lassothemoon

I mean, it was written rather clunky but I think his delivery was fine. Rewatching it I don't have much of a problem with it because I think that at that point that's when she starts to realize that she is sort of married to a memory because he is dead, and she can have a life again, if she chooses to.

She still isn't free of him, but whoever she chooses, that's something that she's going to come to terms with so her heart can go on.

I think that was a JF overture sort of thing.

L i N d $ @ y

I'm doing this on some threads but just a general reminder that if some of us want to discuss spoilers in greater detail about Mary/Tony, we have the spoiler thread here.

Thanks though for getting this thread right on track!

I thought it was off. Personally, if I have a suitor like Tony, I'd be head over heels. But then again, I didn't have a husband that died. I know that Tony was stating a fact but he can't quite dictate what a person might feel in that moment even if he has to speak the glaring truth. At that time, I'm glad Mary rejected him because I think Mary isn't 100% ready to commit to him yet even if he is (kind of like how she was in S1 when Matthew proposed). She may be attracted to him but she isn't there yet.

ediedoyle

Thanks for reminding about the spoiler thread. It's easy to get carried away here haha.


Good point, lasso, about Mary starting to realize then that she was in love with a memory. It makes sense looking at the expression on her face. Maybe I was thinking about it too much from my own perspective.

L i N d $ @ y

No worries and it's hard policing the rules here as I'm alone but hopefully I can find a co-mod soon.

A pic of Mary & Tony from the CS. It doesn't give away a storyline so I think it's okay to post. And if you've seen the CS trailer, you'd know that Tony's back.


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lassothemoon

All the pretty!

Maité

They look great!

ediedoyle

You have to admit they look amazing together!

Tom also posted a lovely photo of his grandad today, saying his portrayal of Lord Gillingham was partly based on him. Aww.

(Can't get the image to embed so just click here) >> Instagram

They look so alike.

lassothemoon

I think they do look fantastic together. That's one of the big things for me with whoever she chooses--they have to look good together.

Awww! They do! I love how much work he put into the character.

L i N d $ @ y

I agree, Tom & Michelle look great together.

And thanks for that Instagram link. That's a great pic of his grandfather.


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ediedoyle

Can I post this here? An interview with Tom on Radio Wales: http://goo.gl/uFrnf1

I haven't heard the whole 20min yet, but in the first 5 he says some excellent things about Tony Gillingham and the difficulty he faced in trying to make the character sympathetic.
I love that even he recognizes the line Gillingham crossed in courting Mary. It also makes me think about the relationship with Mabel...Although he was wrong to pursue another woman while engaged to her, did it ever occur to any of us that Mabel may have been equally unenthusiastic/bored about what is essentially an arranged marriage -- a business deal, even -- with Tony? He did say that "she took it with real style" when he broke it off.

I don't doubt that Mabel could have been hurt by the situation. But I think both she and Tony were mostly in it for reasons to do with family, expectations and money/security. Even if they got along reasonably well. So when he told her that he couldn't go through with it, she understood why.

As for Mary.. I am still reading theories on other boards that Tony has some ulterior motive with her. That he is after her money and so on. I never got that vibe in the beginning, but agreed anything could happen. Now Tom's comments confirm for me what I felt from the start -- he is just lonely, tired and a little bit trapped. Reconnecting with Mary woke him up. She made him feel needed and strong and useful (as we saw he was happy to give advice on the taxes); she reminded him of his youth and the good old days; she is probably much closer to his age than Mabel, and so may be more understanding of the scars he bears from the war and time in general. He knows she is capable of a very deep kind of love because of the way she spoke about Matthew. On top of that he clearly has the hots for her. So when he saw a split second of possibilty to change everything, to be with someone who inspired in him a passion for life again, he just went for it without caring about propriety, etc.

It is sad he put Mary & Mabel in an awkward position though. None of this makes his actions any less wrong, imo.

lassothemoon

Thanks for posting!

He's in the first 8 minutes.

I like Tony when he rationalizes him ( which is a really really good skill as a writer, looking forward to his film! ), and I do think he achieved that vulnerability. I think he's right that he is lonely and he has led a tragic life, so on one hand you want to root for him, and on the other you want him to slow down a little.

I've enjoyed watching his portrayal. If it had been any other actor I don't think he would have been as like able, which does Tom credit!

ediedoyle

Awh, I was so hoping they would keep him talking for 20min! :p
He is so lovable in real life, he really does carry some of that into the character. I agree it'd be hard to like Tony otherwise. Wonderful, wonderful casting. I didn't care that his accent wasn't 100% perfectly "posh enough" because he nailed pretty much everything else.

Now I'm just curious to find out how Tony and Mary will work out their ending. I might cry a little at seeing Tom Cullen go, hehe. But it's all good. Really love his ambition and thoughtfulness; he will be a great writer/director.

lassothemoon

He is. And yeah, I didn't even notice with the accent--he's doing it right as far as I know. And I think the mannerisms help as well.

I'd like them to stay friends--I mean I don't see why they couldn't. He is after all her childhood friend.

I actually had a ficlet in my head about how I'd resolve it. I have to get to working on that.

In the meantime I thought I'd share this: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9766509...eature-of-Duty


I wrote it after the original airing of the episode.

ediedoyle

Could Mary stay in touch with him if she chose Evelyn? I wonder. We don't know what the two gents think of each other. i think Tony and Mary will part as friends but they probably wouldn't hear from one another in a long, long time.

Your story -- it seems we really have similar ideas about Tony! Nice to know I'm not the only one.

Oh and as for the accent -- I'm not British, but I do think I have a good ear for their accents and will say imho there are moments he lets it slip a bit. But it was more than good enough to carry him through. I thought so anyway. In comparison, Gary Carr's American accent was outright distracting to me, bless him. But that is a discussion for another thread.

lassothemoon

I think so. He must have been comfortable with him calling him Tony even though they just met, and gave him a ride back ( and I don't think he felt threatened by him, but he does by Blake-"I couldn't let Charles stay here with you" or something ). They're from similar backgrounds and have dealt with the same sort of issues that come with being an heir in the 20th century. I actually see a lot of similarities between the two, but that's just me.

Yeah! I like him, I do, and I think everything he does is for a reason. He's misguided sometimes and naive, but that's only human.

I think he did maybe in the proposal scene--but I loved the rest of his performance so much that I wasn't too bothered by it.