Oftentimes, particularly among streaming series, costuming appears to be an afterthought or a wild flight of fancy. Those who haven’t read any supplemental analysis of Dickens’ work will likely miss the cyclical nature of Pip’s name, the deeper context of breaking Magwitch’s chains, and the visual and narrative symmetry between Miss Havisham and Estella.īeyond the exceptionally well-crafted scripts - which could be talked about at great length, though it would spoil far too much - Great Expectations features some of the best historical costume designs of this decade. These changes, while some book purists may dither about, do not alter the intent of the story in any meaningful way beyond improving the enjoyment for audiences who dislike gratuitous violence against women.įor those who have studied Great Expectations to any extensive degree, you will find that some of the loftier concepts-particularly the compulsion to repeat-are significantly more understated. Much in the same way, we don’t see other female characters beaten down for stepping outside of Victorian gender norms or whose abuse is used to torment the men in their lives. Even Estella, who is forever and always a tool of Miss Havisham’s cruelty, is given more agency over her fate - breaking free of the chains that would have seen her abused for the benefit of others.

The largest area of improvement lies within the way that this series frames its female characters: they are not just pawns or angels of the hearth. This adaptation of Great Expectations has been updated for a modern audience without truly sacrificing the historical context or the literary allusions that Dickens often employed.

Great expectations by charles dickens