Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell

Imagine a world without the fierce and uncontrollably flapping bleached highlights of Hans Klok. A world in which as a child you could write a magic box under the Christmas tree on your stomach and where Rasti Rostelli might be a sticky pasta dish in such a dubious Italian restaurant on the Damrak, but certainly not a mysterious hypnotist with a tightly trimmed ring beard. Imagine that… How incredibly boring would that have been? Well, very. It would have been close, however, if a magician had been as dead a profession as a lamppost lighter, video store operator, or that guy who thunders down the street with his horse and buggy every week to collect your weekly earnings. However, it is thanks to a few steadfast Britons that we can still watch with increasing amazement the lightning-fast finger exercises of David Blaine & co. That is, if we believe the story of Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell. It's a long time ago. It is the time of women in tight corsets and men with wigs and white powdered heads. Somewhere in France a little man tries to make up for his lack of inches with cross-border land grabbing and the rest of Europe has to do everything possible to limit his urge to act a little. Instead of horses, swords and tough bearded men, England sends a magician to stop Napoleon and his troops. Magic has been in sleep mode for a number of years, but since Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell have been encouraged by their environment to revive the craft, it is again nice and multi-usable. In London, Strange and Norrell are working on refining their skills, but that is not without a struggle. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is nicely made. Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell is very nicely made. A costume drama, the way costume dramas should look like. Yes, you can leave that to those left-off-the-road driving islanders. Very little imagination is required of the viewer to travel from the Klippan to England at the beginning of the 19th century. Everything has been thought of. The clothes have been worn just enough, so that it does not seem as if everything has just returned from the dry cleaner; the wallpaper and interior on the set has had to endure exactly enough over the decades and it may always rain, but the scenes shot outside regularly show how ominously beautiful England can be. Perhaps it would have been a good idea not to let the BBC's coffee lady do the special effects, as they are a bit disappointing. Buying a bag of wine gums and then finding out that there are mainly green and yellow in it is disappointing. We all know that feeling, right? As with many book adaptations, you may wonder if Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell lives up to Susanna Clarke's novel of the same name. I cannot answer that question, because to be able to provide you with a series tip regularly, all my time is spent staring apathetically at a screen, so reading books 'ho just'. In any case, it is not the most explosive story you will ever see and you should like that. So don't be surprised if your potential viewing partner in crime starts snoring slightly through your viewing pleasure halfway through episode three. That is a scenario that you have to take into account in advance. For those who do have a healthy dose of stamina, a story unfolds with the necessary layers and you get the catatonic brother of Ray Donovan completely free of charge. Even Jerney Kaagman has more expression in her face than that guy. www.gumstarr.com

Very nice and original story. Starts slowly but then you keep watching