✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

You have reached the limit of free articles.


To enjoy unlimited access to Culture Whisper sign up for FREE.
Find out more about Culture Whisper

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy

Each week, we send newsletters and communication featuring articles, our latest tickets invitations, and exclusive offers.

Occasional information about discounts, special offers and promotions.


OR
LOG IN

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

Thanks for signing up to Culture Whisper.
Please check your inbox for a confirmation email and click the link to verify your account.



EXPLORE CULTURE WHISPER
✕ ✕
Turning tips into memories
Login
Signup

Please fix the following input errors:

  • dummy
Forgot your username or password?
Don't have an account? Sign Up

OR
  • LOG IN WITH FACEBOOK

If you click «Log in with Facebook» and are not a Culture Whisper user, you agree to our Terms & Conditions and to our Privacy Policy, which includes our Cookie Use

Support Us Login
  • Home
  • Going Out
    • Things to do
    • Food & Drink
    • Theatre
    • Visual Arts
    • Cinema
    • Kids
    • Festival
    • Gigs
    • Dance
    • Classical Music
    • Opera
    • Immersive
    • Talks
  • Staying In
    • TV
    • Books
    • Cook
    • Podcast
    • Design
    • Netflix
  • Life & Style
    • Beauty
    • Fashion
    • Gifting
    • Wellbeing
    • Lifestyle
    • Shopping
    • Jewellery
  • Explore
  • Shopping
  • CW SHOPS
  • Support Us
  • Get Started
  • Tickets
  • CW SHOPS
Get the Best of London Life, Culture and Style
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
TV

Les Miserables episode 4 review ★★★★★

On 20 Jan 19, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM

The teenage Cosette (Ellie Bamber) is desperate to see the world for herself, but her guardian Jean Valjean (Dominic West) doesn't want her exposed to its pain

By Euan Franklin on 20/1/2019

Ellie Bamber in Les Miserables, BBC
Ellie Bamber in Les Miserables, BBC
Les Miserables episode 4 review 4 Les Miserables episode 4 review Euan Franklin
Despite being two different sides of the same coin, pointless to compare, this song-less BBC adaptation of Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables is often preferable to the musical. Not because of the songs, but because of how dark and brutal it’s willing to go. It’s almost tempting to read the 1400-page source material.


Ten years have passed since Jean Valjean (Dominic West) escaped the clutches of Javert (David Oyelowo) and sought asylum in a nunnery with the child Cosette. Now, the teenage Cosette (Ellie Bamber) wants to see the outside world but Valjean is heavily opposed. He finally gives in and uses it as an opportunity to warn her against the real world and everything in it.



Cosette (Ellie Bamber) discovers the real world

Cosette’s entrance into the world is a harsh one. As soon as she leaves the nunnery, she’s bombarded right away with beggars, prostitutes, and a corpse laying on the ground. Her journey continues like this, showing Paris before the 1832 June Rebellion against the reigning monarchy, and she’s appalled by the violence and poverty around her.

Although we’ve been exposed to these realities in previous episodes, Fantine’s story being the most tragic, this is the most harrowing depiction of Paris during this tumultuous time. We’re almost seeing the world through Cosette’s curious but sheltered perspective.



Marius (Josh O'Connor) meets with Eponine (Erin Kellyman)


For fans of the musical, this is the episode when Marius (Josh O’Connor) and Cosette finally meet. The older Marius has left his grandfather and settles in with some young anti-monarchists. He’s a much less romantic vision than in the musical, writer Andrew Davies clearly more interested in his sexually repressed mind.


He stares through a hole in the wall of his new lodgings and sees a seductive Eponine (Erin Kellyman) flashing her leg in his direction. Both are very sexual creatures, but he’s a great deal more resistant. The casting of Josh O’Connor is hardly surprising, considering his sexual energy in Francis Lee’s excellent Yorkshire-based drama God’s Own Country – he fits into this version of Marius quite comfortably.



Jean Valjean and Cosette in the Luxembourg Gardens


When he sees Cosette in the Luxembourg Gardens, there’s a glimmer of that instant affection – but it’s not long until she becomes wedged in his horny mind. This is a far more engaging and fascinating look at this famous love triangle, O’Connor being as far from the Eddie Redmayne fairytale as it’s possible to get.


Episode 4 of Les Miserables is the best episode yet, delving not only into the violent streets of 19th century Paris but also the dark psychologies of the different characters. Except for Cosette, most of the characters are suspicious here, hiding something dark inside – nobody is intrinsically good, which provides a very human touch to the story. We have to wait till next week to know if they’ll see the light, or let the dark take them.




What Les Miserables episode 4 review
When On 20 Jan 19, 9:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Price £n/a
Website



Most popular

Things to do in London this weekend: 3–5 February
Things to do in London this weekend: 3–5 February
London exhibitions on now — Peter Doig, Courtauld Gallery
Top 15 exhibitions on now in London
Zadie Smith new novel, The Fraud, to be released in 2023, photo Justin Holler
An A to Z of trends for 2023

Editor's Picks

Ellen Page in The Umbrella Academy
New to Netflix UK: February 2019
Mahershala Ali in True Detective season 3
True Detective season 3 episode 1 & 2 review
Asa Butterfield and Gillian Anderson in Sex Education, Netflix
Sex Education, Netflix review
Zendaya and Hunter Schafer in Euphoria, Sky Atlantic
The best TV of 2019
Diana Gómez in Valeria, Netflix (Photo: Netflix)
The best sex comedies on Netflix
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).

Les Miserables

BBC One

TV

Period Drama

You might like

  • Sheridan Smith in Cleaning Up, ITV

    Cleaning Up episode 2 review ★★★★★

  • Emilia Clarke in Game of Thrones season 8, Sky Atlantic

    Game of Thrones season 8: everything we know

  • Lia Giovanelli and Dominic West in Les Miserables

    Les Miserables episode 3 review ★★★★★

  • Sheridan Smith in Cleaning Up, ITV

    Cleaning Up, ITV review ★★★★★



  • The Culture Whisper team
  • Support Us
  • Tickets
  • Contact us
  • Press
  • FAQ
  • Privacy
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookies
  • Discover
  • Venues
  • Restaurants
  • Stations
  • Boroughs
Sign up to CW’s newsletter
By entering my email I agree to the CultureWhisper Privacy Policy (we won`t share data & you can unsubscribe anytime).
×