, most of them turning to look back at the houses again and again, made me cry. Awesome.