Season 33 - The Forsyte Saga Series 2 (2003-2004)
The original adaptation of The Forsyte Saga is what birthed Masterpiece Theatre. Without that series we wouldn't be celebrating fifty years of British television right now. Though aside from Michael York and Susan Hampshire the original series lacks name recognition. That's where this version really knocked it out of the park; Damian Lewis, Gina McKee, Rupert Graves, Ioan Gruffudd, Corin Redgrave, Barbara Flynn, Amanda Root, and Ben Miles! You have freakin' Horatio Hornblower in it! Plus so many up and coming actors like Julian Ovenden who should have SO married Sam on Foyle's War. I mean seriously, her husband is a loser and she deserved to officially be Foyle's daughter! I will forever be pissed by this until Anthony Horowitz rewrites the last few seasons. He can take time out from being a big time author to do this! He can multitask I'm sure of it. This miniseries set up to be lush while the original was the last series to be fully filmed in black and white. It's like they had something to prove and prove it they did. One of my favorite touches is the dress that Irene Forsyte is wearing on the cover of the DVD set (see above.) This dress is an exact replica of the dress from John Singer Sargent's painting Madame X, except in red. Little touches like this are seen throughout the series. Especially in the house Robin Hill. A fictional house my dad loves so much he's willing to move into it immediately. But what this series is most known for is how gut-wrenching it is. You will be non-stop crying through the entire series. Therefore it takes fortitude to watch it. Being prepared doesn't help. But I think this emotional release is why I love it so much, and in particular the second series. When Young Jolyon Forsyte played by Rupert Graves lies dying and his daughter June played by Gillian Kearney is copiously weeping that she cannot live without him, I felt it so deep in my bones that I think I might have had a little nervous breakdown that only giving my dad a big hug could fix. That night I couldn't stop crying this series forever took up a little corner of my soul and I wouldn't change it for the world.
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