An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
The Les Misérables BBC Exchange is an exchange for fanworks based on the BBC/PBS 2018 Les Misérables miniseries.
The exchange is run on AO3. Information, updates etc. will be posted on Tumblr.
Participants will either write a newly-created work of fanfiction of at least 1000 words or create an original piece of art at the 'nice sketch' stage (no photo manipulations or graphics) fulfilling one of their recipient's requests.
This exchange is open to fanworks focusing on single characters and on relationships (gen or romantic). All ships, characters, ratings and genres are welcome. Participants are expected to be respectful of others' likes/dislikes. Bashing of ships, characters, kinks, requests, etc. will lead to a ban from this exchange.
Sign-up Opens: Sun 26 May 2019 11:50PM BST
Sign-up Closes: Mon 03 Jun 2019 09:50AM BST
Assignments Due: Sun 11 Aug 2019 09:50AM BST
Works Revealed: Sun 18 Aug 2019 11:50AM BST
Authors Revealed: Sun 25 Aug 2019 11:50AM BST
A title card gives a brief summary of the situation in France before dropping us into the day after the Battle of Waterloo, when the “glory” of battle is over and the gore remains.
Rather fitting for a series translated to The Miserable (or Wretched) Ones.
Yikes. British viewers really weren’t kidding about the typeface. Or that 1970s slasher movie red.
But in all honesty, I like the change in opening. It’s a bold move, sure, but it grounds viewers in a specific time in history (so only the inattentive can make the “it takes place during the French Revolution” mistake) and functions as a mirror of the eventual end.
**Book spoilers**
A Ponmercy possibly dead at the scene of a failed conflict?
A man surviving conflict and returning home to be separated from his child by Gillenormand?
Does this not sound like a bitter cycle when we know this story ends in Marius surviving a failed conflict and Valjean surviving conflict and returning home to be separated from his child by Gillenormand(‘s grandson)?
And to top it all off, the title card ends with: “The old order will be restored. The revolution forgotten.” Aside from Les Miserables, how often do you hear of the June Rebellion?
The Opening
Rain, mud, dead horses, trees shattered by cannonballs...the cinematography feels Romantic (capital R) already. A horse flutters its eyes (Is this a reference to Napoleon’s war horse Marengo, famously depicted in Napoleon Crossing the Alps by Jacques-Louis David?)
Thenardier (!) rushes onto the screen, injecting it with a surge of adrenaline. Laughing (?), he hops from one dead soldier to the next, picking pockets and collecting anything of value he can get his hands on relatively quickly. And he’s not alone. There are other looters, and there are British soldiers chasing them in the background.
(Are we supposed to see a parallel between this and the way society is shown to treat its ‘dead’ and ‘dying’? Or are the British soldiers chasing people breaking laws, or at least morals, representative of how the Law works in the series?)
...But I can do without Thenardier cackling the entire time.
Anyway, he starts to loot one soldier crushed under a fallen horse when the soldier regains consciousness and, thinking Thenardier pulled him out for charitable reasons, thanks him for saving his life. Could it be Baron Pontmercy?
The Pontmercy Plot
In a rare adaptation appearance, a living Baron Pontmercy returns home alive. The streets of Paris initially seem colorful and thriving, but lintering shots of homeless beggars. Pontmercy’s father-in-law, Gillenormand, rejects him for siding with Napoleon. He goes into the “I’m glad my daughter is dead” trope, then ends it with a biting “I thank God I may never see you again.”
“It’s your lot they’re strining up from lamposts now,” Gillenormand says as we are shown a precious toddler overhearing everything. This is Pontmercy’s son, Marius, a little baby boy who will be raised to hate his own father by his grandfather.
Nicolette sneaks out of Gillenormand’s house to tell Pontermcy where he can see Marius at church.
The Fantine Plot - Part 1
A few feet away, a young Fantine is trying to convince her friends that she’s not naive and that she can take care of herself (I’ll wait for a Cosette callback in later episodes). I like seeing Fantine as a carefree young woman instead of being introduced to Fantine after she had and separated from Cosette. It makes her slow descent even worse when we see how youngshe is.
Also, we were just introduced to one man who is denied custody of his son by a gatekeeper of society, and now here is a woman who will eventually have to give up custody of her daughter by the circumstances of her society. Nice parallel!
The Valjean Plot
The yellow filter and the music makes this feel like a Western. This town ain’t big enough for the both of us, 24601...
Valjean sees one of the guards beating a prisoner and causes an avalanche that pins down the guard (so he visually echoes Pontmercy under the horse in the opening scene). Why does Valjean attempt murder? Well, this adaptation’s Valjean senses the injustice and wants to balance out this unjust society through violence (again, foreshadowing).
But when he hears the pinned man’s agony, he realizes he isn’t that person. He isn’t capable of committing a crime like that without guilt. So out empathy and guilt, he goes to lift the weight. A man lifting a weight from a man pinned under debris? Hmm...forshadowing. A man lifting a weight off someone pinned under the rocks (of society?) Hmm...symbolic.
Javert, who has been watching the entire thing, stares down at Valjean. That night, Valjean is brought to Javert’s office. Javert asks, “What was that about today?” Valjean looks at him like Because I’m a decent human being? That’s why...
Javert’s backstory is really, uh, shoe-horned in there, isn’t it? Could have revealed it later when he unwittingly befriends Madeleine or something...No?
Javert says, “Men like us have only two choices: to prey on society or to guard it.” And, well, you could view every male character we’ve met so far through that lens: Pontmercy vs. Thenardier and Gillenormand, Valjean vs. Javert.
But who’s really the one preying on people here?
The Fantine Plot - Part 2
Speaking of prey, Fantine’s out on the town with her friends. She meets eyes with Felix, and her friend Favourite urges her to be more forward with the attraction. Felix wastes no time playing the charming dance partner. The slow music switches to something more lively (and tell me if you don’t have the tiniest reminder of that below-decks dance in Titanicin this moment).
Ugh. These Fantine night scenes look gorgeous. Like a (modern) outdoor wedding.
“You have to remember they’re not serious...they’re amusing themselves.” The harsh voice of experience doles out some foreshadowing. “Why should it always be like that?” Fantine asks. The voice of change we hear throughout this series, too.
The Fantine section is also filmed like Davies’ more famous adaptations (lulling unwitting audiences into a false sense of security about where this is going...)
So many period drama romance tropes. It really does feel completely different from any other adaptation I’ve seen in this section. I like it.
Felix tries every trick in the book: I didn’t care about anyone before you. I’m going to be a poet, and you’ll be my use. Have mercy on me, I’m suffering with love for you. But Fantine has never read the playbook, and she kisses him, despite her doubts.
The Pontmercy Plot - Part 2
In case you weren’t against this prison system before, the prisoners are forced to watch an execution in a brief scene that cuts to Gillenormand saying, “order restored. Now everyone knows their place again.”
Gillenormand convinces his grandson into believe his dad’s a “scoundrel” for his political stance. Throughout the scene, little Marius is playing with army figurines, too. Hmm…can you hear commentary about how wrong this situation is yet? (The book isn’t subtle about this is, either)
Baron Pontmercy is reduced to waiting for a glimpse of his son at church. It hurts in the book, and it hurts here, too. Oh, and the religious theme comes in. (And a nice Mabeuf cameo).
This is a good time for an unpopular opinion: I’m fine with the cuts between the Pontmercy, Fantine, and Valjean stories. It makes the later inclusion of more characters and the eventual intertwining of some of these plots feel natural. It also shows how different people in this society suffer completely different unfair circumstances that bloom from this society and culture.
The Valjean Plot - Part 3
Is this what Daves meant by “sexing up “Les Miserables with a nude, underfed, and whipped Valjean? He’s muscular from forced labor. Not really sexy.
“You have your name back, Monsieur 24601.” Hey. This will be ironic in hindsight!
Oh, and (un)paid labor for prisoners commentary, too. Valjean’s furious. But why wouldn’t he be? Nearly two decades for petty theft. And in those conditions.
Valjean carries those barrels like he’s carrying the world. (Do you see the Jesus symbolism yet?)
But if he carried any hope that life outside of prison would be any more rewarding, he is quickly corrected. More manual labor with little pay. Chased away from a place to stay by dogs. Pointed to the church by a kind woman. (All in all, pretty book accurate—down to the ensuing conversation)
Cut from one faceless shot of Valjean to the Bishop, connecting the two.
Bishop with spectacles. Awww.
Valjean has the bluntness that comes across in the translations of the brick (I’ve never read it in French. Is he blunt there, too?)
The comparison Valjean draws between the religious authority figures in prison versus the Bishop here is a nice book reference, and it shows that he is very much aware of his terrible situation and how imbalanced society is (in and out of prison) versus the (actual) Christian values shown by the Bishop
“How can I love my fellow man when he treats me like a dog?”
“Even if the world has done you a great injustice. Does it really serve you to have a heart full of bitterness and hatred?”
Ooh. The quandry at the heart of this adaptation’s Valjean.
So what if it’s on the nose? It’s for viewers introduced to the book for the first time. Books are a well. Shows are a pool. It’s the detriment of adaptation.
“What about the silverware?” The bishop, knowing full well it must have been taken by Valjean, “I can’t help you, I’m afraid.”
In the few minutes he’s part of this episode, the Bishop is The Perfect Christian example that Valjean (and even other characters) will follow in various ways
The vulnerability and disbelief in Valjean’s eyes when he realizes somebody’s helpinghim and even covering for him...
Valjean’s little chuckle when he realizes he’s free again
Valjean’s what am I supposed to do with these?look at the candlesticks. Heh
“Jean Valjean, you do not belong to evil anymore. You belong to good. I have bought your soul with this silver and these candlesticks.” Again in this adaptation, there’s this sense that Valjean didn’t choose to better himself, but it was foisted onto him (the Holy Spirit foisted on him) until he eventually makes the choice to let it in himself
The episode began with Thenardier stealing and showing no signs of remorse. It ends with Valjean stealing and being presented with the means to turn his life around. Nice bookends—is what I would say if the episode ended here. But there’s more!
The Fantine Plot - Part 3
Oh, the “sexing up” was with Fantine and Felix. Just some family-friendly snuggles as he drops hints he’s going to leave her and her baby.
Fantine has a caged bird in her room. Symbolism.
Felix, Fantine, and their friends are out on a double (well, tripple) date. The guys tease a “surprise” for the women. What could it be? A beautiful day outside. A meal at a fancy restaraunt. Could they plan on...proposing?
Nope! This is a last hurrah before the guys leave to return to their “respectable” families.
I’m surprised we got an abbreviated Felix speech from the book. Didn’t expect that. And it’s all the more irritating for his character when you know what comes next: the men quietly leave the room as their girlfriends wait excitedly for the “surprise.” But the light drains from the eyes of all three of the women as they read the “surprise,” a letter stating that their boyfriends (and financial support) are leaving them forever.
The Ending
Meanwhile, Valjean leaves the village, angry at the Bishop for “buying” his soul. Conflicted, he rests beneath a tree. Then a little voice grows louder. Is it--? Yes, it’s Petit-Gervais playing with a sou and singing down the road. Valjean steps on the coin (almost intentionally) and scares Petit-Gervais away.
This is different from the book. In the book, he goes into a trance during this moment and only realizes he’s standing on the coin later (which conveniently absolves him of guilt in the reader’s eyes). Here, Valjean is brought back to the reality of his actions by the tolling of the church bell. He stole from a little boy like the prison system stole from him. A few scenes ago, he was that little boy. And he tries to do the right thing and return the coin. Like in the book, he calls for the boy to come back, but the child is gone, and Valjean is a thief again.
Meanwhile, Fantine returns home to her happy baby. She moves to curl up on the bed and cry, but the needs of her daughter Cosette draws her back to the world. Felix is no father, but Fantine is still a mother.
Valjean is free, but Fantine is about to enter a different kind of prison.
Overall, I liked this episode. There were a few changes I would have made, like concealing Javert’s backstory until episode 2 (or even later) to build up a sense of mystery to him. Thenardier was too…jovial to me, also. Finally, that scene of the women gossiping in the woods was unnecessarily choreographed, and I’m surprised PBS actually aired that scene.
When I first heard about some of the adaptational changes, I was wary of this series, but now that I see them in context, they aren’t too bad. I think an angry Valjean could make for a more dramatic transformation in later episodes. I loved Derek Jacobi as the Bishop and Lily Collins as Fantine.
But my favorite choice of this miniseries was the way it made the Valjean plot, the Fantine plot, and the Pontmercy plot run concurrently to highlight the similarities in their situations.
In the book, Hugo describes Valjean’s situation in one “book,” then switches to Fantine and goes back in time a few years to explore her experiences before her plot meets Valjean’s plot. It allows for the reader to get invested in each uninterrupted arc, but what works on paper doesn’t translate well to screen. There must be change.
We’ll see what other page to screen changes were made in the upcoming episodes. Les Miserables airs Saturday nights on PBS.
After serving a draconian prison term for stealing bread, Jean Valjean must readjust to the world. Les Misérables premieres Sunday, April 14 at 9/8c. #LesMisPBS
Catch up on #LesMisPBS - the premiere is now streaming! The entire six-part series is also now available to binge-watch on PBS Passport. [x]
For all you US fans out there, BBC’s Les Misérables premiered on Sunday, April 14 on PBS.
Shaun Evans at PBS Masterpiece photocall, Arrivals, TCA Winter Press Tour, Los Angeles, USA - 01 Feb 2019. Photographer: Matt Baron/REX/Shutterstock
Masterpiece Photo Call, Arrivals, Los Angeles, USA - 01 Feb 2019
Tom Brittney, Shaun Evans, Iain Glen, writer Anna Symon, Ruth Wilson, writer Andrew Davies, Lily Collins, executive producer Rebecca Eaton, Dominic West and David Oyelowo
When sign-ups open, you will only be able to offer/request characters and/or relationship that are in the tagset for this exchange. During this nomination period, you can nominate characters and relationship to add them to the tagset.
I have already added several characters/relationships to the tagset. If there is anything missing you would like to request, please nominate it now. Nominations close on Sunday May 26, 8 pm GMT.
The tagset for nominations is here. An AO3 account is required. You find the nominate button at the top right.
You can nominate up to 10 characters/relationships per account.
Characters and relationships will all be nominated in the Character slots.
Nominations can be either single characters (e.g. Enjolras) or relationships (e.g. Group: Fantine & Cosette or Group: Javert/Jean Valjean).
&relationships are platonic; / relationships are sexual and/or romantic
Relationships including more than two people (including a mix of / and &) are eligible.
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