Friday, July 30, 2021

Take Three: The Pursuit of Love (Series Finale)

The Pursuit of Love: Season 1, Episode 3 (B+)

I’ve always found three episodes to be a strange length for a show, especially since I feel like I could have spent a lot longer with these characters. Yet there was something fitting about how much of this show there was, and this installment was a good bookend for what came before it. This really did feel like the ultimate romance between Linda and Fabrice, though it was peculiar, in a way that everyone except for Linda noticed, that he kept her away from everyone all to himself rather than trying to show her off to the world. His reputation apparently preceded him, and I love how Davey and Merlin reacted to finding out who he was. The best comic moment of this episode was surely Merlin explaining that he had to wear glasses because he had such kind eyes and the poor expected him to be generous with them. It was strange to see Linda as a mother judging her daughter for “running away to America” when she was practically paralyzed by the idea of leaving her home for fear of missing a call from her beloved Fabrice. That she didn’t survive and everyone else did also didn’t feel quite right, but it did enable the Bolter to pass judgment on what she could have been. It was also interesting to see Fanny’s relationship with Alfred and the resentment they both felt to the expectations of the time that burdened them. This has been a very enthralling and visually striking series, and I would encourage all fans to check out my interviews with star Emily Beecham, who plays Fanny, and director and star Emily Mortimer!

Series grade: B+
Series MVP: Emily Beecham and Lily James

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