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seren_ccdSo. I've just finished watching Hamish MacBeth and I have thoughts.
On the whole, it's fantastic. I'm a huge sucker for shows that are centered around wacky, small towns that are steeped in history and myths and this show definitely hits the spot in that regard. The actors are obviously having a ball and the amount of chemistry between ALL of them is a delight to watch.
I also loved how most of the characters have actual character development, even if it's minor, as in a young man leaving his dad to go live on his own or the two people who had been hiding (badly hiding) their love affair, finally go public. I did end up caring about all of them.
The first season is definitely the best one, in my opinion. Season two has it's moments and season three goes a bit off the rails.
Robert Carlyle is, naturally, very fun to watch. He's got the most elastic face and can convey so many conflicting emotions. His relationship with the other fellows and folks in the town is very fun to watch and he can be wonderfully deadpan.
He also has a Westie named Jock that is the cutest thing ever.
Now.
My problem with the show is, sadly, with the writing of the ladies. I'm going to cut for spoilers, even though this aired back in the mid-90s.
Right. I do not like love triangles. They bother me. Which is my own personal preference. They can be done well, but it is NOT done well in the show. I should not have to yell, 'Oh, for god's sake' every five minutes at the screen.
Basically, there is Hamish, the loveable, cute town constable who is 'in love' with Alex who is the Major's daughter and is a writer. A writer of what we're never told exactly, but I presume fiction. She's upper class and does, for the first few episodes, kind of lead Hamish on, but believe me, he's just as bad.
Then there is Isobel, who is the town journalist who would like to make her big break at some point. She is, at first, very shy and quiet and has a massive crush on Hamish who is completely blind to it.
There are misunderstandings and some shouted confessions of love, Isobel to Hamish, and we think, oh okay, FINALLY. But then Alex shows up and asks Hamish to marry her.
End season one.
Then season two starts and I start to get cranky. The only interactions between Alex and Isobel are silent stares of animosity. Which is stupid. Now, I have no problems with two female characters not liking each other. But I DO have a problem when this is the only characteristic they're allowed to have. Isobel does have her journalism (in one episode), but what happened to Alex's writing? Essentially, the two female leads fall into the usual pattern of existing so that the main male character can angst. And angst he does. Robert Carlyle can angst with the best of them.
Then Alex dies. And I say out loud, 'Well, that was just lazy.'
So. Yes. I liked Hamish MacBeth. But I hated what they turned the ladies into. Which, sadly, is a familiar refrain with most of the shows out there.
So, I wrote a tiny fix-it fic during lunch this week. This is what I would have liked to have happened at the end of season one, which could have led to a more interesting season two.
Isobel Gets her Groove Back - post-season one, a few days after the last episode of the season.
Isobel first read about Nellie Bly when she was eight years old. She went out and bought a composition book with her pocket money the following day.
She liked dealing with facts, with people, figuring out the entire story. It could perhaps be blamed on the fact that her father left for the pub one evening and never came back. Her mother had raised Isobel and her two brothers all on her own. Her brothers soon departed for work on an oil rig in the North Sea while Isobel discovered how to search out facts and research. A psychologist would say that she was still looking for her father. Isobel just said she was looking for the truth.
She’d also been in love with Hamish MacBeth for as long as she could remember.
And it was with this on her mind as she gathered all her notebooks together in a wooden crate that she'd gotten from Rory Campbell. She carried the crate out to her car and with a sigh, shoved it into the backseat. She ran her fingertips over the spines of the notebooks and knew that she was doing the right thing. It just hurt like nothing ever had before.
“Goin’ on a jolly?” came from behind her.
Oh hell. She’d forgotten how early he got up sometimes.
“Not exactly,” she said before taking a deep breath and turning around.
He looked apprehensive and uncomfortable. Good, she thought uncharitably, but couldn't really help herself.
“Where’re you off to then?” he asked.
“Glasgow,” she said. “I’ve got an interview for a job.”
“What?” he asked. “In Glasgow?” He looked at the back of her car and saw the crate with all her notebooks. “You’re leaving?”
“Yes,” she said. “I am. There’s not exactly anything for me here.” She turned away and busily sorted her bags in the back. “And the job is a good one, at a good paper. They liked the piece I did on the school system changes up here and want to try out a new perspective. Which is good. For me, at any rate. I’ll get to--”
“You can’t go,” he said quietly.
Her heart thudded harshly in her chest and she wanted to scream at him, but she just looked over her shoulder and said, “I think you’ll find that I can.”
“Isobel,” he said his forehead creasing in concern and his voice breaking her heart even as she lifted her chin.
“I’ve been in love with you for ten years, Hamish MacBeth,” she said facing him. “But I’ve loved journalism longer. And journalism has been good to me. It’s been fair. I’ve put in the work and the pain and it’s rewarded me with challenges and opportunities.” Her breath hitched in her throat. “And I dearly wish I could say the same about you.”
He looked as though he’d been struck.
“You have Alex,” she said trying to smile. “And you love her and she loves you and that’s good and how it should be. And I’m happy for you. I am.”
“Oh, god, Isobel,” he said taking a step towards her.
“But that doesn’t mean I have to watch,” she said feeling the first of her tears slide down her face. “This is my chance, Hamish. And I’m taking it.”
“Please don’t go,” he whispered.
“Why shouldn’t I?” she asked. She shook her head. “I love you, but I’m tired of being that person who loves and doesn’t get anything in return. I’m being selfish, Hamish. So, for once, do something for me?”
“Anything,” he said, those eyes of his sad and terrible.
“Say ‘Good Luck, Isobel’ and ‘I know you can do it’,” she said her hand fisting around her keys in her pocket.
His mouth opened and closed a few times, before he gave her a pained smile. “Good luck, Isobel,” he said reaching a hand out to cup her cheek. “And I know you can do it.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Take care of everyone, will you? Including yourself?”
“You know that I will,” he said his hand falling away from her face.
Isobel nodded and then quickly turned from him and got into her car. He stepped back and didn’t wave as she drove off.
She gave into her tears once she reached the crossroads on the edge of town and pulled over and cried for ten minutes straight.
Then she wiped her face and started to drive.
Cue the Hamish/Alex relationship fizzling out naturally and she leaves to go be awesome in London. Isobel eventually comes back for a story and perhaps she and Hamish spark up something. But there would be lots of long discussions and common sense will be employed.
In short (too late!), the show is fun, the characters are loveable, but it definitely suffers from the usual pitfalls in regards to love triangles and melodrama. I would actually recommend it to fans of Robert Carlyle because there are moments that totally foreshadow the rest of his career and that's always delightful to watch.
On the whole, it's fantastic. I'm a huge sucker for shows that are centered around wacky, small towns that are steeped in history and myths and this show definitely hits the spot in that regard. The actors are obviously having a ball and the amount of chemistry between ALL of them is a delight to watch.
I also loved how most of the characters have actual character development, even if it's minor, as in a young man leaving his dad to go live on his own or the two people who had been hiding (badly hiding) their love affair, finally go public. I did end up caring about all of them.
The first season is definitely the best one, in my opinion. Season two has it's moments and season three goes a bit off the rails.
Robert Carlyle is, naturally, very fun to watch. He's got the most elastic face and can convey so many conflicting emotions. His relationship with the other fellows and folks in the town is very fun to watch and he can be wonderfully deadpan.
He also has a Westie named Jock that is the cutest thing ever.
Now.
My problem with the show is, sadly, with the writing of the ladies. I'm going to cut for spoilers, even though this aired back in the mid-90s.
Right. I do not like love triangles. They bother me. Which is my own personal preference. They can be done well, but it is NOT done well in the show. I should not have to yell, 'Oh, for god's sake' every five minutes at the screen.
Basically, there is Hamish, the loveable, cute town constable who is 'in love' with Alex who is the Major's daughter and is a writer. A writer of what we're never told exactly, but I presume fiction. She's upper class and does, for the first few episodes, kind of lead Hamish on, but believe me, he's just as bad.
Then there is Isobel, who is the town journalist who would like to make her big break at some point. She is, at first, very shy and quiet and has a massive crush on Hamish who is completely blind to it.
There are misunderstandings and some shouted confessions of love, Isobel to Hamish, and we think, oh okay, FINALLY. But then Alex shows up and asks Hamish to marry her.
End season one.
Then season two starts and I start to get cranky. The only interactions between Alex and Isobel are silent stares of animosity. Which is stupid. Now, I have no problems with two female characters not liking each other. But I DO have a problem when this is the only characteristic they're allowed to have. Isobel does have her journalism (in one episode), but what happened to Alex's writing? Essentially, the two female leads fall into the usual pattern of existing so that the main male character can angst. And angst he does. Robert Carlyle can angst with the best of them.
Then Alex dies. And I say out loud, 'Well, that was just lazy.'
So. Yes. I liked Hamish MacBeth. But I hated what they turned the ladies into. Which, sadly, is a familiar refrain with most of the shows out there.
So, I wrote a tiny fix-it fic during lunch this week. This is what I would have liked to have happened at the end of season one, which could have led to a more interesting season two.
Isobel Gets her Groove Back - post-season one, a few days after the last episode of the season.
Isobel first read about Nellie Bly when she was eight years old. She went out and bought a composition book with her pocket money the following day.
She liked dealing with facts, with people, figuring out the entire story. It could perhaps be blamed on the fact that her father left for the pub one evening and never came back. Her mother had raised Isobel and her two brothers all on her own. Her brothers soon departed for work on an oil rig in the North Sea while Isobel discovered how to search out facts and research. A psychologist would say that she was still looking for her father. Isobel just said she was looking for the truth.
She’d also been in love with Hamish MacBeth for as long as she could remember.
And it was with this on her mind as she gathered all her notebooks together in a wooden crate that she'd gotten from Rory Campbell. She carried the crate out to her car and with a sigh, shoved it into the backseat. She ran her fingertips over the spines of the notebooks and knew that she was doing the right thing. It just hurt like nothing ever had before.
“Goin’ on a jolly?” came from behind her.
Oh hell. She’d forgotten how early he got up sometimes.
“Not exactly,” she said before taking a deep breath and turning around.
He looked apprehensive and uncomfortable. Good, she thought uncharitably, but couldn't really help herself.
“Where’re you off to then?” he asked.
“Glasgow,” she said. “I’ve got an interview for a job.”
“What?” he asked. “In Glasgow?” He looked at the back of her car and saw the crate with all her notebooks. “You’re leaving?”
“Yes,” she said. “I am. There’s not exactly anything for me here.” She turned away and busily sorted her bags in the back. “And the job is a good one, at a good paper. They liked the piece I did on the school system changes up here and want to try out a new perspective. Which is good. For me, at any rate. I’ll get to--”
“You can’t go,” he said quietly.
Her heart thudded harshly in her chest and she wanted to scream at him, but she just looked over her shoulder and said, “I think you’ll find that I can.”
“Isobel,” he said his forehead creasing in concern and his voice breaking her heart even as she lifted her chin.
“I’ve been in love with you for ten years, Hamish MacBeth,” she said facing him. “But I’ve loved journalism longer. And journalism has been good to me. It’s been fair. I’ve put in the work and the pain and it’s rewarded me with challenges and opportunities.” Her breath hitched in her throat. “And I dearly wish I could say the same about you.”
He looked as though he’d been struck.
“You have Alex,” she said trying to smile. “And you love her and she loves you and that’s good and how it should be. And I’m happy for you. I am.”
“Oh, god, Isobel,” he said taking a step towards her.
“But that doesn’t mean I have to watch,” she said feeling the first of her tears slide down her face. “This is my chance, Hamish. And I’m taking it.”
“Please don’t go,” he whispered.
“Why shouldn’t I?” she asked. She shook her head. “I love you, but I’m tired of being that person who loves and doesn’t get anything in return. I’m being selfish, Hamish. So, for once, do something for me?”
“Anything,” he said, those eyes of his sad and terrible.
“Say ‘Good Luck, Isobel’ and ‘I know you can do it’,” she said her hand fisting around her keys in her pocket.
His mouth opened and closed a few times, before he gave her a pained smile. “Good luck, Isobel,” he said reaching a hand out to cup her cheek. “And I know you can do it.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. “Take care of everyone, will you? Including yourself?”
“You know that I will,” he said his hand falling away from her face.
Isobel nodded and then quickly turned from him and got into her car. He stepped back and didn’t wave as she drove off.
She gave into her tears once she reached the crossroads on the edge of town and pulled over and cried for ten minutes straight.
Then she wiped her face and started to drive.
Cue the Hamish/Alex relationship fizzling out naturally and she leaves to go be awesome in London. Isobel eventually comes back for a story and perhaps she and Hamish spark up something. But there would be lots of long discussions and common sense will be employed.
In short (too late!), the show is fun, the characters are loveable, but it definitely suffers from the usual pitfalls in regards to love triangles and melodrama. I would actually recommend it to fans of Robert Carlyle because there are moments that totally foreshadow the rest of his career and that's always delightful to watch.
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no subject
Date: 2012-03-10 07:39 pm (UTC)Now trios are a whole nother ballgame, but we rarely get to see those on tv lol
no subject
Date: 2013-01-26 03:09 am (UTC)be warned I'll be considering your "gets her groove back" as canon as I watch the show. (it'll keep me from throwing things at the screen - much like having seen s5 before I could locate s3 of Doc Martin did)