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Post by deansay on Feb 21, 2017 11:24:39 GMT
What a strange ending. It seemed like there was another episode coming next week. We don't know that Betsys died, the whole seeing Sonny while singing seemed like she was but it could be a coma and we don't know if Lucians body will be blamed on the bomb. Hopefully they'll be a 2nd series that will show what happens next but if not I'm going to be a bit annoyed with this very opening ending. That really left us in limbo didn't it? I am assuming that Betsy died, having seen Sonny beckoning to her. She was very haltingly singing A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square as she walked towards him but then it changed to Vera Lynn singing as we saw Betsy on the ground. As far as I can think, the only ones we can be certain are dead are Betsy and Lucian. Oh and Toby and Adil because they weren't at the hotel, although they may have died, along with the entire cast in the same air raid! Having followed and enjoyed the series I shall also be furious if that is IT! I think ITV are keeping their options open.
It can return and could continue quite easily but if not it just told the story of 'The Halcyon' in its glory days.
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Post by sootycat on Feb 21, 2017 12:34:28 GMT
It left the ending a bit up in the air didn't it. I do hope we get a second series as it was very enjoyable.
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Post by profbooboo on Feb 21, 2017 12:46:49 GMT
I think Toby and Adil will be ok, I think Toby was seeing Adil in Paddington away from the Halcyon bombing.
I agree Betsy is probably gone but they've made it so if they wanted they could bring her back and say the image of Sonny was her comotose or unconscious mind.
And Lucian is definately gone but will they know it was murder or will the special branch be keeping a close eye on them all after that phone call.
And who will Emma choose?
So many questions left unanswered. I hope this isn't going to be another Home Fires where it's cancelled with lots of unanswered questions!
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Post by beverley61 on Feb 21, 2017 12:55:57 GMT
That really left us in limbo didn't it? I am assuming that Betsy died, having seen Sonny beckoning to her. She was very haltingly singing A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square as she walked towards him but then it changed to Vera Lynn singing as we saw Betsy on the ground. As far as I can think, the only ones we can be certain are dead are Betsy and Lucian. Oh and Toby and Adil because they weren't at the hotel, although they may have died, along with the entire cast in the same air raid! Having followed and enjoyed the series I shall also be furious if that is IT! I think ITV are keeping their options open.
It can return and could continue quite easily but if not it just told the story of 'The Halcyon' in its glory days.
Sadly I thought they would leave things like that, "a just in case there is another series" final episode.
Amazing how quickly Toby got to Adil's room, considering he had never been there before and it probably wasn't local; add to that the fact that the suicide note had been left hours earlier So the gas has been running for about well let's say 2/3 hours to be conservative, it is surprising Adil didn't manage to kill himself and half the people in the building into the bargain. He didn't block up the door either, so the gas would have been leaking into the hall, and what nobody noticed, nobody! The place would have gone up like a light the minute anyone else had a cigarette or turned on their heating or oven.
I kept wondering about the still lit cigarette end that Garland threw on the ground outside the back of the hotel. The camera panned in and showed us that the cigarette was still alight and glowing and then nothing more was said about it. Also why would the hotel staff go outside to smoke, nobody did in those days. People rarely stood at the back of buildings for a smoke they just puffed away indoors. We have had several scenes where staff are outside puffing away when in all probability during their breaks they would most likely be indoors having a cuppa and a fag.
Are we just presuming this was a bomb and not the dodgy boiler that Billy used to fix going up in an explosion. Maybe we will never know!
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Post by vicky on Feb 21, 2017 13:19:39 GMT
I posted that in too much of a hurry this morning (doing too many things at once!). What I meant to say was that I think we can be sure Toby and Adil are alive.
The thing that struck me as very strange was, if the devastation was caused by a German bomb, why could we not hear the usual air raid noises in the background in the aftermath of the explosion? There were none.That could mean it was caused by Garland's discarded cigarette.....which begs the question, did he intend that outcome in order to cover up Lucien's murder? The whole episode raised more questions than it answered. There MUST be a sequel!
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Post by profbooboo on Feb 21, 2017 15:11:58 GMT
I posted that in too much of a hurry this morning (doing too many things at once!). What I meant to say was that I think we can be sure Toby and Adil are alive. The thing that struck me as very strange was, if the devastation was caused by a German bomb, why could we not hear the usual air raid noises in the background in the aftermath of the explosion? There were none.That could mean it was caused by Garland's discarded cigarette.....which begs the question, did he intend that outcome in order to cover up Lucien's murder? The whole episode raised more questions than it answered. There MUST be a sequel! Lol, I did think it might be a slight messinging error, happens to me all the time...mainly auto correct! There were air raid sirens, which were barely audiable over the music, and then the blast hit but when the people were on the street and out of the building I dont think there were any then. Maybe the threat has passed so they stop the sirens so people know they can leave the shelters and help with the rescue, but if that's the case the sirens weren't on long. Did Garland leave Lucian in the bathroom to do something with him later but the bomb took care of it instead or had he already moved him? Ohh, I've really enjoyed this series, nice drama, interesting period, fashion, music etc Eric and not too heavy. Hope there's more. |
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Post by vicky on Feb 21, 2017 17:26:56 GMT
I was born towards the end of the war so don't remember it but grew up on my mother's tales of the Blitz, the Battle of Britain and air raids in general. People were supposed to go to the shelters when the air raid warning siren sounded....an up and down whooping sound and stay there until the all clear siren sounded....a continuous sound. The only people supposed to be out and about during a raid were the fire and ambulance crews, the police and the wardens. We heard the warning siren in The Halcyon but we never heard the all clear. This was supposed to be 1940 when the Blitz was taking place so we should have heard the sound of bombs falling and anti-aircraft fire, none of which I noticed. The more I think about it, tge more I think Garland caused the explosion with his cigarette.
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Post by profbooboo on Feb 21, 2017 17:39:36 GMT
Thanks for that. I might rewatch this episode because there was quite a lot going on with all the various characters.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 21, 2017 17:48:49 GMT
It would seem the cigarette butt had some significance judging by how long the camera paused on it. Could have been a ruptured gas main, I guess.
I enjoyed the series, and hope there is another. Great music, great frocks - what's not to like? "A nightingale sang ..." is a great favourite of mine, and so evocative of the time.
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Post by vicky on Feb 21, 2017 18:12:05 GMT
It is probably my favourite song of all time. It is the ultimate love song for me and I so agree that it is evocative of the time. I loved all the music in The Halcyon.
I am going to watch the episode again too to see if my memories of it are correct....and with the benefit of having had time to think about it.
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Post by geometryman on Feb 21, 2017 18:38:02 GMT
I was born towards the end of the war so don't remember it but grew up on my mother's tales of the Blitz, the Battle of Britain and air raids in general. People were supposed to go to the shelters when the air raid warning siren sounded....an up and down whooping sound and stay there until the all clear siren sounded....a continuous sound. The only people supposed to be out and about during a raid were the fire and ambulance crews, the police and the wardens. We heard the warning siren in The Halcyon but we never heard the all clear. This was supposed to be 1940 when the Blitz was taking place so we should have heard the sound of bombs falling and anti-aircraft fire, none of which I noticed. The more I think about it, tge more I think Garland caused the explosion with his cigarette. I can remember air raid sirens going for real - and that sound still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. When the sirens went off, people wouldn't have hung about defiantly for one last dance number - they'd have sought shelter immediately. And yes you're right, they wouldn't come out again until with great relief they heard the all-clear (continuous) sound. I say the explosion was meant to be a bomb, though I can't explain why they made such a big deal of showing us the discarded lit cigarette. Garland said to Lady H, "The bomb damage is mainly to the left wing". |
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Post by profbooboo on Feb 21, 2017 21:51:57 GMT
Great music, great frocks - what's not to like? "A nightingale sang ..." is a great favourite of mine, and so evocative of the time. Mine too. It's sooo beautiful, the line "there were angels dining at the Ritz..." [If you've ever seen Torchwood it's used in the episode 'Captain Jack Harkness' (series 1 episode 12) where Jack and Tosh go back in time to the 1940s and meets the American air force captain who Jack stole his name from. They fall in love but can't stay together. Arhh, kills me every time.)] |
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Post by Deleted on Feb 22, 2017 6:09:01 GMT
I have read a couple of tales of lucky escapes from bombings during the Blitz. Bruce Belfrage carried on reading the news when a bomb hit Broadcasting House and Terence Morgan , an actor who became famous for a while in "Sir Francis Drake" tv series of 1962 was literally blown out of a theatre when another bomb struck . He dusted himself down and went back on stage. I am not certain but I think that the BBC made use of The Strand Hotel during the war. Perhaps the producers of "The Halcyon" might have benefited from reading some of the paper archives of The BBC.
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Post by sootycat on Mar 10, 2017 13:17:18 GMT
It has just been announced by ITV that this has been cancelled. What a shame. Something else that has bitten the dust.  |
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Post by geometryman on Mar 10, 2017 13:44:28 GMT
I think it was clear from the beginning that this wasn't going to pull off another 'Downton Abbey' for them, but I'm a little surprised ITV didn't give it one more series at least.
I found it an easy watch, and they got some of the period detail right, but overall it seemed just too unreal and unconvincing. I'm not too bothered by its demise, and probably some of the cast will soon be popping up in other things - I feel sure we haven't seen the last of Hermione Corfield, who played Emma.
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