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1[[quoteright:210:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/OnedinLineS1_Vol1_4501.jpg]]
2A British drama, aired from 1971-1980, about a FamilyBusiness of {{Intrepid Merchant}}s in the Victorian era. It begins with the disgruntled [[TheCaptain Captain]] James Onedin (Creator/PeterGilmore) setting himself up as an independent businessman. He finds that an old ship is for sale which no one will buy. Upon exploring, he learns that the ship is owned by a dissolute former naval officer, who is being [[PromotionToParent tended]] by his middle-aged daughter, Anne. James has no money of his own but offers to pay in shares. The daughter notes that if her father dies, the shares would revert to James, because [[ValuesDissonance women cannot inherit]] according to the laws of the time. She therefore insists on a marriage of expediency to seal the deal because, after all, it is a "not uncommon arrangement". Whereupon James, [[ILoveYouBecauseICantControlYou appreciating a business canniness to match his own]], begins to fall in love. The two marry and begin their effort to become a lord and lady of the seas.
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4This show can be found on DVD. All eight seasons are available as Dutch imports, uncut versions of seasons 1 to 3 have recently been released by 2entertain. The show deals with such things as empire building, intrigue, romance and, of course, seafaring in an attractively prissy Victorian way. One can actually believe that the characters lived in the late 19th century.
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6!! This series provides examples of:
7* AdventureDuo: The Onedins, in a laid-back sort of way
8* ApronMatron: Mrs Onedin. She is the most admirable character of the show.
9* AssholeVictim: Bucko Roberts in series 1. Whether he was murdered or not is disputed, but he was certainly an asshole.
10* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Mr and Mrs Onedin, though they would never show it in public.
11* BadassFamily: The Onedins.
12* BelligerentSexualTension: Daniel and Elizabeth, particularly in later seasons. When they're both married. To other people.
13* BerserkButton: Daniel Fogarty really, ''really'' doesn't like it when someone insults Elizabeth.
14* TheCaptain: James.
15* CheshireCatGrin: James, when in a particularly smug mood.
16* TheConsigliere : Anne Onedin.
17* DeathByChildbirth: [[spoiler: Anne.]]
18* DeliberateValuesDissonance: This is the 19th century, after all.
19* DiabolusExMachina: A couple of times in various episodes. [[spoiler:In one episode, James manages to recover the ''Anne Onedin'' from Frazer and Fogarty, forces them to beg him to carry their coal...and then the son of one of James's business associates gets eaten by a crocodile, ensuring that James loses his father's contract. More importantly, Anne's death comes at the end of an episode in which James wins an important race against Fogarty and runs upstairs to greet Anne and their new baby...and finds her dead.]]
20* FamilyBusiness
21* FatherNeptune: Onedin's first mate. And James Onedin himself.
22* FeudingFamilies: They have this with rival shippers in a business rather than a violent way.
23* GoodWithNumbers: Both Onedins.
24* GuileHero: James.
25* HappilyMarried: The Onedins, in a quirky sort of way.
26* HeirClubForMen: James is determined to have a son and heir to the Onedin Line. [[spoiler:He's not thrilled about his daughter, but that's at least partially down to the circumstances of her birth.]]
27* TheIngenue: Leonora.
28* IntrepidMerchant
29* IronLady: No one had better mess with Mrs Onedin.
30* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Both Onedins. Mrs Onedin shows her heart of gold more often.
31* LawOfInverseFertility: Anne has a ''lot'' of difficulty trying to get pregnant.
32* ManipulativeBastard: James James James James James.
33* {{Leitmotif}}: ''Adagio'' of ''Spartacus'' by Aram Khachaturyan
34* MarriageBeforeRomance: James and Anne Onedin were their own matchmakers so to speak, having found it useful to marry each other to smooth out the legal details of a business alliance. As a bonus they happened to fall in love.
35* MeaningfulName: "Onedin" is a transposition of "Ondine", a water spirit.
36* MyGirlBackHome: Anne Onedin sometimes goes to sea with James and sometimes stays home to mind the store. James' rather exasperating sister also fits this.
37* MyGirlIsNotASlut: Daniel Fogarty gets very angry when anyone impugns Elizabeth's chastity. [[spoiler:In this case it's partly because Elizabeth ''does'' have a more complicated sexual history than most of her female contemporaries.]]
38* NonIdleRich: The Frazers, among others. The main story is about the Onedins struggle to become and maintain this.
39* OhCrap: Lots, like the moment when [[spoiler:James bursts into Anne's room only to find her dead. One lesser example is when Leonora Biddulph, anxious to defend her chastity, tells Daniel Fogarty, "We're not all like Mrs Frazer, you know!"]]
40* OperationJealousy: [[spoiler:Leonora Biddulph tries this on James when she sees how annoyed he gets by Fogarty escorting her home. It doesn't really work, not least because Fogarty catches on and tells her to grow up. On the other hand, ''Elizabeth''...]]
41* ParentalNeglect: [[spoiler:James can't even look at his baby daughter after Anne's death. While he doesn't abuse her, he doesn't pay much attention to her, either.]]
42* PluckyMiddie: On at least one episode. The mercantile version is an "apprentice".
43* ProudMerchantRace: The English.
44* RescueRomance: Leonora Biddulph would have liked very much for this to happen.
45* ShotgunWedding: Elizabeth and Albert.
46* ShoutOut: The second episode is a ShoutOut to the exploits of [[Literature/TheCaptainsWife Mary Ann Patten]].
47* TheStoic: Both Onedins.
48* SympatheticAdulterer: In later seasons, [[spoiler:Elizabeth and Daniel. Both their spouses are more or less permanently estranged.]]
49* TeenPregnancy: Elizabeth.
50* UndyingLoyalty: Mrs Onedin.
51* WoodenShipsAndIronMen

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