The Favourite accomplished what Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette couldn't: inspire a revolution in period-piece aesthetics. Since Yorgos Langthimos bizarre royal court dramedy swept to the Oscars, Apple TV+s Dickinson and Hulus The Great, Autumn De Wildes Emma and Greta Gerwigs Little Women all have had success injecting modern style and a modern sensibility into historical drama templates. The Pursuit Of Love, an Amazon Prime Videos interwar drama, follows the example of its predecessor. Young British cousins Linda Radlett and Fanny Logan (Emily Beecham), meet Lord Merlin (Fleabags Andrew Scott). The fantasy sequence introduces Lord Merlin, an eccentric aristocrat who channels ballroom culture through glam rock. The scene, set to T. Rexs Dandy in The Underworld, is a glitter-filled sequence that filters a 1920s experience through an distinctly modern visual language. This makes the meeting of minds feel just as alive as its characters. It's a thrilling mix of substance and style.AdvertisementReview Pre-Air Pre-Air Reviews The Pursuit Of Love B Developed by Emily Mortimer. Based on Nancy Mitford’s novel Starring Lily James and Emily Beecham, Dominic West and Andrew Scott. Available Friday, July 30, on Amazon Prime Video Format. Hour-long period dramedy. Complete limited series available for reviewIt's a shame that the rest of the series can't maintain this level of verve. The series' premiere features a visual flair and unique perspective that launch it with a lot of excitement. However, the two subsequent episodes gradually degenerate into more traditional period pieces. The Pursuit Of Love's initial promise of novelty is not fulfilled. Instead, it relies heavily on the basic building blocks of a BBC production: beautiful cinematography, sumptuous costuming and strong performances. The show is based on Nancy Mitford's 1945 novel. It can only occasionally keep its originality alive. Although The Pursuit Of Love struggles sometimes to combine its humorous sensibilities with more dramatic beats, it is always a delight to see when it succeeds.The Pursuit Of Love is a story about the differing experiences of two women. It was set between 1927-1941. Fanny (Beecham), a plain, pragmatic woman, was educated well but she has natural timidity and a desire to not disturb the boat. This sets her on a path towards the conventional mid-20th-century life. Linda James (a rebellious, beautiful woman) lives in a world full of superlatives. Linda is left feeling utterly helpless and desperate to escape. This sets her up for a series complex romantic entanglements which will define her tragicomic existence. She may worship love, but it isn't her religion.The three-episode series is adapted and directed by Emily Mortimer, who also has a small role as Fannys mother The Bolter, the responsibility-averse serial monogamist that Fanny and Linda define their lives against. Mortimer focuses on the binary choices that upper-class women face in this era. They can be dependable wives and mothers, but they don't have much fun or freedom (the stickers). They can also put their needs above those of their children and spouses, gaining independence but losing social respect (the bolters). Fanny and Linda's friendship is defined in the way they fear and desire each other's possessions. Mortimer, like in Doll & Em, is interested in complex relationships between females. Linda and Fanny have both aspirational and toxic codependencies, which Mortimer allows to flow in real and compelling ways.The Pursuit Of Love feels very much like a novel compressed into a series format. This is mainly due to Fanny's almost incessant narration throughout. After the first episode, which is focused, the second installment has a packed schedule. It weaves its way through England, before stopping at 1930s Hollywood, a refugee camp near the Spanish War border, and finally Gay Paree. Fanny and Linda struggle for screen time as the relationships between them and their supporting characters are not well developed. Either the story of The Pursuit Of Love needed more episodes or Mortimer had to be more careful with what she took from the source material.Linda is a mix of Mamma Mia and Lady Rose from Downton Abbeys Lady Rose. Here We Go Agains Donna Sheridan with a little War And Peaces Natasha Rostova. This is not a role James could play in her dreams, but one that she actually already has. Although James can effortlessly switch between deep melancholy and flirtatious fun, it is missing something as Bright Young Thing. Especially when she spends the first episode playing a teenager. Another element that makes The Pursuit Of Love feel stale is the familiarity. Although the show's focus is on female friendship and feminist themes, it's not all that unusual to see a British period piece focusing on relationships between beautiful, white women. James can attest to this in his own career.AdvertisementThe Pursuit Of Love's most important themes are not about how it feels to live in a world that is ending. Linda tried to find meaning in communism when war was imminent in Europe, but she eventually succumbed to the temptation to live a life of luxury and shopping instead. Fanny speaks in the voiceover to explain how Linda was overcome by calm and happy fatalism as she meets fascism's rise by buying yet another outfit. This is not unlike how we all must cope with climate change, a global epidemic, and another rise of fascism. Linda's glamorous nihilism, like the Wes Anderson-inspired cutaways and glam rock montages, adds a funky edge to The Pursuit Of Loves period piece formula.
