Series 2, new writers & about 3 years have passed - in real life, not certain about FG land. The difference is clear in Freddy; she's visibly grown up & doing exams.
Tom is about to start secondary school - not the private school Freddy was at, but it's not at all clear she's still going there either. Harriet has been studying to be a shiatsu practitioner, involving a stay back in London.
In a truly terrible development, Jack is now driving an ordinary car! It's a VW Golf. A cabriolet, admittedly, but it's not an Alvis T21!!!!
The main plot (if it can be called that) involves hidden but crushing rural poverty and the show really did fall down here, because though the characters all try to help no one explains *why* a farmer with 350 acres might only be surviving hand to mouth.
Everyone is considerably chattier, in particular Hilly. There's really not much sign of the untalkative young girl of series one. And she calls Lady B "Gran", which seems quite out of place. Pretty sure she only ever called her Lady Pat before. Lady Pat herself seems a bit more...in touch with the everyday as well.
There's nothing wrong with all this, but it's a definite change to the tone of the programme. They've kept some familiar faces, but are also obviously trying to expand the universe by bringing in some other characters. But more than that, it all seems a bit slicker, a bit more modern. Just a teeny bit less.... Forever Green.
Still very enjoyable and escapist though.
Tom is about to start secondary school - not the private school Freddy was at, but it's not at all clear she's still going there either. Harriet has been studying to be a shiatsu practitioner, involving a stay back in London.
In a truly terrible development, Jack is now driving an ordinary car! It's a VW Golf. A cabriolet, admittedly, but it's not an Alvis T21!!!!
The main plot (if it can be called that) involves hidden but crushing rural poverty and the show really did fall down here, because though the characters all try to help no one explains *why* a farmer with 350 acres might only be surviving hand to mouth.
Everyone is considerably chattier, in particular Hilly. There's really not much sign of the untalkative young girl of series one. And she calls Lady B "Gran", which seems quite out of place. Pretty sure she only ever called her Lady Pat before. Lady Pat herself seems a bit more...in touch with the everyday as well.
There's nothing wrong with all this, but it's a definite change to the tone of the programme. They've kept some familiar faces, but are also obviously trying to expand the universe by bringing in some other characters. But more than that, it all seems a bit slicker, a bit more modern. Just a teeny bit less.... Forever Green.
Still very enjoyable and escapist though.
