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HMS Repulse
posted by merryaprilSTAFFMOD on February 9, 2023 at 9:29 PM
In Ep. 5, "Edward", in spite of the intense focus on the strained relationship between Mrs. Hall and her son, I couldn't help but notice how prominently "HMS Repulse" was emblazoned on Edward's seaman's cap. I discovered there was indeed a Royal Navy battle cruiser by that name in WWII, and it was bombed and torpedoed near Malaysia by the Japanese a couple of days after the infamous Pearl Harbor attack in December, 1941. Of the 1300+ crew, 500+ didn't survive. There was no air cover at that time to offer protection, as up until then the British underestimated the Japanese air force (apparently so did the US). That would of course change, and later in the war the Japanese employed kamikaze pilots to exact a deadly toll on Allied naval vessels in the Pacific.
This incident will probably figure in a future episode, and if Edward isn't made to be more sympathetic in the interim, I doubt if anyone beside Mrs. Hall will care about his fate! It was hard to watch his unrelenting resentment towards her. Sheesh.
Reply by genplant29
on February 12, 2023 at 6:10 PM
I have just finished watching the mentioned episode. It was an especially compelling and touching one.
Good research you did, merry; I, for one, wouldn't otherwise have realized the HMS Repulse was an actual ship, nor its fate. I agree that its fate will likely somehow figure - whether for better or worse we don't know - in eventual future episodes.
I've many times, throughout the run of this series (all three seasons), missed chunks, or significant bits and pieces, of the series' episodes, resulting in often not really understanding what has been or is going on; prior to last Sunday night's episode, I never knew what dear Mrs. Hall's estrangement from her son was due to. Hopefully, for both of their sake, Edward will survive the war and return (including to his mother) a more emotionally mature, whole, and forgiving person.
Reply by merryapril
on February 12, 2023 at 7:01 PM
genplant, there is so little on TV that I care to watch that I sometimes view each episode of any show I like up to 3X each! There are about 6 PBS stations in my cable package, of course running 24/7, allowing for ample opportunities. Now that I'm thinking about it I recall the olden days of my childhood when TV stations would sign off while playing the national anthem, and go dark around 1:00-2:00 AM! If you wanted to watch any episode again you had to wait until summer re-run season. Times have really changed, that's for sure.
Anyway, during the Christmas show at the end of Season 1, Mrs. Hall confessed to Siegfried that Edward stole silverware from her previous employer, and he resented her for turning him in which resulted in a period of incarceration.
Reply by genplant29
on February 12, 2023 at 8:37 PM
I always enjoy this series, and have attempted to faithfully follow it since its beginning the other year, however so often have difficulty settling in for Sunday night Masterpiece series episodes due to needing to do assorted end-of-weekend things to get ready for the new M-F work week, meanwhile try to get to bed at a hopefully not-too-late time. (I normally get up at about 4:10a.m. on work days. Ugh.)
Usually I record whatever Sunday night episodes I want to be able to see, and don't get around to watching them til later in the week. Then, when watching them, unfortunately I sometimes, to save time (and due to workday exhaustion), f.f. through parts that look possibly non-critical.
My sleep schedule, for work days, really makes following 1-hour series episodes (anything that airs 9p.m. or 10p.m.) challenging.
I'll again, tonight, be recording the new ACG&S and Vienna Blood episodes. It possibly may be next weekend that I watch them.
Reply by merryapril
on February 12, 2023 at 11:54 PM
I'm so glad you're able to DVR the shows. IMO they truly are must-see TV, and all of my favorites tend to be feast-for-the-eyes period dramas. I love Vienna Blood and only wish the seasons were longer. Miss Scarlet and the Duke, filmed in Dublin, is another good one.
I forgot you have such a demanding schedule genplant. Ooof, 4:00 AM is brutal. Take care and thanks for chatting!