The Lady Pole tale, the rain-ships...
The relationship between our main duo feels neglected.
From ships made of rain to tense auctions, Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell episode 2 is an innovative and breathless ride – but did we miss some steps along the way?
Stormy Seas
The opening to episode 2, where the French see mysterious British ships on the horizon, which turn out to be conjured by magic, is a perfect little set-piece to start with. It establishes a mini-mystery with some gorgeous special effects. Already the influence of the war is weighing on the series, which gives the show a magnificent scale.
“Magic cannot cure Madness.”
With his great crop of wispy silver hair, like Count Olaf’s dad, the Gentleman veers on pantomime villainy, but Marc Warren’s ethereal portrayal saves it. Warren may find himself as the BBC’s go-to guy for villains, having also recently starred as Rochefort in The Musketeers. It is both creepy and thrilling when Lady Pole’s problems start to manifest, and they’re much bigger than just the loss of half a finger…
Not content with targeting Lady Pole, this episode sees the Gentleman target loyal, bright manservant Stephen (Ariyon Bakare, another strong actor in the show). Although, the sequence where he ends up shaving the Gentleman is more convincing in the novel.
Never Meet Your Heroes
The momentous first face-to-face meeting of our heroes ends up not being momentous at all – in fact, they barely speak to one another. This is the main problem with episode 2, and it could well prove to be a big fault of the series, the title of which promises these two men together in some way. Their meeting is an underwhelming moment that should have been emphasised more.
However, the magic Strange performs is impressive and it is lovely to see the delight it brings Norrell. The humour that is injected by Norrell fighting over the books of magic is much-needed, but behind the humour is the tense rivalry/companionship established between them.
Final Verdict
Episode 2 builds on the grandstanding scale of the world that has been created, but is that at the sacrifice of the comprehensive charting of the relationship between our leads? The beach scenes come to mind as an example of the overtly impressive side of the show. But the scenes work because of what they signify: that Mr Norrell fails to impress but Strange’s magic is a success. However, the auction scene at the end proves the series hasn’t completely lost its focus on Strange & Norrell, protégé and mentor. And next week – we’re off to Portugal, to war!
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