Review of the mini-series "The Essex Serpent," a drama about emancipation, science, and faith
A noteworthy adaptation of Sarah Perry's bestselling novel of the same name - starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston.
Late nineteenth century Victorian London. Cora Seaborn (Claire Danes) has just buried her abusive husband. The widow is not particularly sure exactly how she feels, either grief or relief, but she is sure she should return to her hobby of paleontology. When rumors arise that a mythical serpent has begun to terrorize a fishing village in Essex, the heroine realizes it is time to leave the secular capital with her son and a socialist maid. Cora's investigation confronts her with the fear-shaking locals, who are convinced that the monster only takes sinners, and the handsome priest Will (Tom Hiddleston). The latter, on the other hand, believes that there are no huge ancient monsters and certainly they have nothing to do with God's punishment.
In its third year of life, the Apple TV+ streaming service has finally begun to do what was expected of it at its launch: it's not about winning the Oscars, but about consistently releasing big-budget and daring series. Of course, our hopes for the platform to compete with Netflix didn't come true: the giant, which produces tons of content, is simply impossible to keep up with, but we have to admit that Apple TV+ has been winning the series so far this year. Following "Split," "The Road A Thousand Leagues," and "Slow Horses" comes "Snake in Essex," a humble and small, but still a success that will not only justify a subscription to the service, but will also brighten a few evenings. Especially for fans of costume dramas.
Sarah Perry's pioneering novel is something of an intelligent hodgepodge of classic gothic literature and modern feminist literature. Having just been freed from the bonds of a toxic marriage, the heroine is finally able to control her own life, so she embarks on a dangerous journey in search of the leviathan that terrifies the neighborhood. True, this is not just a story about the search for self or deserved happiness, but a novel of philosophical ideas and conflicts: it is no coincidence that the action takes place in an era of technological and cultural progress. The mini-series, though not far from the original, but after watching it remains a feeling that more emphasis was placed on melodrama - however, with such a central duo of female creators is hard to blame for this.
Speaking of conflicts, "Snakes in Essex" offers the traditional clash of views: Cora is a man of science, Will is an apologist for faith, and the locals have irrational prejudices on their minds. Each side explains its position in the argument, with the first two being unusual. Cora covers herself with the research of her contemporaries and the fossils found, but her views are based on a belief in the existence of the beast, while the preaching Will, suddenly, has logic in mind. Thanks to this ironic contrast, frequent scenes of conversation flourish-they are so well acted and filmed that you involuntarily forget everything. Indeed, it is a pleasure to watch a well-dressed Tom Hiddleston and Claire Danes strolling through the dense foggy landscape.
However, you have to admit, you believe more in their friendship than in the romance. Again, this forced attempt to turn the story into a melodrama is the main failure of the series, which has much more interesting, but in no way developed plot branches. What about the medical exploits of Cora's second suitor, the London doctor Luke, who treated her husband and fell in love with the heroine. Or unexplored relationship with her son and especially with the maid - the latter often expresses a political position and hints at the heroine's feelings. This conservative series just lacks something bold, like the housekeeper's musings on class struggle and revolutionary socialism or same-sex love, as in Ammonite. Finally, there's no escaping the supernatural intrigue - the filmmakers are so zealous about the attacks on the locals and fainting schoolchildren that the rather obvious punchline seems rather out of place at the end.
Despite the sparing format of the mini-series, it seems that "Snake in Essex" still suffered from the main scourge of the streaming era: stretched timekeeping. The story could have been made into a dynamic feature-length film, or a classic three-hour mini-series, or, conversely, a full season of eight to ten episodes that would have given more time to the secondary story branches. As it stands now, "Serpent" vacillates between melodrama and a complex story about emancipation, superstition, and progress -- succeeding a little in each, but still leaving a sense of unrealized potential.
Comments