There’s No Better Way To Close Out Pride Month Than With These Sarah Waters BBC Mini-Series
No one does a period piece mini-series like BBC, and there are two you absolutely can’t skip before the end of Pride Month. Whether you just love a good love story, get down with Dickensian plots, or were as obsessed with The Handmaiden as I was, these two series will have you glued to the TV for hours.
Fingersmith
The source material for The Handmaiden, Fingersmith and its Korean adaptation share same plot shell, but cultural and aesthetic differences, as well as one huge plot twist that was not part of the adaptation make the BBC mini-series worth its own watch.
Following the story of orphaned pickpocket Sue Trinder who is recruited by a con-man known as “Gentleman” to infiltrate the home of Maud Lilly and her controlling uncle as a ladies’ maid so he can seduce the heiress and get his hands on her inheritance. As Sue begins to fall for Maud, she is torn between her personal feelings and economic struggles, knowing that in order to get paid, she must follow the plan to have Maud committed to a mental asylum.
Like The Handmaiden, the story isn’t told in a linear fashion, and we see critical plot points from both women’s point of view, revealing new details and broadening our understanding of their true identities and feelings. It feels like the queer version of your favorite Victorian novel with gothic elements that dive into the secret underground world of obscenity. It’s an underrated gem you’ll be convincing all of your friends to watch ASAP.
Tipping The Velvet
Tipping The Velvet is a picaresque coming of age story, following the journey of naive oyster girl, Nan Astley, as she abandons her small town life for the big city with male impersonator Kitty Butler. Nan’s exposure to the London music hall scene coincides with her loss of innocence, and eventually, her first heartbreak, as Kitty (who has kept their relationship a secret) chooses to marry a man.
Abandoned, Nan is forced to resort to prostitution to make ends meet, using her androgenous look to bend her gender for a slew of different clients. Eventually she is “kept” by a wealthy older woman who pulls Nan into a bacchanalian world full of opulence and excess, that is devoid of any real emotional connection.
Once she hops off that toxic merry-go-round, Nan finds her first healthy relationship with a kind woman named Florence, who is a socialist and single-mother. When Kitty comes back into Nan’s life, asking her to rekindle their closeted romance, Nan is faced with a decision that will impact her entire future.
Both series embody beloved tropes from our favorite historical novels, and the only downfall is that you have to choose which to stream first, but I promise you can’t go wrong either way.
Happy Streaming, and Happy Pride!
