Everything wrong with The Durrells: season 3 review
The good, the bad and the boring: season three of The Durrells has been bitter sweet
The Durrells
As spring descends, warming London's frozen streets, the UK's desperate aching for some beautiful exotic escapism has melted away with the freak snow-drifts. Sparkling blue seas, the groan of crickets in dusty afternoons and weather-worn blue shutters swaying in the sea air? Pfff. Who cares, we'd rather be on a rooftop bar, thanks.
The Durrells on ITV has kept us enraptured all winter. Long shots of fluffy pink clouds perching above glistening aquamarine seas, rusty-orange rooftops and flaking green paint on the outside of sun-drenched houses have made The Durrells the most soothing programme for its vitamin D deficient viewers. But now that spring is back, and we don't need to see the sun... does The Durrells have anything left to offer?
Fluffy, silly and good humoured (at least it was this season thank heavens) The Durrells isn't without hope. If it returns for season four, here's what to avoid and to bring back:
We seem to have run out of storylines
Thank God this season we've been spared the melodrama that haunted seasons one and two (those strange storylines about serious mental health conditions that we were all asked to forget next episode). Season three is all light, laughter, nonsense and a bit of heavy drinking (but, like, in a funny way apparently). Unfortunately, we're still stuck with the occasional completely stupid plot points designed to stand-in for a bit of tension: Louisa Durrell careering around London looking for necklace apparently more valuable then the rest of her late auntie's inheritance for example (what?), or a whole episode dedicated to Laurence not actually breaking his leg. Please.
Are the actors getting a bit bored?
Margot is the resident idiot. But this season we finally saw her grow up, get a job and ferment her relationship with her weird boyfriend. Thank goodness, because at the start of this series she was more ridiculous than ever before, moping about making soap statues, and forgetting where her mother was when she'd set sail for England (really). The grown-up Margot is a much better watch. Ditsy and daft, but not ludicrously stupid. More of that please.
We love Gerry's new love interest
Lets have more of little Gerry falling in love with girls that also like vultures. How lovely it was watching Gerry struggle to tell his old friend that he wanted some more alone time with his new leading lady, and going off on adventures with just her. It was like watching the best bits of Moonrise Kingdom.
Keeley Hawes still has perfect comic timing
Louisa Durrell is hilarious. 'It's a bit of England we've brought with us,' says Louisa Durrell (Keeley Hawes) presenting a table laid with afternoon tea to one of her son Leslie's (Callum Woodhouse) three girlfriends in episode one:'That and sarcasm, and a fear of emotion.' Whizz, bang, pop: Mrs Durrell is a constant stream of whispered criticisms and insights, and boggled eye facial expressions that tell you everything she's feeling. She was the star of the show when it started, and she's still the start of the show now. For all the show's faults, so long as Mrs Durrell is in season four, we'll be watching it.
The Durrells on ITV has kept us enraptured all winter. Long shots of fluffy pink clouds perching above glistening aquamarine seas, rusty-orange rooftops and flaking green paint on the outside of sun-drenched houses have made The Durrells the most soothing programme for its vitamin D deficient viewers. But now that spring is back, and we don't need to see the sun... does The Durrells have anything left to offer?
Fluffy, silly and good humoured (at least it was this season thank heavens) The Durrells isn't without hope. If it returns for season four, here's what to avoid and to bring back:
We seem to have run out of storylines
Thank God this season we've been spared the melodrama that haunted seasons one and two (those strange storylines about serious mental health conditions that we were all asked to forget next episode). Season three is all light, laughter, nonsense and a bit of heavy drinking (but, like, in a funny way apparently). Unfortunately, we're still stuck with the occasional completely stupid plot points designed to stand-in for a bit of tension: Louisa Durrell careering around London looking for necklace apparently more valuable then the rest of her late auntie's inheritance for example (what?), or a whole episode dedicated to Laurence not actually breaking his leg. Please.
Are the actors getting a bit bored?
Margot is the resident idiot. But this season we finally saw her grow up, get a job and ferment her relationship with her weird boyfriend. Thank goodness, because at the start of this series she was more ridiculous than ever before, moping about making soap statues, and forgetting where her mother was when she'd set sail for England (really). The grown-up Margot is a much better watch. Ditsy and daft, but not ludicrously stupid. More of that please.
We love Gerry's new love interest
Lets have more of little Gerry falling in love with girls that also like vultures. How lovely it was watching Gerry struggle to tell his old friend that he wanted some more alone time with his new leading lady, and going off on adventures with just her. It was like watching the best bits of Moonrise Kingdom.
Keeley Hawes still has perfect comic timing
Louisa Durrell is hilarious. 'It's a bit of England we've brought with us,' says Louisa Durrell (Keeley Hawes) presenting a table laid with afternoon tea to one of her son Leslie's (Callum Woodhouse) three girlfriends in episode one:'That and sarcasm, and a fear of emotion.' Whizz, bang, pop: Mrs Durrell is a constant stream of whispered criticisms and insights, and boggled eye facial expressions that tell you everything she's feeling. She was the star of the show when it started, and she's still the start of the show now. For all the show's faults, so long as Mrs Durrell is in season four, we'll be watching it.
TRY CULTURE WHISPER
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