Pillars of the Earth - Ep.6

A near feature-length finale (perhaps the amalgamation of 2-3 episodes).

The grisley death-toll of 'characters we like' is kept to a minimum ie. we don't care about the ones that don't see the closing credits.

All loose ends are wrapped up, though in a rather complicated, rushed and sometimes incoherent way. There is a pervading sense of tension throughout, as our sense of expectation is constantly being toyed with: you can't help but think something macabre and unexpected might happen to 'the good lot' at any given moment.

What struck me most about the final instalments is the idea that grudges, ideas, delusions of power and grandeur can be so long-held over the course of 9 years or so - and to what end?... At least that amount of time passes during the course of this last epsiode, and even more throughout the entire narrative of Ken Follet's epic.

Perhaps a more realistic tone would have been to say "it's best to live life with what you've been given, rather than spending the majority of it chasing it for something seemingly unattainable". The annoying thing about the narrative is that he actually rewards his characters with their variable sufferings, thereby inviting the reader/viewer to dream fantastically that all things work out in the end: that uneducated crowds are patient, and easily susceptible to reason, eloquent and loquatious logic; that powerful monarchs and beuraucrats can be brought down to earth by the common man/any Tom, Dick and Harry; that true and pure love can find it's way despite all limitations of distance and political obstacle; and it is possible to bump into the family you never knew purely by chance and coincindence.

Whilst I obviously have huge misgivings about the apparent message and narrative of the final parts of this epic interpretation, I did find it rather compelling and engaging to watch, tense and suspenseful till the end, and on the whole rather satisfying in general.

No doubt, had the my observations been taken into consideration (a complete absence of any fairy-tale ending, some deliciously evil injustices still prevalent, taking out at least one more 'goodie' character) the story would perhaps not be the apparent 'Best-Seller' it is now, or worthy of its critical acclaim. It's just my personal taste, and how I would have liked to have seen it pan out, adhering to a sense of realism...