TV

First Woman: "Gentleman Jack" goes back in time to present an ideal future

Series about tidal figures have been filling the screens in recent years, but few of them manage to touch in such a sensitive and clever way thanks to loving and being unconditionally loved.

With an outstanding star at the center and a lot of sensitivity, a groundbreaking drama is created that does not interest itself

Ilan Kaprov

20/06/2022

Monday, 20 June 2022, 00:00 Updated: 00:47

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

• Comments

  Comments

"Gentleman Jack" Trailer - Season 2 (BBC)

In 2019, the year in which the debut season of "Gentleman Jack" aired, an unprecedented event took place in the city of York in the UK.

On the wall of the "Church of the Holy Trinity", which was built in the 12th century and survives to this day, was placed a round plaque surrounded by the colors of pride.

The inscription on the board includes the words: "Anne Lister 1791-1840 from Shibden Hall, Halifax. Lesbian and diary. Took the communion here to sign her union with Anne Walker. Easter 1834."

Many fans of Lister and of the series that gave her story a windfall, have since visited the church as well as the other major sites of the series.

Lister, a devout and ardent supporter of the Conservative (serial) party, who was mockingly called "Gentleman Jack" because of her "masculine" conduct, her tendency to wear black and engage in jobs that "do not suit women", has become an icon for those seeking to change positions Anachronistic and loving whoever they want.

The same religious establishment that did not recognize her marriage nearly 200 years ago,

More on Walla!

Tragedy in Netflix's new series: Two players killed, production suspended

To the full article

Breaking through.

Ann Lister played by Suran Jones, "Gentleman Jack" (Photo: Aimee Spinks / HBO)

"Gentleman Jack", whose latest season recently ended on BBC and HBO (and in Israel Bite, Hot and Cellcom TV), is based on Lister's detailed diaries, which included a total of about five million words.

Documentarily, Lister was individual and pedantic with updates on the trivial journey to the market, just as she was in describing her sexual experiences.

As the first season unfolded, Lister (Suran Jones, "Mrs. Foster") became the owner of the Shibden Hall mansion after the death of her aunt.

Along with the upgrades and repairs required to the estate, she discovered that a pair of local brothers were robbing the coal deposits that are in its territory.

All this alongside an investigation into an accident in which some of its tenants were injured, the attempt to take over the debts accumulated by the estate - and of course, the joy of seeing and experiencing the big world, including romances with many women.

This intricate collection of stories, some very technical, could not have worked without Jones' wonderful display.

Her natural charisma charges every conversation, even the niche ones in particular, with tremendous energy.

It is mostly unable to stand in one place for more than a few seconds.

The ability of creator Sally Wainwright and the series' photographers to turn this frenzy into a relentless movement is one of its most enjoyable tools.

The camera seems to be chasing Lister who is not waiting for anyone, trying to catch up with her steps and also the way her sharp mind sees three steps ahead.

More on Walla!

Turbid magic: The launch of Disney Plus in Israel is an insult to the local audience

To the full article

Revolutionary occupation.

Jones with Sophie Randall, "Gentleman Jack" (Photo: Aimee Spinks / HBO)

Already in the scene that opens the second season, Lister looks back and notices the camera: "Fine, you are here," she notes with satisfaction before continuing on her way to the first destination.

This flirtation with breaking the fourth wall is a beautiful trick of mediating between the times.

Lister is at once conservative but also the woman of the big world, and she is also aware that we are aware of the bizarre way in which society accepts her.

Her brief glance at the camera is her way of continuing the ongoing chase.

On the one hand the physical pursuit to achieve it, and on the other the mental pursuit, to make sure we understood what she had long understood.

With a less good actress than Jones this trick might have turned into a mouse, but she turns it into an almost telepathic tool between us and her.

If the first season took place for the most part in the shadow of Lister's heartbreak from her lover who abandoned her, the current one finds her at the center of a love triangle.

On the one hand, her new partner Ann Walker (Sophie Randall) is confused and arrogant - but also someone who openly adores her and is willing to commit to her as no previous mistress has agreed.

On the other hand, there is Mariana Lawton (Lydia Leonard), the ex who abandoned her due to the shame caused by her presence in the British aristocratic community, and is now unable to come to terms with the fact that she was able to move on without her.

Instead of turning the event into a cheap and jealous battle, "Gentleman Jack" enriches it by emphasizing the lack that Lister produces in each of the women's lives.

For Mrs. Lawton it is the audacity that evaporates as she walks, for Mrs. Walker it is the determination and assertiveness she formulates.

More on Walla!

"Game of Thrones" is back?

HBO is planning a sequel to the hit series

To the full article

Having a hard time coming to terms with the loss.

Mariana Lawton played by Lydia Leonard, "Gentleman Jack" (Photo: Aimee Spinks / HBO)

This occupation is revolutionary not only because of the small number of works that have presented such a triangle, but because these are high-class British women.

In a nation where the question of what to think was and remains a very critical issue in everyday life, Lister's presence is a refreshing breeze.

She does not apologize or explain, she does not try to flatter or give up her desires or desires in favor of social norms - she is individualism in essence.

Naturally this conduct leads her to clashes with a variety of characters in society, and especially with Anne Walker's family.

A frightened and frightened heiress who suddenly finds new voice and courage thanks to the proximity to the galloping locomotive which is Anne Lister.

And just as love is for her a matter to be delved into and specialized in, so it is in every other subject in the realms of Lister's life.

Just as she did not take an interest in taking part in local politics, in coal and railways, in rent management and in running the household of the domestic workers - so she did not do so in matters of the heart either.

In one of the famous winks at us this season, she will tell with a smile that even if love does not succeed - she will still be back to what she loves most of all: her freedom.

Travel where you want, spend the night with whoever you want, experience what you want.

More on Walla!

Heart of Darkness: Like the protagonist's soul, "Barry" is only getting gloomier

To the full article

Impressive sub-stars.

Gemma Willan on the left, "Gentleman Jack" (Photo: Matt Squire / HBO)

Jones' show alone is enough to make "Gentleman Jack" a fun candy, but thankfully here it doesn't end there.

The impressive period reconstruction of 19th-century York landscapes, the lightness that combines a dramatic story with many winks and comic moments, and the impressive acting of the sub-stars - especially Anne's sister, Marian (Gemma Willen, "Game of Thrones"), a sub-wheel all her life trying In vain to find independence in the giant shadow.

Everything helps to make "Gentleman Jack" great.

The three years that have passed between the seasons have slightly forgotten the enjoyment of the first season, so that those who get to watch them together now will enjoy the experience even more.

Aside from its entertaining quality, "Gentleman Jack" is a groundbreaking work about a pioneer who does not care about her pioneering spirit.

In a sense, it is precisely the conservative Anne Lister who is the great modern ideal: a woman who does what she wants with whom she wants, and sees it as nothing out of the ordinary.

It's a bit amusing to have to go back in time to experience such an ideal script, but "Gentleman Jack" proves to be quite possible.

• culture

• TV

• TV review

Tags

• Gentleman Jack

• TV review