little things I love about north and south (2004)
I know we all love the train scene and the âlook back at meâ scene and john and margaretâs character growth and dozens of other memorable moments but this miniseries has so many wonderful asides I wanted to mention a few:
1. HANDS! HANDS! SO MANY HANDS! the best hands.
because honestly, if thereâs one thing this period drama excels at itâs the PINING.
2. those shots of margaret and john sleeping at their desks
3. alll the letters that margaret and edith write to each other.
letter writing was an important aspect of female relationships (among women who could read and write) and I like that their letters are the narratorâs voice.
4. was it normal for men to travel with open collars in 1855? asking for a friend.
5. how margaret is allowed to be tired.Â
sheâs busy, okay? sheâs washing curtains and helping her mother and father and smuggling her brother into the country and attending parties and making friends with union members. girl deserves that nap.
6. thorntonâs complete lack of chill whenever margaret shows up
margaret: your mother has kindly given me the name of a doctor.
john: youâre ill?!
beeeeee cool soda pop. for the record, for a 19th century hard-nosed manufacturer this face is the equivalent of âGOD PLEASE GOD NOâ from michael scott.
7. the soft implication of john keeping his mother and sister in comfort while he pursues education as an adult -
because of the hardship they went through when his father died :(
8. nicholas ânumber one john/margaret shipperâ higgins
thornton: was miss hale the woman who told you to come to me? you might have said.
higgins: and youâd have been a bit more civil?
but letâs not forget âohhhh yes, she has a brother, he was here, ah, just about that time the mother was dying, ah yes, very secret, hush hush, she had to smuggle him out, just thought youâd like to know for nooooo reason whatsoeverâ I mean come on nicholas, be more transparent :D
obviously heâs not on board episodes 1-3 what with the whole union strike but boy by episode 4, higgins has two missions - feed boucherâs children and get his OTP together. and he gets both done.
9. on a related note - how all of johnâs friends and family are just like âdude, come on. come on. be more obvious. we dare you.â
or, if youâre johnâs mother oh god no not this again. âif you would let us alone, perhaps we might see her merits and like her.â damn lady. exactly how much does john talk about margaret hale???
10. this is a sad one but - margaret giving bessy some of her old handkerchiefs and bessy holding one in her dying clasp, my emotions
11. margaretâs absolute exhaustion at men proposing marriage to her.
12. the grudging respect margaret and mrs. thornton develop for each other
âyou once accused me of not knowing what kind of man Iâd rejected. you were right. but if you think Iâve come to triumph over him, that I do not feel keenly the misfortune of this empty place, then you donât know me at all.â
also check out how their dresses are almost identical in their last shot together. theyâre finally on the same page.
13. the entire framing of john and margaret as hades and persephone, and how margaret chooses to go back north, away from the spring.
she goes from âI believe Iâve seen hell. and itâs white. itâs snow white.â to âI have a business proposition.â persephone chooses âhellâ and I love it.
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