SPOILERS As the Hornblower series continued with it's second episode, it continued to keep the audience attracted and kept our focus. With a plot dealing more with the negative moments of a time aboard ship, the story is not as fast and tense as the opening part, but it remains well made and entertaining none the less.
As an acting Lieutenant about Captain Pellew's (Robert Lindsay) Indefatigable, Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) is working on his exam to become full lieutenant. Unable to find any time to himself on a confined ship however, he also has to face up to rationing and a personal hero in the form of Captain 'Dreadnought' Foster (Denis Lawson).
Reintroduced to Hornblower, we are reminded once more of Ioan Gruffudd's superb acting skills. Stressed and unable to focus, Gruffudd's Hornblower is brilliantly shown to be advancing in age and experience throughout.
Aided by recurring regulars Lindsay, Paul Copley and Sean Gilder, Gruffudd is aided this time by a well played performance by Denis Lawson as the arrogant and 'gung-ho' Foster. It's no wonder with casting and performances like this that the series has become such a success.
Compared with it's previous episode however, this second outing for Gruffudd's Hornblower suffers from the simple fact that the plot is not quite as lively. Whilst brilliantly portraying scurvy and the problems with a ship short on food and with an unhappy crew, it does lack a lot of the excitement possessed by the first encounter. This is not a bad thing since variety and the covering of a wider world is always good, but with the exception of an explosive conclusion, it does feel lacking at times.
All in all, it's difficult to fault any episode of this majestic series. Interesting and addictive from the word go, this series has given joy to countless numbers. In this second episode, we are again given brilliant acting and gritty realism. It's distinctively slower than it's predecessor though. Still, even a slow Hornblower episode is a million times better than most television dramas. Watch and love.
As an acting Lieutenant about Captain Pellew's (Robert Lindsay) Indefatigable, Hornblower (Ioan Gruffudd) is working on his exam to become full lieutenant. Unable to find any time to himself on a confined ship however, he also has to face up to rationing and a personal hero in the form of Captain 'Dreadnought' Foster (Denis Lawson).
Reintroduced to Hornblower, we are reminded once more of Ioan Gruffudd's superb acting skills. Stressed and unable to focus, Gruffudd's Hornblower is brilliantly shown to be advancing in age and experience throughout.
Aided by recurring regulars Lindsay, Paul Copley and Sean Gilder, Gruffudd is aided this time by a well played performance by Denis Lawson as the arrogant and 'gung-ho' Foster. It's no wonder with casting and performances like this that the series has become such a success.
Compared with it's previous episode however, this second outing for Gruffudd's Hornblower suffers from the simple fact that the plot is not quite as lively. Whilst brilliantly portraying scurvy and the problems with a ship short on food and with an unhappy crew, it does lack a lot of the excitement possessed by the first encounter. This is not a bad thing since variety and the covering of a wider world is always good, but with the exception of an explosive conclusion, it does feel lacking at times.
All in all, it's difficult to fault any episode of this majestic series. Interesting and addictive from the word go, this series has given joy to countless numbers. In this second episode, we are again given brilliant acting and gritty realism. It's distinctively slower than it's predecessor though. Still, even a slow Hornblower episode is a million times better than most television dramas. Watch and love.