A while back, my wife had one of her old friends staying with us for a while. This friend is a lesbian, so naturally, everything we watched while she was with us had to be lesbian-themed or have a lesbian character too. Occupying much of this TV time was Gentleman Jack which is another 'dramatisation' of the life of Anne Lister, a landowner and industrialist in 19th century England who has since come to be known as the 'first modern lesbian' thanks largely to the extensive diaries she wrote which detail all aspects of her life, including her romances and love affairs, all with other women. While we see a couple of old flames here and there, the focus in that regard is on shy but wealthy heiress Ann Walker (the magic-boobed Sophie Rundle) who Lister (Suranne Jones) meets upon returning home to her Yorkshire estate brokenhearted after her lover leaves her for a pesky man.
Lister's courtship of Walker amidst the disapproval of her peers (which includes Walker's family, obviously) is a major plot-point but it's not all HLA here. There is also significant focus on her attempts to revitalise her Shibden Hall estate which has been neglected during her absence. This involves collecting rents and, more significantly, exploiting the considerable coal reserves on her land which brings her into conflict with neighbouring colliers. Amidst all her business dealings, however, never does she waver from her pursuit of Walker, and that is my only real issue with the show. I don't know how it went down in real life, and there obviously was real love there as they ended up getting married, but here Walker is portrayed and young, naive and impressionable as well as suffering from mental health issues, and Lister, at least to my eyes, ends up pressuring Walker into the romantic relationship she wants.
Maybe it's just my impression but it seemed to me like Lister was just pushing her into it before she was ready. Walker clearly liked Lister and looked up to her but there's a big difference between that and being lovers. Don't forget when this was taking place either. Upper-class English lords and ladies didn't look upon things like homosexuality with favourable eyes in the 19th century so Ms. Walker risked being ostracised. The same could be said of Lister, of course, but assuming Jones' portrayal is accurate, she could deal with any hostility that might come her way. These points aside, though, it's a decent enough show. It's a quality production with particularly excellent sets and costumes (though Lister's hair is a bit weird), there is great work from a well-chosen cast, and the various plot threads are reasonably engaging. Even the one about the guy who feeds people to his pet pigs!
Worth Watching Properly?
I've actually seen nearly all of it already. Wifey's friend left us shortly before season two ended and we never got around to finishing it, but other than that I saw it all. Admittedly, it did not always have my complete attention; not because it was bad, it just wasn't always my cup of tea, I guess. It's certainly well made in any case, and if you have anything but contempt for period dramas, I would say it is indeed worth watching. Even by people who aren't lesbians! EXCEPT!! I believe the show has now unofficially been cancelled, and it's likely the second season finale didn't conclude the story so if you're one of those people who need closure, I'd give it a miss.
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