A Casual Vacancy

I often think that the secret of my success as a mother is my occasional popping up their facebook feeds with such things as 'Hello my precious - it's your favourite Evil Mother here. Don't forget it's my birthday next week - remember, I am the one who has all those photos of you secreted away in a locked safe'.

I am not one for sobbing away in a corner because my ungrateful offspring have taken me for granted, but they don't seem to mind!

The Krystals when they grow up are fascinating. I sometimes meet someone and think - you had it tough. Amazing women, but quick to take offence usually.

I was thinking about it again at the weekend - in particular about the review I read that said Samantha's threat to her teenage daughters 'I am the mother from hell etc' was 'chilling'.

I thought the reviewer missed entirely the irony of the situation.
Two indulged teenage girls who appear to have everything being told off by an exasperated mother because she does not want to indulge their latest desire to holiday abroad (fuelled by manipulative granny) is described as 'chilling'.
Half a mile away there is the truly chilling situation that Krystal endures with her drug addict mother and mother's friends.
There are many Krystals out there.
I would have liked to have seen a different ending.

I was away when the final episode was shown, so caught up on Saturday evening. I accept the points about stereotypes but I didn't find the characters one dimensional or hard to believe in. As Nelliemoser said earlier, any one who has worked as a health visitor, social worker, teacher, police officer etc will have come across characters like the one's portrayed in Casual Vacancy.

Krystal and her mother were so well written and portrayed by the actors. I confess to weeping at Krystal's fate. It reminded me of a number of girls like her I worked with. Feisty, stroppy, argumentative but with a longing for some kind of 'normality'.

Oh I loved this series. I read the book when it first came out and unusually I thought Julia Mckenzie played the part exactly as I imagined her to be. Snobby, nasty, viscous tongued, poisoned old woman.

I think JK Rowling's writing proved (as others have said) the huge divide that still exists between the haves and the have nots in this country. Here we had a pretty village, full of chocolate box houses owned by affluent (mainly) professionals who's personalities were rather questionable. Compared with a nasty (not my words) council estate on the outskirts, who's residents (unfortunately) had to dirty the streets of the village centre occasionally. I particularly liked the character of Krystal (poor girl) who was trying her best for her little brother Robbie despite her awful life with her drug addict mother. Typical of social services to remove the original social worker just when she was beginning to get herself put right and finally trust someone.

There were a few differences between the original book and the TV adaptation and believe it or not the book is even sadder than the TV drama but won't spoil it for those who are yet to read it or watch the drama on catchup.

I agree with* Nelliemoser,* it was realistic and true to life, these sorts of lives are being lived all over the world, perhaps we just don't want to accept the fact and have it thrust into our faces or in our living rooms on a Sunday evening. There are still class differences, and I think that's what JK Rowling was trying to say, and she said it extremely well. I loved the book and the tv version, superb acting all round and all the emotions played out, sadness, anger, sorrow, hopelessness, empathy, humour, I could go on. I think you can tell I enjoyed it immensely.

True to life in some ways, but all the unpleasant features of many aspects of life brought together and concentrated into one melting pot!

To think she based it on the area where she grew up.
We're just not like that at all!!

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.

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!)

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!

Yes, I thought both were excellent

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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 ...

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

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

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.

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

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 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.