The first two episodes of the 2023 series Great Expectations are out now. The period drama is from Peaky Blinders’ Steven Knight and is based on the classic by Charles Dickens of the same name. The production companies involved are Scott Free Productions, Hardy Baker & Son, BBC Studios and FXP.
The main characters in the series include Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham, Fionn Whitehead as Pip and Shalom Brune-Franklin as Estella. Alongside them, we have Ashley Thomas as Jaggers, Johnny Harris as Magwitch, Hayley Squires as Sara, Owen McDonnell as Joe, Trystan Gravelle as Compeyson and Matt Berry as Mr. Pumblechook.
Both episodes are directed by Brady Hood. The runtime for the episodes is approximately 50 to 60 minutes.
– Hulu’s Great Expectations Review Does Not Contain Any Spoilers –
Great Expectations: The Story of Pip Gargery Begins
If you have ever read Charles Dickens, you would know from the first scene in Great Expectations (2023) that it is going to be an ode to the writer’s blues and greys. The first episode of the series opens with a shot of Fionn Whitehead carrying a rope and jumping off the bridge into cold, cold water. You do not know what brings him to that, you do not know what came before or what comes after and, thus, starts the story of Pip Gargery. All we can say for now is that it was a promising start.
After the first scene leaves us in the unknown depth of the waters, the title of the show writes itself on the screen and, in our minds. We meet Pip months ago, working in a blacksmith’s shop, quoting Shakespeare just because he can and, yes, because it helps him pass time at a work he is clearly disinterested in. The shop belongs to Joe, his sister’s kind husband, who is a constant support in Pip’s life. But, our dear Pip, just knows his life has not started yet.
On the other side of the story is Abel Magwitch, a convict being taken to prison. However, when another mean convict sets the ship on fire, it becomes Magwitch’s only chance to escape and, so he does. Only to be washed up at the shore of the world where Pip resides. Eventually, Pip and Magwitch meet and, the former is as kind as one can be to a drenched stranger washed by the sea.
The story does not stop there as the first two episodes of Great Expectations do not miss out on introducing us to the most eccentric and tragic character in the world of literature: Miss Havisham, a rich and lone spinster living all by herself with her only support is her adopted daughter, Estella. With fate and Mr. Pumblechook into play, Pip lands at Miss Havisham’s doors soon enough and meets both the reclusive woman of the house and Estella giving rise to an unprecedented series of events that will unfold with time.
Great Expectations Episode 1 and Episode 2: Final Thoughts
Steven Knight has clearly done a wonderful job when it comes to setting the foundation of this classic, be it in the way the characters are presented or the colour palette that truly aids the scenes in cinematic ways. Fionn Whitehead to does a great job as our protagonist. But, it is Olivia Colman’s Miss Havisham that steals the show from the first moment you see her onscreen. With her ‘I want to watch you two play’, she sends shivers down our spins about something sinister that is going to happen.
Overall, the first two episodes of Great Expectations are crafted really well and, we can only hope it continues to be so in the future too.
You can watch the episodes now on Hulu.
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