In which I find fault with the ending of North and South

Now hold on a moment!  Don't jump all over me.  I haven't even started yet!

You may come away from this post still thinking well of me.  You may indeed!  And if perchance you don't, well at least you won't have to have it on your conscience that you jumped all over a poor defenseless little person like me--who never did you any harm except to make a few derogatory remarks about your favorite movie.  (If it is your favorite movie, that is.)

 

I am quite aware of the fact that the ending scene of North and South is a highly romantic one and that if I had any sense at all I should be utterly swooning over it.  I mean really!  The epic meet-up in the train station!  Could there be anything more romantic than that?  And then the oh so romantic way in which Mr. Thornton removes that precious yellow flower from his pocket!  Doesn't it just sweep you off your feet?  And the kiss...ohhh!  Don't even get me started on the kiss.  

 

I reiterate.  If I had any sense at all I should be absolutely overcome by such a climactic finish.  Shouldn't I?  Shouldn't I?  (But then.  I haven't got any sense, have I Jip?)

 

So I plunge into a nitpicky post on the ending scene to North and South, sparing no one's feelings, making enemies for life, and impressing upon you all what a very obnoxious overly-opinionated person I am.

(Oh, but Natalie.  Just so you know, I do still like this movie.  And I was totally serious when I said I liked it the first time, too. I wasn't just saying that to make you feel good.  Really and truly I wasn't.  The only reason I'm picking it apart now is because...well, sometimes when you watch a movie a second time you start to notice things, you know?  And when you watch it with unappreciative brothers who snort at every other line, you notice things even more.  What else can I say?)

Explanations aside.  Here we go.

 

~ First off, I would just really like to know why.  Why?  Why at such a time, right after he's lost his business, right when he should be home comforting his mother and being comforted by her--not to mention making plans for the future--why does Mr. Thornton suddenly find it imperative to take a trip down south to visit the place where Margaret grew up?  It just seems so random to me!  Like would that really be his natural response after all that had happened?

I went to her old home, picked a flower, and everything was fine!
(Don't ask me why.  I just did it.  And it worked.)

 

~ And then of all the coincidences, Margaret just happens to be taking a trip at the same time as Mr. Thornton, their two trains just happen to stop at the station at the very same moment, and Margaret just happens to decide to get out and stretch her legs and wala!  There's Thornton!  Well, hello!  Let's have ourselves a talk.  Here on the train platform.  Because...why not?  We haven't talked in a while.  That would be fun.

 

~ (Oh! now I know why Thornton went to see Margaret's old home!  It was so that they could meet up on the return journey.  Why else?)  (A very clever trick of the directors, that.)

~ So they come face to face, and Margaret says she's been to Milton because...I don't know, can you think of anything better for her to say?  And then Mr. Thornton replies, "You'll never guess where I've been," while pulling a yellow rose out of the pocket of his vest.  (Because he's either in a very romantic mood or a very random mood.  I don't know.  Personally I don't know many guys who go around carrying roses in their pockets!)  Of course Margaret can guess where's he been because, you know, where else would that rose have come from but her dear old Helstone?  And she melts at the sight of it--because it's all so touching and romantic--and she remembers how she thought the roses were all gone and asks Mr. Thornton "Wherever did you find it?"  But I say, WHY did you find it?  Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't recall Margaret ever mentioning the roses to you before, sir.  HOW DID YOU EVEN KNOW THEY WERE SIGNIFICICANT TO HER ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU GO SEARCHING THROUGH THE HEDGEROWS TO FIND ONE???  Ahem.  (Oh, that's right.  The scriptwriter knew she was holding one on the train when the movie first started.  Margaret didn't have to tell you, because the scriptwriter tells you everything.  I forgot.  Sorry to be so dense.)

 

~ So then they sit down on the bench to talk because Margaret has a business proposition.  (And this is as good a time as any for discussing business right?  Right.)  Margaret declares she's going to save Mr. Thornton and his business (hurrah for Margaret!), but that she's doing it out of purely selfish motives and he will of course owe her nothing.  Then she kisses his hand and...I don't know somehow things don't look quite so business-like as they had at first.

 

~ And then!  And then!  All of a sudden there's a wealth of understanding between them.  Don't ask me how.  After months of  misunderstandings, practically no communication at all, and flip-flopping opinions of each other which would put anyone's head in a whirl, all of a sudden it's all forgotten!  They kiss!  And BOOM BANG ALL THE ROMANCE!!  (And all the squirming amongst the audience because...that kiss was mushy.  And way too drawn out.  Don't you know how to kiss, people?  Well then do it quickly and get it over with!  Please.) 

 

~ But what I really want to know is...HOW?  How is there such an understanding between them?  Why are they kissing when they've said barely a word to each other?  And WHY does Margaret immediately decide to go back to Milton with him?  I mean THE GUY (no, not Guy, just the guy...) HASN'T EVEN PROPOSED TO HER!!  Sure he kissed her, but what does that even mean???  Do you realize it's been over a year since his original proposal?  Rejected proposal's don't just hang around waiting until that magical moment when you decide to kiss and make up.   They don't!  After all this time there has got to be a second proposal.  It only makes sense.  And I for one did not see anything like a second proposal amidst all that kissing.  I'm sorry, but it wasn't there.  In real life people need to talk.  They need to hear things in a straightforward and clear manner.

~ On that note, Margaret and Mr. Thornton, why can't you talk?!  Like ask each other some questions or something.  Communicate!  Kissing is all very well (actually no, it's rather icky -coughcough-) but in the long scheme of things it really accomplishes very little.  I mean neither of you even thought to ask the other anything like, "How are you doing?"  or "What are you thinking?"  "Do you really still love me?"  or even "Who are you?!"  Because honestly, if you think about it, YOU HARDLY KNOW EACHOTHER!  You've exchanged like what?  Ten sentences with each other since you first met?  And most of those argumentative ones?  WHY DO YOU EVEN LOVE EACHOTHER ANYWAY?? I don't get it.  (Oh, forgive me.  I forgot.  The directors.  And the author.  They said you were to love each other, so love each other you must.  That's fair enough I guess.)

~ On a side note, why did Henry Lennox have to be along on this trip?  He's so pointless.  Nobody cares about him.  But yet we have to look at his sour, disappointed lover's face in the midst of the glad reunion between the hero and the heroine.  What a great way to detract from the romantic mood you're trying to set.  Three cheers, filmmakers!

 

Yes, why did he have to come along?

~ Oh, and one more thing.  About Margaret.  Couldn't she at least look happy for once?  I mean like really, really happy? Because I just find it extremely hard to be moved by a romantic love scene in which the young lady has the same expression on her face she's worn throughout the entire film.  (Practically speaking anyway.)  JUST SMILE CAN'T YOU?!!  If Mr. Thornton can smile you certainly can.  And I mean a real smile.  Not a sorrowful little half smile, but a really, really happy smile.  Why can't this be done?  Is it really asking too much?

Okay.  I think I have thoroughly exhausted this subject and no doubt thoroughly exhausted my readers in the process.  Please forgive me for this rant-style post.   I'm afraid I get a little carried away sometimes. 

 

And please understand, there was a lot of sarcasm in this post.  I don't actually hate this movie.  Really I don't.

As a final thought though I would like to say that I agree with my brother.  They should have had at least one more scene in the movie.  A scene back in Milton--with the mill up and running again, all the workers back, Thornton and Margaret working together, and everyone happy for once in their lives.  I think that would have been a much better wrap-up to the story, and much more satisfying.  But that's just my humble opinion.  (Which humble opinion I have a feeling you're quite sick of by this point.)

 

Don't worry.  I'm leaving now. 

 



 

What is your opinion of all this?  Do you like the ending to this movie?  Do you think I have legitimate reasons for complaining about it, or do you think I've completely misunderstood the whole thing?  Tell me what you think!

 

 

P.S.  Anna and Natalie and everyone else who likes this movie.   You're still my friends, right?  You won't cast me off forever for being such a nitpicky person, will you?  ;)