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Friday 27 December 2013

Death Comes to Pemberley Part 2 Review

                                               
The morning after the night before and we pick up with Lizzie (Anna Maxwell Martin) and Darcy (Matthew Rhys) still not quite on speaking terms, well okay, they are speaking but it's so very routine and dull, like they're just holding on for the sake of reputation.  Shown when Lizzie tries to hold his hand in church and he pushes it away. Oh he'd have died for that hand a few years ago!  The ball is cancelled and is announced to the staff by Bidwell since the Lord and Lady are not up to the task until later when they summon the staff and Darcy announces, "Death has come to Pemberley."  Like 'it' was some uninvited visitor and all cos Wickham (Matthew Goode) brought it upon them.  Yes Wickham you cad.  As Darcy puts it, he keeps changing his character as did this version, first he's a bounder, then Lydia's (Jenna Coleman) suitor before marring her for money and then war hero.  Oh and Lizzie thanks the staff for their hard work and guarantees them no one at Pemberley will go without and always have a place here, which Darcy doesn't really stand by.

As I said, trouble in paradise and Lizzie confides in Jane (Alexandra Moen) as she arrives, that she fears their marriage is over.  She has flashes to when he proposed to her and how he mentioned their family and how it was all "beneath him" and pained him to propose.  Also recalling the ball when the locals were talking about Lydia and Wickham and the shame of it all.  Jane tells her it's not the case and I have to say Jane's arrival was a breath of fresh air, but didn't last long, as she took Lydia and Mother Bennett (Rebecca Front) home with her. Since she's in the way and a constant reminder of Wickham.  Especially as she talks of Darcy and how Lizzie only really married him for his money which he overhears.  Well she was loud!

Hardcastle (Trevor Eve) interviews the witnesses and staff and the servant girls tell about Mrs Reilly's ghost and how she lost her bonnet, which Lizzie tells him she also saw and that the mysterious woman was quite alive.  Hardcastle thinking she was trying to appease his sensibilities on ghostly apparitions.  Fitzwilliam (Tom Ward) visits Wickham in prison and Wickham demands better food, it appears he doesn't really like him and has his own secrets still, as does everyone.  Lizzie confides in Darcy about Fitzwilliam burning the letter but Darcy can't think he'd step a foot wrong since he's known him since childhood as he later tells the same to Hardcastle.

Jane and Lizze along with Darcy at church where Darcy is disgusted he has to take Lydia inside who almost feigns a fainting spell.  They later pay a visit to the Bidwell's after church and Lizzie sees Louisa (Nichola Burley) nursing the baby which was meant to be her sister's.  Lizzie later asking Mrs Reynolds (Joanna Scanlan) if she's aware of anything troubling Louisa, as in man trouble.  Louisa cries in the wood and carves the initials 'FYD' onto a tree, which Hardcastle chances upon.  Of course red herrings since the initials could stand for Darcy, Denny or even Fitzwilliam.  Lizzie also finds Darcy at the grave of another Fitzwilliam Darcy and has to ask Georgiana (Eleanor Tomlinson) who it belongs to and why it's in the woods since Darcy only told her it's a "discredit."  He was their great grandfather, a gambler who almost set Pemberley to ruin and their father had to sell land to gain Pemberley back.  Something Darcy has kept from Lizzie so who knows what other secrets he has.

Fitzwilliam asks Darcy for permission to wed Georgiana and he agrees saying he also has Lizzie's blessing. She of course does not give it since Georgiana is in love With Henry Alverston (James Norton).  They then have an argument over love and how Fitzwilliam will provide security for her since they don't know the future of Pemberley.  She calls him a hypocrite which he has to utter for himself as he married for love.  Maybe he regrets that too.  Since it was going against every bone in his body and against all his sensibilities and pride and prejudices.

Louisa tells her of a Freddie D in the army and how he's disappeared.  He went into London to get money and he's vanished.  Of course that's cos Freddie doesn't exist which was obvious.  Fitzwilliam comes clean about his whereabouts on the night in question and did not want to ruin a lady's reputation, the lady being the 'loony' in the woods or so everyone perceived her but he doesn't reveal her name.  She was enquiring the whereabouts of her brother and needed his help.  Hardcastle has already checked this at the inn  and he also adds he gave Wickham the thirty pounds he asked for.  He couldn't refuse him since he helped bring him his godson after he was killed in the war and made sure his mother could bury him.  Darcy agrees he did a good thing.  So this money was it for Louisa?  Oops gave the game away here.  Since it wasn't difficult to work out Wickham is Freddie, who else would be such a womanizer and why Denny would be angry with him. Perhaps he was going to pay her off.  He clearly wasn't going to set up home with her, was he?

Darcy pays a visit to Wickham and he shows him his memoirs which Darcy thinks would serve him in good stead as an honest living.  He needs money when he gets out of here and so he can leave Pemberley, which Darcy promises him.  He once again pleads his innocence since he's guilty of many things but not murder.  Darcy believes this.  The murder weapon, a stone is found in the woods and the inquest is held.  Yeah inn full of bawdy and drunk men!  Hardcastle wants only the facts from the coachman and after various testimony.  The men retire to consider their verdict.  Alverston helps out even though he didn't do much and Georgiana rejected him.  She must do her duty as she tells Lizzie as the family have all done so in the past for the good of the estate.

Seems unbelievable, but even Fitwilliam has good things to say about Wickham at the inquest.  Lizzie arrives with lunch for Darcy and sees Louisa.  She runs out of there after seeing Freddie.  She points out Wickham as he is found guilty.  Still plenty of suspects since we know Fitzwilliam is still hiding something and the letter. Which must have more to do with the estate since it mentions Darcy in it.  Who is the woman in the woods looking for and how does she fit into all of this.  It would be a turn up for the books if Fitzwilliam turned out to be the killer but he was alibied.  Perhaps he knows who it really is.  Don't think Wickham is guilty since he just wouldn't kill Denny like that, as he states he was his only friend who accepted him for who he was until he found out about the baby.

Suppose we'll get a happy ending in the final part with Lizzie and Darcy playing happy families and all will be forgiven.  be good of it wasn't.  I mean he doesn't call her Lizzie and she calls him Darcy what happened to dear or some other pet name?  Funny moments were provided by Lydia of course and how she thinks Denny may have had a crush on her and wouldn't do anything about it which is why he avoided her.  More he like he knew what Wickham was really keeping from her.  His guilty secret.  Perhaps the killer will turn out to be some complete stranger.


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