Andrew Davies: "Les Miserables"

I sense no one is watching the new PBS version of "Les Miserables"--it's up against "Game of Thrones," inexplicably--but here are some things to consider, anyway:

*The writer is Andrew Davies, beloved for his adaptation of "Bleak House." (Also recommended!)

*Every set in this Victor Hugo PBS adaptation is stunningly beautiful. Whether or not you care about the plot, you can enjoy the bustling city street, the shady grove, the mansion that belongs to the royalist nincompoop. It's like you're in a painting.

*The characters are boldly-drawn and compelling. The first hour gives us three plots: Fantine with her boy toy, Valjean wrestling with Javert, and little Marius struggling against his grandfather. Note the intrigue! The boy toy doesn't actually want seriousness with Fantine, so he tries to escape the romance by persuading lovelorn Fantine that the breakup is *her own* idea. (Like something from "New Girl"!)

Javert torments Valjean--but secretly feels lust for him! That's a *very* hungry stare that David Oyelowo aims at Valjean's junk--unlike anything we saw in the musical.

My favorite of the three plots is about little Marius. His snooty royalist grandfather won't let him see his dad, who attempted to help Napoleon. But the crafty maidservant finds ways to reunite Marius with his outcast dad. Will the maidservant get caught? Will she lose her job?

Intrigue, secrets, lies, veiled half-truths, a gap between speech and thought. This is how you tell a story. I'm happy to have the PBS adaptation--to show us things we had forgotten in "Les Miz." The characters are larger-than-life, and the stakes are high, and the transformations are sudden and dramatic. It's a treat to spend time with these troubled folks--once more.

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