The English Game
Mar. 22nd, 2020 12:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
impala_chickAllow me to introduce you to my new favorite Netflix show, The English Game! It takes place in England in 1879 and it's by the same creator as Downton Abbey (although I've never seen that series). I've watched episodes 01 - 04, so please no spoilers for the ending!
As an American who knows very little about European Football, this show is really appealing to me. I am a sucker for a good sports underdog story - and I like how the show kicks off with an exciting rivalry. The class issues are really striking to me, because everything off the pitch effects the game - but ultimately, if you put in the time and you're actually good, you can compete fairly if the rule are fair. There's nothing else in life quite like that outside of sports.
I love the debate about what it would mean to have professional players, and how the richer players have a hard time understanding that they always have an advantage (even though they view lower class paid players as "sullying" the sport). The lower class players have to manage their jobs, worry about providing for their families, and struggle with finding time/place to play, whereas the gentlemen consider themselves the only ones how can love the sport and want to keep it "pure." I love the details about the mills, the banks, and the strikes too. Many of the themes about escaping the real world to enjoy sports, and bringing a community together to rally around their team, are very much apart of all modern sports teams.
The show seems to struggle a bit with finding a strong female voice, since most of the women on the show are wrapped up in wanting to become mothers or dealing with being a mother - I really wanted to see some sports fans! But I can appreciate Alma, Ada, Doris, and Mary for how little they care about the games. The show tries to make Alma the moral compass of the show and she's definitely overly maternal, but at least she's consistent and very independent in the show. And Arthur really seems to care about her and what she thinks, which is really different from most period dramas. Plus, the costumes! And the carriages! The show is visually appealing to me.
The class rivalry/sports rivalry between Old Eton and Darwen is really what keeps me wanting more. Fergus and Arthur! They don't have a whole lot of scenes together, but they are incredibly shippable. I mean, their first meeting is filled with animosity because they've heard of each other before. And then they get rough out on the pitch. Over time, Arthur is growing a conscious (although mostly because of Alma, which is a bit problematic) and totally feels for Fergus and I'm over here like ♥ ♥ #EnemiestoLovers??
The English Game is a six-part drama "about the invention of modern [soccer] and how those involved in its creation reached across the class divide to establish the game as the world’s most popular sport."
As an American who knows very little about European Football, this show is really appealing to me. I am a sucker for a good sports underdog story - and I like how the show kicks off with an exciting rivalry. The class issues are really striking to me, because everything off the pitch effects the game - but ultimately, if you put in the time and you're actually good, you can compete fairly if the rule are fair. There's nothing else in life quite like that outside of sports.
I love the debate about what it would mean to have professional players, and how the richer players have a hard time understanding that they always have an advantage (even though they view lower class paid players as "sullying" the sport). The lower class players have to manage their jobs, worry about providing for their families, and struggle with finding time/place to play, whereas the gentlemen consider themselves the only ones how can love the sport and want to keep it "pure." I love the details about the mills, the banks, and the strikes too. Many of the themes about escaping the real world to enjoy sports, and bringing a community together to rally around their team, are very much apart of all modern sports teams.
The show seems to struggle a bit with finding a strong female voice, since most of the women on the show are wrapped up in wanting to become mothers or dealing with being a mother - I really wanted to see some sports fans! But I can appreciate Alma, Ada, Doris, and Mary for how little they care about the games. The show tries to make Alma the moral compass of the show and she's definitely overly maternal, but at least she's consistent and very independent in the show. And Arthur really seems to care about her and what she thinks, which is really different from most period dramas. Plus, the costumes! And the carriages! The show is visually appealing to me.
The class rivalry/sports rivalry between Old Eton and Darwen is really what keeps me wanting more. Fergus and Arthur! They don't have a whole lot of scenes together, but they are incredibly shippable. I mean, their first meeting is filled with animosity because they've heard of each other before. And then they get rough out on the pitch. Over time, Arthur is growing a conscious (although mostly because of Alma, which is a bit problematic) and totally feels for Fergus and I'm over here like ♥ ♥ #EnemiestoLovers??