Dark night in Milton

Great moments from tonight's viewing of North and South

Spoilers ahoy!

Dear readers, you find me very worried about our Milton friends tonight. I am maybe halfway through episode #3.

Worry #1: Poor John Thornton's heart. So I saw the proposal - oh, how crushing.  I actually watched the scene several times.  Please, do not continue in that way!  

I was surprised, in a way, that he even proposed, given that they were arguing, and it seemed a bitter exchange, and then he was like, actually I came to ask you to marry me (not in those words).  What's interesting and what I sort of love about him is that he's a man who'll do what he does in spite of potential rejection and that's why he went ahead and asked after that exchange. He told his mother he had to ask, even though he knew she'd turn him down, and he went and did it.  And Margaret tells him she doesn't even like him!  

Heroes get put through a lot. I felt confident in his resilience until he came to their door later to visit father and Margaret wouldn't let him in...and he saw Frederick's things and he felt so hurt! 

Worry #2: I am still really worried about that doctor who she spurned in the first episode.  He seems mean! And I feel like they wouldn't keep showing his angry face if he wasn't going to do something terrible.  

Worry #3: Frederick, of course. Hurry back to Spain, Frederick!  It seems naive on the part of the family that they might imagine he could wiggle out of a mutiny charge. 

Really, this entire family is sort of interesting in that way.  Are they a bit naive? Do they not see things, or choose to take things at face value?  Do they expect the best of people, and are they right to?  And they have their prejudices and blind spots.  It's funny how they don't know what's going on with their own daughter, for example. 

And the mother asks Mrs. Thornton to care for Margaret, not reading the signs of her

 reluctance--or does she choose to deal only with Mrs. Thornton's higher nature? I continue to absolutely love Mrs. Thornton. She is totally my favorite character here. She is full of self knowledge and honesty.

And in a way, Margaret seems to be sort of changing away from that in a positive way. In that scene, for example, where  Frederick speaks poorly of all tradesmen, including Thornton, Margaret defends him, not just because, well you know, but because she is seeing people and the world in a more complex way.  Maybe that is her journey.  At least it struck me that way in this episode.  We will see. 

Worry #4: Will Margaret misguidedly fall for Higgins?  NOOOOOOO!