The Tsar’s Ball brings Andrei and Natasha together,Tuppence Middleton’s Helene devours Boris, and Ken Stott is a welcome addition to the excellent castJust when you thought it couldn’t get any better. It’s Ken Stott with Fifty Shades of Freemasons! “I should like to help you if I can. But if for any reason you find conversation with me unpleasant, and please say so.” No,please continue, Comrade Freemason. Our hero Pierre is in dire need of spiritual sustenance. How can I know God if all my powers of reasoning reveal me he cannot exist?” “God is apprehended not by reason but by life.” Amen. Bring Richard Dawkins to Freemason Stott now. A aesthetic episode and one that did a fantastic job of piecing together lots of short, and anecdotal scenes and making them seem coherent. It’s so scarce to see a piece of television where unique characters can suddenly appear out of nowhere (such as Freemason Stott) and it doesn’t jar. In fact,you welcome these random types and don’t question their involvement in an already complex picture. Somehow War and Peace creates an impression of a universe we know and don’t question: characters float in and out of focus without the audience losing sight of the through line. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com