A Casual Vacancy

Any librarians on here?

I enjoyed the 2nd episode. The young woman who plays Crystal is brilliant and I was delighted when she shopped the drug dealer who was storing stolen stuff at their home. The way in which she looks after her little brother and tries to sort her mum out, whilst playing the hard girl outside of her home is an accurate portrayal of too many girls like her I met when working.

So many interesting characters and such a good cast. Great tv

The book is excellent, it does help to sort out the characters and their intentions if you have read it first.

I am quite enjoying this, a little difficult to follow at first, but when once I had the feel of what was happening, I thought it was very cleverly done.

I did enjoy the 2nd episode more than the first, and but thank goodness there is only one more.

I enjoyed the 'dinner party from hell' and the mother shouting at her two teenage daughters who had accused her of being 'mean'. "I'm the mother from hell and I'm going to ruin your lives, because I love it.'' Wish I had thought of that line when mine were teenagers!
One review described that as 'chilling' - obviously written by someone who has never dealt with truculent teenagers.
(When I was accused of being 'mean' I used to say 'Mean? Mean? You don't know the meaning of mean. If you want mean I can show you mean!)

Crystal is well-played but I wish she hadn't succumbed. I thought it would have been better if she had shown a bit more contempt at the suggestion.

Largely agree Rosequartz, but I thought that Crystal's behaviour was really because Barry had died and with it her hope of an apprenticeship and a 'normal' future. The distant shot of her gazing disinterestedly out of the window while the boy treated her as a piece of meat seemed to suggest that. Ages since I read the book, but I think that was the idea there? Others may disagree.

I still haven't finished the book, I will probably read it after episode 3 now.
I see now; she is probably thinking what does anything matter any more.
However, she does seem quite determined in other ways and trying her best in her own limited way, so I was surprised at that.

I recorded it so I could watch 2 episodes at the same time. I have to admit that I just gave up on it. I didn't like the characters at all. An odd unpleasant feel to the whole thing. I know not every drama is pleasant ( I loved Broadchurch). I just couldn't care about the people in the casual vacancy somehow. Something crucial missing from it all for me.

I think they are very one-dimensional, Jane10.
Apart from Crystal who is a bit more complex.

I wish I hadn't watched the last episode tonight. It was so depressing. The three characters that I really wanted to come through ended up: drowned; back on drugs; motherless/sisterless - very cheerful.

I also found last night's final episode totally depressing... I was rooting for poor Crystal who "heard the ringing but didn't know where the bell was" - a funny saying of my gran's which meant that people knew/had some instinct there must be a way out but didn't know how to find it. Very sad.

At least the ending was a little kinder than the book.

I recorded the first 2 episodes, watched the first but kept falling asleep so I gave up. I just did not enjoy it.

pittcity well I am glad I never read the book. A friend of mine who is a GP wrote to JK Rowling when that book came out, complaining about the stereotypes that she was perpetuating She never got a reply ...

Is it perhaps not what people don't want to see on a Sunday night after Call The Midwife.

Assuming people will behave in a particular way because of their social status is wrong, but I would suggest that several of the Gnrs on here who have been teachers or social workers might well recognise the patterns of behaviour of Crystal and her drug addicted mum.

As for "sterotypes" a lot of people do behave in a manner you can predict when you get to know them. That is the subject of much drama and comedy. You know most times just how they are going to respond to a particular situation.

This drama was never meant to be cosy. Real life is not always cosy, just read the next child abuse reports that hits the press. It happens and repeated substance abuse is what brings a heck of a lot of children into the care system, when it becomes apparent that the parent just cannot provide a stable and safe environment.

It's probably a lot more realistic than Eastenders ever has been.

The book does have decidely more depth about the relationships than could be portrayed on screen and makes this a lot clearer.

We are not always meant to like the characters we see on screen though I think that was probably the point of the book. Local politics and power struggles even within pretty villages.

I followed up with last nights episode by catching up with the final episode of Wolf Hall. Power struggles and wheeler dealing there as well.

I keep going to sleep in this - I might start again from the beginning.

Pittcity thank you! I won't read the book. It was gloomy and doomy enough for me and Grannyknot is right about the stereotypes. Good performances, though.

I know how horrible and full of despair life can be for some children, but I don't want it turned into my Sunday night offer of entertainment on BBC1.

I haven't read the book and won't bother now. I quite enjoyed the BBC drama and thought Julia McKenzie was superb.

Yes, Julia McKenzie was superb as was Abigail Lawrie, who played Krystal Weedon.

I didn't realise it was the last episode. I hadn't read the book. (Not very perspicacious emoticon here)

Yes, I thought both were excellent

Julia McKenzie was excellent, she looked like a simpering, slightly baffled old lady but she was pure poison. The dinner party that they crashed was fantastic and that scene where she was in her son's house, uninvited, and looking through her DiL's browsing history!

I agree about Julia McKenzie's superb acting. I actually felt for her at the end, she'd obviously been completely oblivious to her horrible husband's lecherous ways.

I also though Keeley Hawes played her character well, especially in the last episode.

On the whole, though, I agree with Jane10's feeling that there was an odd, unpleasant atmosphere throughout this series and I'm glad there won't be a sequel (fingers crossed!)

I agree with nelliemoser, far truer to life and more realistic than any other offerings on tv. Maybe Sunday night wasn't the best night for it, though. I suspect whoever picked the slot hadn't read the book. No cosy endings, no Happy ever After.