Fans of Smallville may recognise the outside of the Queen family home. It was the same building used as the Luthor mansion in Smallville.
I was recommended by a colleague to watch this show. To put it bluntly I was sceptical - it seemed just like a kids cartoon, and I am in my mid 30s - but I decided to give it a go, mainly because he kept saying "trust me"!
Over the past month I have watched the entire series and must say I was quite impressed. While it definitely is aimed at a younger audience, like all good children's stories it appeals to parents and children alike. If anything, it appeals to adults because it reminds them of what they loved about children's stories as kids.
The first season took a few episodes to get going. It took me a while to get into it and embrace the characters. The early episodes tend to be generally self-contained stories, however towards the end of season 1 the story takes off, and the story become much more serialised. From then on out it is a really enjoyable ride all the way through to the series 3 finale. If anything it gets better from season to season.
The animation is first rate for TV. I have never really watched any anime (or anime-style, in this case) series before so I was definitely going into this green, but I found the quality to be first rate. The characters were also very well written, and the constructed world of element benders was believable within its mythos. I highly recommend this to kids and adults alike. Better still, watch it with your kids.
At the end of the day, they are just telling good stories, and who wouldn't enjoy that?
I absolutely loved the book when I read it a few years ago and I have been really pleased that they have truly done it justice with this adaption - it is definitely one of the best shows I have seen this year.
My only disappointment was that we never once saw Elizabeth, Calvin or Mad showing much affection towards Six Thirty. He was such an important character in the book and such an important member of the family. I just wish we got more of an indication of how much they loved him. The dog POV episode actually worked better than I thought it would but it always felt it was an aspect of the book that could have been easily excised. It was just sad that he was then pretty much ignored for the rest of the epsiodes.
It's impressive that they made a show without a single likeable character. I want to punch all of them. These guys are idiots but not even in the cool, funny sense.
Love the opening music. Regina Spector is awesome.
While the premise of "a guy on a stage reads out the comments posted on YouTube music videos" does not sound even remotely entertaining, do not be put off.
This is one of the funniest things I have watched in ages. Better still it gets funnier with repeated viewings!
MY CONDELENC!
Just. Watch. It. (Trust Me)
Perfectly cast. Perfectly acted. A slow burner with enough twists and turns to keep you enthralled till the final episode. I can't wait for season 2.
The first episode sets a very bleak tone, which had led some people to label The Village a "misery-fest" on social networks. While the first episode is darker in tone than many Sunday night dramas, this description is unfair. I think it paints a plausibly more realistic view of country life that other recent period dramas. The characters are also much more rounded and complex than the first episode would lead you to believe.
The Village is impeccably acted by all concerned, and beautifully shot. All member's of the Middleton family are outstanding, with the young Bert a particular standout. Maxin Peake is wonderful. If you are willing to persevere, you will be rewarded. The later episodes go from strength to strength.
Being a period drama set in a similar period of British history, it is inevitable that this show got called the BBC's answer to Downton Abbey, but truthfully the shows couldn't more different. Downton has gone progressively down-hill in recent seasons, becoming more and more soapy. I see much more potential for The Village in both scope and storytelling as we move through the decades.
Peter Moffat has conceived the show as a UK version of German series Heimat with the story being told through the decades until the present day. I can't wait for season 2.
