More than one person (meaning, I think, two) has told me that I would really like the BBC program Upstart Crow. Since the winter break started, I came down with a gnarly cold that has kept me doing precious little: A couple of the days were so bad that I didn't have enough energy to read or play video games, which, if you've ever tried those activities, are not particularly high-demand on the energy front.
To try to gain some sort of mental/physical/emotional/spiritual recharge during the break, I decided to try out Upstart Crow. (I used a free trial membership to the BBC's Amazon affiliate, BritBox, which I cancelled once I was done with the show.) This was a very wise decision, as it vastly improved my mood--it kept the sickness of my body from wearing down my too-temperamental emotions. Normally, I'm not a fan of laugh-track comedy shows, though I have a bit of a soft-spot for niche British comedies (as I'm still a fan of 'Allo 'Allo, which takes place in Nazi-occupied France and was a part of my childhood). Still, I figured I could give Upstart Crow a chance, what with it being on a free trial anyway. There's a lot to commend it. The writing is funny and satirical, with a couple of running gags throughout the whole show that I particularly enjoy: Shakespeare will often remind us all that Robert Greene "hates my gutlings"; every time Shakespeare has to commute from London to Stratford, he makes lengthy rants about the poor transportation service that is copied and pasted from most people's experience in the Underground; many of the shows are based around his plays, with some of the random, extraordinary, or downright bizarre moments being used as a way to further the plot, often with wry observations about them, culminating with a "Hang on. Hang the futuck on!" as a note that Shakespeare has cottoned onto something; the characters will comment on how Shakespeare uses language, particularly some of his (now) famous phrases, and remark how they don't make sense or they can't really see how they would ever catch on. I think what really works for me is that it is irreverent, crass, and critical, while at the same time, thoughtful, well-researched, and comes from a place of love. There are moments where modern-day interpretations of Shakespeare's works come out in lengthy analyses, all delivered with an ironic twist that made me laugh until I coughed. There were plenty of genuine Shakespearean lines--some said by Will himself, others by the rest of the cast--and there were plenty of jokes about the times that made me laugh because of the research that I've done on the Elizabethan times. I think it's fun, too, because Shakespeare is a mixture of success, competency, arrogance, shyness, and good intentions. There's plenty of conversation in the world of Bardolatry about whether or not Shakespeare was faithful to his wife. I kind of think that, men and society being what they were at the time, Shakespeare probably thought of his family, for the most part, as a hindrance to what he was doing in London. Upstart Crow, however, incorporates the family dynamic really well: Anne Shakespeare (formerly Anne Hathaway) is a major player, and Will goes from London to Stratford-upon-Avon (in the aforementioned commutes) frequently. This gives him a connection to his family, and though he has his own desires and urges and flaws, he truly cares about his family and his wife. They only really play with the possibility of Will being unfaithful in one of the stories, and it works really well--in fact, it's my favorite episode, which is the last one of the third season (not counting the Christmas special, which is now the only version of A Christmas Carol that I will probably ever want to watch). At this point, if you're reading along and thinking, I might have a go at that show, then, since Steve is such a fan, then I'll put in a spoiler for this next bit. See, as this season finale came along (called "Go On and I Will Follow"), I was able to rather predict the ending of the story: Hamnet Shakespeare, William's only son, died when he was only about 11 or so. In the episode, a lot was being made about Hamnet and his confirmation, which led me to know (or, more accurately, guess) that Hamnet wasn't going to survive the episode. I was right: Hamnet dies while Will is away, and he comes home to a bereaved family. This works in the context of the show really well because the stories have woven the homelife with the worklife in a way that makes the characters feel like his loving--if strange--family. Will doesn't feel like an absentee father, despite being somewhat disconnected from the lives of his family, and so the grief that rocks them is really profound. And, when Sue Shakespeare, his oldest daughter, asks him if he truly believes that Hamnet is still alive, that there's an afterlife, William answers her (I think) honestly, "No. I don't think there's anything else." That is a bone of contention within Bardolators (we really don't have a lot else to do, honestly), as some people think that he's fully Protestant, others that he's a closeted Catholic, and yet others that think he's a nihilist. (The late Harold Bloom says of Hamlet (whom he closely identified with Shakespeare) as being, like himself, "Of a gnostic sect of one.") I don't know what Shakespeare believed; I don't know how much of him is in the plays or poetry. But I get a pretty strong sense that he's interested in people here and now, not what we may be on the other side. As a result, this response is really potent. It stakes a particular claim about Shakespeare--as do a number of other instances--and I think it strengthens the show as a result. Now, the thing isn't perfect; the production values are pretty small, and though they do a great job with the material, this is no Game of Thrones style TV. Sometimes the jokes a touch predictable (the running gags have that as a point against them as well, yes?), and they can sometimes feel a bit too shouty for my taste. Also, it's not easily available here--though I will be poking around to see if there's a Blu-ray collection that works in the US--which is sad. On the whole, though, it's well written, funny, thoughtful, touching, and a brilliant love letter to the Bard--to that upstart crow, as Robert Greene once wrote, who changed the world. I love it. Comments are closed.
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