First off, I have to say that I'm a Judi Dench fan...and an American. Four stars for Judi's acting.
The pilot episode sends a very clear message that Judi Dench's character, Laura, is an over-weight, middle-aged, over-bearing lump who can't cook and who should, therefore, take whatever man she can get. How enlightened.
What I actually saw was an attractive, pleasantly plump adult woman who was able to support herself through her ability to translate in several languages, lived in a clean and nicely appointed apartment, got things done and done right, and had a mind and a will of her own. So, an intelligent, independent, strong-willed women with a less than perfect figure = loser. Good to know.
Season One has Laura buying Mike a new sweater, offering to lend him money for his failed business, cleaning and decorating his office with help of her (younger, thinner, unemployed, happily married) sister, kicking him in the pants to go to the bank and ask for a loan, bringing him a cake for his office tea time, etc. Season 2 first episode, she has to beg him to let her work in his office for free, while she's ironing his shirts. In the span of a day, she pulls her connections to get him considerably more paid work, wheels and deals to get him new office furniture for free, and single-handedly gets his office paperwork and typing done. Wow. If only she weren't so fat.
Now, lets talk about the drip she has settled for. Mike - an inarticulate, indecisive, professionally incompetent, unromantic, socially awkward, mealy-mouthed landscaper without a dime to his name whose home consists of a cot in the corner of his run-down, shabby shed of an office. He has to go to Laura's apartment to take showers. Great.
Season two episode one has Laura doing anything that she can to try and turn her lump of coal into a diamond and her lump of coal is fighting all they way. By the end of the the first season, I was over this show. We see Laura out in the rain trying to pull a dolly full of Mike's sod for Mike's paid landscaping job (that she got him) over cobblestones while he does nothing to assist her and sadistically smiles at her discomfort. Presumably, that's what she gets for trying to help him with his business.
I had to watch an episode of As Time Goes By to counter the effects of this craptastic show. It was such a relief to see that Judi ends up with Lionel Hardcastle after all. :-)
The pilot episode sends a very clear message that Judi Dench's character, Laura, is an over-weight, middle-aged, over-bearing lump who can't cook and who should, therefore, take whatever man she can get. How enlightened.
What I actually saw was an attractive, pleasantly plump adult woman who was able to support herself through her ability to translate in several languages, lived in a clean and nicely appointed apartment, got things done and done right, and had a mind and a will of her own. So, an intelligent, independent, strong-willed women with a less than perfect figure = loser. Good to know.
Season One has Laura buying Mike a new sweater, offering to lend him money for his failed business, cleaning and decorating his office with help of her (younger, thinner, unemployed, happily married) sister, kicking him in the pants to go to the bank and ask for a loan, bringing him a cake for his office tea time, etc. Season 2 first episode, she has to beg him to let her work in his office for free, while she's ironing his shirts. In the span of a day, she pulls her connections to get him considerably more paid work, wheels and deals to get him new office furniture for free, and single-handedly gets his office paperwork and typing done. Wow. If only she weren't so fat.
Now, lets talk about the drip she has settled for. Mike - an inarticulate, indecisive, professionally incompetent, unromantic, socially awkward, mealy-mouthed landscaper without a dime to his name whose home consists of a cot in the corner of his run-down, shabby shed of an office. He has to go to Laura's apartment to take showers. Great.
Season two episode one has Laura doing anything that she can to try and turn her lump of coal into a diamond and her lump of coal is fighting all they way. By the end of the the first season, I was over this show. We see Laura out in the rain trying to pull a dolly full of Mike's sod for Mike's paid landscaping job (that she got him) over cobblestones while he does nothing to assist her and sadistically smiles at her discomfort. Presumably, that's what she gets for trying to help him with his business.
I had to watch an episode of As Time Goes By to counter the effects of this craptastic show. It was such a relief to see that Judi ends up with Lionel Hardcastle after all. :-)