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| Emun Elliot as John Moray |
US costume drama fans will finally have the chance to make their acquaintance with the charming protagonists of BBC series The Paradise tonight, October 6, thanks to PBS Masterpiece. Episode 1 will introduce them into the world of Mr Moray, the alluring department store he manages in Durham, a town in the North of England, where strong-willed and ambitious Denise Lovett starts working as a shop girl. The story is loosely based on Emile Zola's Au Bonheur des Dames.
BBC 1 viewers, instead, were left at the end of series 1 in November 2012 with a romantic cliffhanger and are eagerly waiting for season 2, which premiers on 20th October! (watch trailer) . And they wonder: What's in store for Denise and Moray in the new episodes? What about the Glendennings, Katherine and her father? I've tried to guess what series 2 could be like in one of my posts about this series but, apparently, I was wrong ... well, not completely though. Now I must warn you: don't read on , if you mind spoilers!
From articles and interviews with the cast this is what we can expect ...
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| Sarah Lancashire as Miss Audrey |
- Miss Audrey will not appear in all the episodes and probably will have to quit the store for some reason since actress Sarah Lancashire playing the role had to leave the set of the second series due to a filming clash with another BBC series she is involved in, Last Tango in Halifax. However, we aren't said if she is leaving for good in this article .
- Katherine Glendenning (Elaine Cassidy) founds herself a rich and handsome husband, Tom Weston (Ben Daniels) and their menage will be an exciting addition to the plot. Elaine Cassidy herself said that in a recent interview and added: "Tom Weston is a former soldier and he fits the bill to be eligible to marry Katherine. He was of the right social standing with achievements in battle. He is widowed, his wife died about 10 years ago. I’m not sure if Katherine has found happiness (would she ever?) but she’s certainly met her match. They have a turbulent, supportive, passionate, dysfunctional relationship. But it seems to work. Two crazy nuts together!!!"
- But what about the central love story between Denise and Moray?
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| Ben Daniels, Elaine Cassidy, Joanna Vanderham and Emun Elliot |
Emun Elliot, starring as Mr Moray, anticipated to Vicky Power at The Express online (HERE) that, when the second series starts, the plot has moved on 12 months. Moray has been travelling the world for a year:
“He’s been in Paris and Morocco accumulating exotic products and he hasn’t been allowed back to the city because Katherine’s father governs this part of the world. He’s longing for Denise, and , eventually, he’s sent a letter in Paris which invites him to come back to The Paradise to rescue things, because there’s been a bit of a slump.”
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| Elaine Cassidy as Katherine Glendenning |
Hence, Katherine sets aside her pride and invites Moray back to stop The Paradise from going under.
And, moreover, Moray and Denise have no rush to marry once he is back, as Joanna Vanderham declares: “These characters put their ambition in front of their union, which is really fun to play.”
In the same interview she confesses that she doesn’t want the lovers to end up together too soon: "If that happened, the story would be over".
I don't know you but I'm looking forward to series two of The Paradise and I hope October 20th comes quickly! Meanwhile, I'm very curious about the reactions of the American viewers after tonight. Happy The Paradise Day to them!
6 comments:
I loved it!!! I love the heroine and her ideas and the way she's facing so much hostility with grace. I'm not sure what I think of Moray though... I mean, on one hand, he is for the underdog. He stood up for his employee. He cares... On the other hand, it's obvious to me he uses women and discards them as quickly. Not sure if I like him or not.
I should add that I just watched the first episode of season one.
Well, Tara, I'm glad you liked it. There is so much you have to go through and I don't want to spoil that for you. I just want to defend Moray: he is very different from the protagonist of the book, he is haunted by his wife's memory and feels guilty. He is not a womanizer, not at all. You'll see... Enjoy the rest of series one :-)
I don't like Moray. (It's nice to know he's portrayed differently in the book.) Besides being a womanizer, his cookie-cutter cutesy dimply look is annoying to me. He came off as being weak by continuing with the wedding until the last second. I keep hoping Denise will end up with Dudley, who seems like a genuinely nice guy (but not flawless), or even better, Peter Adler. (Maybe even Sam!) I would keep watching after season 1 if I thought Katherine, Denise, and Clara would end up with better men and realize that Moray was a passing fancy for each. As it is, it feels too predictable, as if it's highest priority is to please the Harlequin Romance crowd. It's too bad because the show is fun, has so much potential, and is mostly very enjoyable.
Did the show get cancelled before we can find out what happens to Denise and Moray???
No, the second series has its own proper ending, don't worry. It's just a pity they decided to cancel the series.
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