Line #76 Series/Dickensian


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3	''Dickensian'' is a 2015 drama on Creator/TheBBC based on the conceit that all Creator/CharlesDickens's characters lived in the same area of London at around the same time, which is at some point before the novels.
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5	Created and co-written by former ''Series/EastEnders'' writer Tony Jordan, it takes a SoapOpera approach of multiple plot strands interacting, of which the main ones are the investigation of [[Literature/AChristmasCarol Jacob Marley]]'s murder by [[Literature/BleakHouse Inspector Bucket]] and [[Literature/GreatExpectations Meriweather Compeyson's seduction of Amelia Havisham]]. Other major characters include [[Literature/AChristmasCarol the Cratchits]], [[Literature/BleakHouse the Barbarys]], and [[Literature/OliverTwist Fagin's gang]]. A full character guide can be found [[http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/profiles/1BV0vH2JsWR4hSsqdPpmwRk/cast-and-characters here]].
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8	!!Tropes:
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10	* AbhorrentAdmirer: Silas Wegg to Mrs Gamp.
11	* AdaptationalHeroism:
12	** Bill Sikes is portrayed as more of a BruiserWithASoftCenter than the brutish DomesticAbuser he is in ''Literature/OliverTwist'', although whether this would have carried over after Series One if the show had been renewed remains unclear.
13	** Arthur Havisham is more conflicted about scamming his sister than his literary counterpart apparently was and even seeks to stop the con in the final episodes.
14	* AdaptationalVillainy: In [[Literature/AChristmasCarol the book]] Jacob Marley was just as miserly as Scrooge up until his death, but here he takes sadistic pleasure in hurting people and [[spoiler:sells orphans alongside Fagin]]. [[spoiler:Also, he tries to rape Emily Cratchit, resulting in her murdering him.]]
15	* TheAlcoholic: Mrs Gamp's entire character is based around wanting gin.
16	* AmbiguouslyGay: Arthur Havisham is noticeably flustered by Compeyson's handsomeness.
17	* ArtfulDodger: The trope namer appears as part of the main cast.
18	* AttemptedRape: [[spoiler: Jacob Marley on Emily Cratchit who kills him in self defence.]]
19	* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: In the final episode, when Nancy is singing a romantic song, Mrs Bumble takes Mr Bumble's hand.
20	* BroadStrokes: In the last episode, several events from the actual books happen, but not quite the way they did in the books.
21	** Mr. and Mrs. Bumble are already married before the events of ''Oliver Twist''.
22	** Instead of sending a letter breaking the wedding off, [[spoiler: Compeyson delivers it in person at the duress of Arthur and Jaggers]].
23	** Oliver [[spoiler: goes straight from the workhouse to the streets where he meets Dodger, without the apprenticeship to an undertaker. He'd also come from one of Fagin's people trafficking cells (as opposed to growing up in the workhouse) and had tehrefore known Fagin already]].
24	** Scrooge [[spoiler: first hears Marley's ghost long before Christmas, and long before seven years have passed. With Tiny Tim already about seven years old, if ten years did pass he would be a teenager by the events of the book]].
25	* ByTheBookCop: Inspector Bucket, at least to the extent that there even ''is'' a book at the time.
26	* CanonForeigner:
27	** Fanny Biggetywitch is entirely original, though she may be based on Mrs. Prig, Mrs. Gamp's fellow nurse and drinking companion in ''Martin Chuzzlewit''.
28	** Edward Barbary doesn't actually appear in ''Literature/BleakHouse'', although his existence can be deduced from that of his daughters.
29	* CarryABigStick: Bill Sikes never goes anywhere without his cudgel.
30	* CompositeCharacter: The ending rather implies that, in this version, Esther from ''Literature/BleakHouse'' and Estella from ''Literature/GreatExpectations'' are the same person.
31	* DamnedByFaintPraise: At dinner with the Bumbles, Mr Gradgrind describes everything with a variant of "not unpleasant", which Mr Bumble rather desperately interprets as great praise.
32	* DeadpanSnarker: Scrooge, particularly in the final episode.
33	* DefiantCaptive: Sikes, when Bucket briefly arrests him on suspicion of murdering Marley.
34	* DisposableSexWorker: When Nancy is questioned about Marley's murder she points out that there would be no police investigation if ''she'' were the victim and that the police do nothing when other prostitutes are regularly found murdered. [[spoiler: Ironic, considering that in the book she comes from, ''Literature/OliverTwist'', there is a manhunt that goes out for Sikes after he murders her]].
35	* DontMakeMeTakeMyBeltOff: A non-parental version. When a drunken Arthur nearly reveals his and Compeyson's schemes to Amelia, Compeyson escorts him off to their bedroom, removes his belt, and whips him with it until he cries, frustrated by Arthur's AlcoholInducedIdiocy.
36	* DrivenToSuicide: Arthur at the end. Having lost his home, all his money and his sister's love and with no other family to turn to, he's last seen standing on a rooftop contemplating jumping. As there was no second series, we didn't find out whether he went through with it or not.
37	* EvilDetectingDog: Amelia's dog doesn't like Compeyson at all. [[spoiler:Which is why he drowns her.]]
38	* EvilSoundsDeep: He's more of a {{Jerkass}} than Evil, but Mr. Bumble speaks with the deep, resonant voice of Richard Ridings.
39	* FatBastard: The Bumbles, Jacob Marley.
40	* ForegoneConclusion: Played with, as while what happens to certain characters is common knowledge, the details often differ. Jacob Marley died on Christmas Eve in the book, but in ''Dickensian'' he was murdered.
41	* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry: Between Frances (the smart one) and Honoria (the beautiful one).
42	* HappilyMarried: Bob and Emily Cratchit, despite their poverty, live as happy as can be.
43	* HateSink: Jacob Marley had zero redeeming qualities and was hated by everyone in town, making finding his killer much more difficult than it should be since everyone had a motive to kill him.
44	** Which is probably good practice for the murder Bucket must later solve in ''Literature/BleakHouse''. Everyone hates [[spoiler: Tulkinghorn]] too.
45	** Everyone except Amelia hates [[SmugSnake Compeyson.]] And even she takes a while to warm to him.
46	* HenPeckedHusband: Mr Bumble, the Bumbles providing much of the comic relief.
47	* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Nancy.
48	* IHaveNoSon: More like I Have No Brother, which is Amelia Havisham's response to learning that her brother was complicit in Compeyson's plan to cheat her out of her money.
49	* JigsawPuzzlePlot: Many various plot threads from many Dickens novels all play out at the same time, leading to scenes jumping back and forth as new information is withheld or revealed.
50	* KickTheDog: Compeyson [[spoiler: dumps Miss Havisham's dog in the river]].
51	** Just as Frances starts to soften towards Honoria after the incident with her baby, her father essentially tells her that unless she marries Sir Leicester he'll be forced back into debtor's prisoner and they'll all be destitute.
52	* KosherNostra: As per canon, Fagin, who's not only Jewish and a criminal, but [[spoiler:working with Marley in a child trafficking ring operating from the London docks.]]
53	* LetOffByTheDetective: Considering Marley's murder by [[spoiler: Emily Cratchit]] was self defence, he threatened her children and tried to rape her, she wasn't intending to kill him and she has a family to look after. Bucket lets her walk free and the murder is attributed to a violent thug with several other deaths on his hands who was going to hang anyway.
54	* LysistrataGambit: A variant is used by Mrs Bumble; rather than withholding sex, she promises Mr Bumble he can finally have some if he behaves himself at a dinner party. Then she reneges on it.
55	* {{Malaproper}}: Mrs Gamp.
56	* ManipulativeBastard: Compeyson, playing Amelia and Arthur off of each other and Amelia off of Honoria.
57	* MassiveMultiplayerCrossover: Of all Dickens's works, interacting in unexpected ways. For instance...
58	** Silas Wegg from ''Literature/OurMutualFriend'' has the hots for Mrs Gamp from ''Literature/MartinChuzzlewit'' and runs the Three Cripples pub from ''Literature/OliverTwist''; patrons include Scrooge from ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'' and the [[Literature/ThePickwickPapers Pickwick Club]].
59	** Amelia (Miss Havisham from ''Literature/GreatExpectations'') and Honoria (Lady Dedlock from ''Literature/BleakHouse'') are best friends.
60	** Inspector Bucket from ''Literature/BleakHouse'' is investigating the murder of Jacob Marley from ''Literature/AChristmasCarol'', with the assistance of Mr Venus from ''Literature/OurMutualFriend''.
61	* MayDecemberRomance: Not reciprocated, but Honoria is courted by the much older Sir Leicester Dedlock.
62	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone:
63	** Arthur suffers from this almost once an episode as Compeyson keeps revealing the new lengths he'll go to.
64	** [[spoiler: Mrs Cratchit]] understandably has this when Mr Bucket discovers the truth about Marley's murder.
65	* MyLocal: The Three Cripples is a pub frequented by many major characters.
66	* NamedByTheAdaptation: Amelia Havisham, Meriweather Compeyson, and Frances Barbary are all provided with first names.
67	* NoNameGiven: The messenger boy is only listed in the cast list as "Boy". Likewise Little Nell's grandfather, who was never named in the book either. The orphan befriended by Bucket is just credited as "Little Boy" in his first appearance, but is later revealed to be [[spoiler: Oliver Twist]].
68	* OnceMoreWithClarity: The flashback to the murder of Jacob Marley include several scenes from the first episode, showing how it all fitted together.
69	* OpenHeartDentistry: Apparently, being a taxidermist qualifies Mr Venus as both forensic scientist and masseuse.
70	* {{Prequel}}: To the novels, most obviously in the way it works in the backstories to ''Literature/BleakHouse'' and ''Literature/GreatExpectations''.
71	* PlayingTheFamilyCard: Throughout most of the series, [[Literature/GreatExpectations Arthur Havisham]] has been a ([[ForcedIntoEvil reluctant]], but still) partner-in-crime to Meriwether Compeyson in his scheme to seduce Arthur's sister Amelia into giving him the brewery she inherited from their father and take all the money left to her before abandoning her at the altar. By the finale, however, he finally decides he's had enough, and (with the help of [[Literature/OliverTwist Bill Sykes]] and Mr. Jaggers) coerces Compeyson into revealing his crimes to Amelia, including Arthur's own part in them. Arthur, being something of an EntitledBastard ''and'' a HorribleJudgeOfCharacter, seems to think that despite admitting he was working with a con-man to cheat his sister out of her inheritance, he'll be able to convince her to forgive him and their relationship to go back to how it was before just by reminding her that he's her brother. To no-one's surprise, ''he fails'': furious at her brother's greed and selfishness (and cowardice in not turning on Compeyson sooner), Amelia disowns him, orders him to get out of her house, and then descends into a miserable screaming fit of anguish. And seeing his sister fall into such a HeroicBSOD thoroughly rubs it in how much [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone Arthur has let his family down]]: the last time we see him, he's standing on top of a building, drunk and bitter, and it's heavily implied that he'll [[DrivenToSuicide jump]].
72	* PublicDomainCanonWelding: The premise of the series is to show the lives of various Creator/CharlesDickens characters prior to their novels, all taking place in the same setting.
73	* RaceLift: The Artful Dodger and Nell are black.
74	* RedemptionRejection: Sorry, Arthur Havisham, but even if you felt guilty about it and ultimately turned on Compeyson, did you really think that your sister was going to forgive you after finding out that you were assisting a man who planned on cheating her of her money and leaving her at the altar? '''HaHaHaNo'''.
75	* ReplacementGoldfish: [[spoiler:After kidnapping and drowning Amelia Havisham's dog, Compeyson buys a puppy (of a different breed) to replace it. She is initially appalled at his insensitivity since her dog had only been gone one day, so he quickly claims the puppy is for his godchild, but is then able to con her into keeping it.]]
76	* RichSuitorPoorSuitor: Honoria Barbary is in love with the poor soldier Captain Hawdon, but her sister disapproves and would rather she married the rich and respectable Sir Leicester Dedlock.
77	* SarcasticConfession: Compeyson outright tells Pocket that he plans to steal Miss Havisham's fortune, but passes it off as a joke.
78	* SecondEpisodeIntroduction: Inspector Bucket, arguably the main protagonist of the series, is introduced in the second episode of the [=BBC=] run (although this is averted in the streaming versions of the show, which combine every two episodes into a single episode).
79	* SecretOtherFamily: Episode 12 introduces [[spoiler: Mrs Compeyson.]]
80	* ShipperWithAnAgenda: Frances for Honoria and Sir Leicester Dedlock, the family is bankrupt and Honoria marrying the wealthy Sir Leicester would solve this. A rather tragic example as what Frances really wanted was to marry him herself and he isn't Honoria's type at all but it turned out he fell for Honoria and only saw Frances as a friend.
81	* SparedByTheAdaptation: Little Nell dies in ''The Old Curiosity Shop'', but survives until the end of the series.
82	* TheStarscream: Jacob Marley was planning to leave his partnership with Scrooge, but never got the chance.
83	* StayInTheKitchen: This is roughly what Arthur Havisham believes his sister should do. Although, given their class, it's more Stay in the Drawing Room.
84	* SympatheticMurderer: [[spoiler:Emily Cratchit. Jacob Marley ''did'' try to rape her, after all.]]
85	* ToBeLawfulOrGood: Inspector Bucket hates that he can't do anything about [[spoiler: young children being shipped off to coal mines]]. He chooses Lawful, but he's not happy about it. He later chooses Good when [[spoiler: he discovers Emily Cratchit killed Jacob Marley, and decides that he'd rather an unrepentant murderer of others hang for it than a woman acting in desperation and self defence]].
86	* UnseenCharacter: Mrs Bucket (no, not [[Series/KeepingUpAppearances that one]]). Also [[Literature/ThePickwickPapers Mr Pickwick]], who uses the upstairs function room of the Three Cripples pub.
87	* VictorianLondon: The series is set in an area of London at some point, probably quite early, in the Victorian era.
88	* WouldHurtAChild: [[spoiler: Fagin and Marley's orphan selling business]].
89	* WhoMurderedTheAsshole: Scrooge warns Bucket that the difficulty in his investigation will be finding someone who ''didn't'' want Jacob Marley dead.

Context Series / Dickensian