I know. I can’t believe I wrote that, too.

I was supposed to blog yesterday, but I got caught up in watching the Bleak House miniseries with Diana Rigg. I’d seen the one with Gillian Anderson, which is so good, but this one has its own merits that also make it so good.

For the non-literati, the Bleak House miniseries are based off of the book by Charles Dickens, and generally, they are very loyal to the text, which is also absolutely fantastic.

One thing that I really enjoy about the book is that it follows the paths of a plethora of characters, especially as to their fates as based on freewill. It is there choices that decides their destiny, and each choice is mapped out in the book. From the very beginning, for each character, a decision links them to a consequence, which spurs on another decision that links to a consequence. Is it not Lady Dedlock’s our decision to underestimate her spouse’s love of family honor over herself? Is it not John Jarndyce’s decision to put happiness over bleakness? Yes, he does get taken advantage of for his goodness, but he decides it is the better evil than to be involved with the law case that caused his great-uncle to kill himself. Isn’t it bleak that the characters can really only blame themselves? Or is it the extreme opposite?

But now that I think on it, I’m not sure if I can categorize the streetsweep Jo with the other characters.

My only other thought to add: Why do the actresses that play Lady Dedlock always get top billing and not the actresses who play Esther Summerson?