S1 of Gentleman Jack is practically a fluff piece when compared to S2. Which is GREAT because, as much as we deserve to see a beautifully soft romance, we also deserve an honest and sober look into the realities surrounding their story.
Or, as my wife just so elegantly put it, “Gotta have something nice to stuff the pillow that bears the weight of our heads, or else we would not be able to rest.”
I just simply love how mature this season was. The narrative framing, the careful measures taken to be gentle, never once used the facts as an excuse to be brutal with our feelings. The drama of betrayal was not solicited as entertainment, and I found that just so… refreshing. Sally and her team took the real and messy events of a real and messy relationship, warts and all, as a chance to instead show us a fundamental truth. Love- especially, the love inside a marriage- is a choice as much as it is a feeling; you can’t force the feeling to exist, but you can devote yourself to choosing it every time.
And I just think that was so neat a thing for them to do. <3
