Cheap The Grand, Series 2 (Boxed Set) (DVD) (Grand) Price

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Customer Reviews of The Grand, Series 2 (Boxed Set)

I felt the characters were all well represented, the issues facing each character real and poignant. At times, I couldn't tear my eyes away! In particular, I enjoyed the episodes with Miss Harkness (the ex-Madame), returning to her old business, and the episode with the maids going on the beach 'outing' was fun. I did get bored with the 'baby-buying episodes.' Surely in postwar England, there would be plenty of orphanages and places for women to buy children legitimately without resorting to such melodrama! I also felt sorry for Marcus' wife. Years of abuse at the hands of her grandmother and then Marcus had produced its tole on her. Somehow, I wish she could be redeemed.

Overall, an excellent series. A must for fans fo Upstairs Downstairs and similar dramas.

Checking into The Grand again
If you enjoyed your stay at "The Grand," you're likely to want to check in again for "The Grand: Series Two." Get ready for some initial disappointment, and not only because two characters (Stephen Bannerman and Ruth Manning Bannerman) are played by different, less-effective actors.

In the initial episodes of the second series, the tone seems off. While the first series managed to feel like drama rather than soap opera, the second dives wholeheartedly into the soapsuds and becomes more episodic. Some characters even seem to act in ways inconsistent with their previous actions. It almost feels as if a new production team had taken over, although that's not the case.

Luckily, the second series hits its stride with the fourth episode and, for the most part, sustains it until almost the very end (with some nifty surprises and plot twists along the way). There's some very enjoyable writing throughout -- great credit goes to Russell T. Davies for staying true to his period and not trying to impose modern sensibilities on his characters.

For example, the character who reveals his gayness is utterly confused and conflicted in a way that seems consistent for an uneducated worker in 1920s Britain; his self-hatred and seemingly unresolvable sense of isolation are never glossed over.

By the end of the second series, it becomes clear, though, why there were only two series of "The Grand." Just about every avenue of development had been explored and there was little ground left to cover with the characters. So, you check out of The Grand generally satisfied with your stay, but feel fine not returning for another.

Uh-oh. Not as good as Series One
There are some great scenes in this series too but it does not live up to the predecessor. If you watched Series One, you need to buy this to find out how it all ends.

Ruth Bannerman is played by a diferent actor who makes her seem like a weak, silly woman. In Series One she possessed great style, spirit and confidence despite her vulnerability and the acceptance of the shoddy treatment meted out to her by Charles. The script lets the new Ruth down too, by the melodramatic paranoia about dying in pregnancy like her mother.

The replacement for Stephen Bannerman makes his character seem completely shallow.