Three episodes into this Sunday evening costume drama, and the quality hasn’t dropped an millimetre. Every single performance – from little Harry to Miss Matty – is perfectly pitched, every joke hits the mark, and the dramatic scenes are expertly handled. It’s not often you can’t think of single thing to criticise about a television programme, but that’s certainly the case with Cranford.
There was a sombre opening this week, as we saw Sophy Hutton and her siblings at the grave of their late brother. The mournful tone is understandable seeing as though we’ve already seen three deaths in two episodes so far, but the warmth and wit soon returned – as always, Imelda Staunton as the chatterbox Miss Pole was on hand to provide the laughs.
There were two main storylines this week, First, there was the onset of a ‘crime wave’ in Cranford, which, obviously, soon set certain tongues wagging. “I think he must be a French spy!” cried one of the ladies, and Miss Pole, after explaining the likely motives of the intruder said “my father was a man; I think I understand the sex.” She reacted to the whole situation like a one-woman Daily Mail; a whirlwind of hyperbole and hysteria.
It just so happened that at the time of a particularly bad incident, Job and young Harry of the poor Gregson family were on Lady Ludlow’s estate, poaching. So when they appeared in the town shop, splashing their cash, conclusions were quickly drawn, and Job ended up arrested for the crimes. Harry, who you’ll remember has been taken under the gruff but quietly heroic wing of Mr Carter (Philip Glenister), had to go to his mentor and admit that he had been poaching – off the very estate which Carter manages – in order to provide his father with an alibi for the graver crimes. The look of disappointment and personal hurt on Glenister’s face was just perfection. But within moments, he was with Lady Ludlow, asking that she would intercede in the case, and, after going to see the family for herself, we finally saw a glimmer of humanity from the generally cold and unfeeling aristocrat. Mr Carter is clearly starting to make a real difference.
The second storyline followed Miss Matty, still in deep mourning for her sister, and her former relationship with Mr Holbrook (Michael Gambon) whom we met last week. We found out that they had been engaged to be married once, but that Miss Matty’s family – and especially, you get the feeling, Miss Deborah – deeply frowned upon the match. A wayward brother had approved, but when he disappeared, Matty didn’t feel she could put her family under any more stress, and called off the engagement. Now Mr Holbrook is back in Matty’s life, bringing back all those feelings of youth, combined with guilt at the thought of betraying her sister’s memory.
These scenes, acted out by two of our greatest actors, were sublime; completely understated, and yet conveying every single tangled emotion. Unfortunately, the precedent of episodes ending with deep sadness continued, with Mr Holbrook dying from hyperthermia – just as Miss Matty had reconciled herself to the idea of being his soul-mate.
Line of the week:
The Jenkyns maid, on opening a present – “I was hoping for some soil!”
Her lover – “It’s crocuses.”
