Season 32 - Me & Mrs. Jones (2002-2003)
To me, and I think the majority of viewers, Masterpiece Theatre has always been about period dramas. Yes, there is the occasional series set in the present day, and let us never forget that there's technically a Masterpiece Contemporary. Because when Masterpiece Theatre and Mystery! were incorporated under the umbrella of Masterpiece we somehow ended up with a third show, Masterpiece Contemporary, which, since 2008, has only aired fifteen movies and three series, which isn't much. The point being, whenever a contemporary show airs on Masterpiece Classic as I will call it for this one time only because otherwise you might think I'm talking about the contemporary iteration, I almost never watch it. Looking back I've literally only watched Us, for Tom Hollander, and King Charles III, because I had heard good things, when they initially aired. As for Me and Mrs. Jones? I don't know when I first saw it, but do know it was during the halcyon days when my second PBS station started reairing Masterpiece Theatre at midnight on Sunday. Those were the good old days. As for Me and Mrs. Jones? I had remembered very little about it and I really don't think it would have felt so painfully of it's time if I hadn't seen it in over twenty years. Salmon colored faux marbling with wall sconces with actual candles!?! Oh no, we are not going back to the Venetian vampire look ever again thank you very much. What I couldn't get over, besides the wall treatments, was that this feels like Richard Curtis wrote an episode of Masterpiece Theatre. Like people were brainstorming new ideas for a romantic comedy and they said, Bridget Jones but make her PM! So Love Actually actually. But hang on a minute! One of my most hated movies of all time didn't come out until 2003, so, where'd you get the idea for my mom's most hated plotline in that movie Richard Curtis? And seriously, if you think my hatred of that movie is all-encompassing, my mom when she'd get on a tear about how Martine McCutcheon's character was obviously based on Monica Lewinsky could not be contained. Flames on the side of her face! Of course she'd totally approve of this movie, she did love her Robson Green. As for this movie? I can't actually justify any reason that this possibly aired on Masterpiece Theatre other than it's like if House of Cards was a gender swapped romcom. So, the same amount of sexual tension just less murder. Caroline Goodall and Robson Green have great chemistry, but I couldn't get over the hurdle that she was able to totally forgive him for lying to her because in the end it cost him his career. Which, to be fair, was a nice about-face. He did have genuine feelings for her and he didn't betray her and she went on to lead her country the way she wanted because he encouraged her to just be herself and not follow in the shadow of some man. So, it was, on one level, very empowering for women, but on another, she was behaving like a schoolgirl... Which I guess is empowering in it's own way? She can be silly in love and rule the world? So girl power? Yeah? Too bad this movie was a year too late to capitalize on the mantra made famous by The Spice Girls. Oh, and I totally just remembered that Baby Spice has a small role in the sequel to House of Cards, To Play the King. Maybe I am onto something here...
