Thoughts on Malory Towers - 4 - The Slap
I can't think of anything particularly interesting to say so all the stuff is below the cut.
First things, I was surprised to see the title of this episode and learn that they kept the slap in when so many of the updated books removed it. Let's ramble about that for a bit!
There seems to be a move in recent years to alter older books to make them fit into the current era. I think there's a need for careful balance with some of this, and people have different views. Removing racist, homophobic, sexist, transphobic, ableist and otherwise bigoted viewpoints which were not a part of the plot does make sense to me if they serve no purpose than to be reminders that the books were written a time where those views were more widespread though not any less vile and wrong (now I'm thinking about the hatred and bigotry that has been amplified by Brexit and Trump and...maybe it is still as widespread...back on track for now....).
There's also merit in how Looney Toons approach it - acknowledging it happened, affirming that it is wrong now and was then, but state that they've chosen not to pretend that it didn't happen.
What does this have to do with school-girls slapping each other exactly? Well, in recent books, Darrell doesn't slap Gwen. She shakes her or "scolds" her. The whole reason the slapping scene (and Darrell's temper in general) is shocking in the books is because Darrell uses physical violence. Because she has been portrayed as a nice, friendly kid, and Blyton and her world of "one true flaw to overcome" used something that would have still been shocking even then when corporal punishment was condoned. Nice girls do not hit people, or even get to have tempers like Darrell's. Darrell didn't just hit Gwen, she hit her four times. That's why it's shocking to young readers and it's why changing it to a shake or a scolding doesn't work because those things aren't exactly that bad.
I've seen some people argue that it should be removed because children don't hit each other and that it's unrealistic in a book about boarding school girls. Now, I didn't go to boarding school thankfully but I was a girl at school and I have worked in and adjacent to schools for years. Anyone who says children, and particularly girls, don't get into fights have no idea what goes on in schools. I was internally excluded for thumping the boy who bullied me, and I was the class nerd. Fights and punches and slaps happen even if they're not always for the right reasons and we can have kids read about them without condoning the physical violence.
Wow, massive side-ramble done. Let's actually look at the episode then...
So, another classroom based query. How come some of the form don't have to do this class? How did Sally, Katherine and Jean get out of suffering through Domestic Science? Who did they bribe?
It's clumsy but that fact that Miss Potts' critiques could just as easily be about the characters themselves is quite true. It's also good that this version of Gwen isn't completely hopeless at all classes - this is revisted later on and it's a fairer rendition of a character than just a 2D hopeless mean girl. She is, however, a completely snide cow in this scene and it is glorious. Danya Griver has good delivery with a lot of her lines.
Hurray! Emily saves the day. Emily is just nice for the sake of being nice, no ulterior motive or anything.
Why do so many people call Darrell by her full name? Gwen does it a lot, so does Sally, Alicia does it a few times. It doesn't happen with any of the other characters! I mean, some of them don't get surnames but that's besides the point. It gets really noticeable the longer the series goes on. I might have to start checking if it's when she's being chastised or told off that it happens. Like when your mum uses your full name and you know you're in big trouble...
Off you go to struggle with your prep Darrell. Mary Lou being so nervous and twitchy is really well done. Imogen Lamb is very good, I think I read that she was one of the only young cast members who had already read the series as a young child and she knew the source material well. If that memory is correct, it has served her well in her portrayal of Mary Lou.
Gwen's face where she's getting in the water is hilarious, even looking at the screen grab now makes me laugh. Also, Mary Lou and her obvious girl crush is adorable.
So it was only one slap and not four but it was genuinely shocking for a kid's show. The scene was redone really well and the kids acting shocked at the pool the moment it happens is good. Darrell storms off, Gwen dissolves into tears and Mary Lou is deeply upset. Mary Lou deserves all the comforting. Poor little kid.
Eh, Ron. I'd forgot you existed. Darrell throwing stones is good visualisation of her working out her temper but I don't see what purpose Ron served here apart from to be sexist ("a catfight?") and to hand over some humbugs. I suppose he's some kind of sounding board for Darrell but he doesn't really...do...anything?
Irene is funny in this scene about Darrell ("Because she walloped someone? What? It's what we're all thinking. And is she going to wallop one of us?"), and Sally coming to Darrell's defense as the voice of reason is also good and in-fitting with this BBC!Sally. I think the fact that there's early forms of friendship between her and Darrell works well in this version, it makes the times she verbally lashes out at Darrell all the more confusing for young viewers.
Also one of my favourite exchanges in this series: "Wow, do you just save all your words up for when you really need them?", "You should try it", with the very obvious look up and down of disdain cracks me up.
Mary Lou is quite sure that Gwen did in fact mean to drown her and really, who knows, would Gwen have stopped in time? This is the same girl who ran to a phone-box god knows how far away just to find out gossip about Darrell. She's not exactly characterised as showing restraint...
Aaw, Sally refusing to send Darrell to Coventry is sweet. And then deliberately saying hello to her and getting an eye roll from Katherine is perfect.
Gwen, Gwen, Gwen listening at doors gets you into trouble. Yet again someone rolls their eyes when Gwen enters a room.
Darrell storming out and shaking out her anger makes sense as part of her character but the execution isn't … brilliant. The scene is really clumsy.
Gwen's apology is so terrible and just so...Gwen. My God Gwen, you really are a spoilt little monster.
Jean is the queen of sarcasm. She is perfect in this scene.
Crush on hyper-drive as Mary Lou makes Darrell a daisy chain and you can practically see the emoji hearts in eyes. We also get a clearer shot at Sally's bedside table and it pretty much confirms that she has not put her family photograph out. I'm presuming she hid it with her pre-adolescent stroppiness.
Then we get our shock reveal with Miss Grayling and Miss Potts about Darrell pushing a teacher down stairs. It's interesting to wonder the circumstances where a boarding school would take a student who had assaulted a staff member, even if now Miss Grayling has her suspicions that there's more to it. That's quite a serious event and I wonder how that all played out at Darrell's home and with her parents looking for another school that would take her.
The episode finishes with Darrell and Sally sharing ginger biscuits and the humbugs plus fun-filled ghost trap shenanigans. "You're still talking to me then?", "Very, very politely and from a safe distance". Happy ending.
First things, I was surprised to see the title of this episode and learn that they kept the slap in when so many of the updated books removed it. Let's ramble about that for a bit!
There seems to be a move in recent years to alter older books to make them fit into the current era. I think there's a need for careful balance with some of this, and people have different views. Removing racist, homophobic, sexist, transphobic, ableist and otherwise bigoted viewpoints which were not a part of the plot does make sense to me if they serve no purpose than to be reminders that the books were written a time where those views were more widespread though not any less vile and wrong (now I'm thinking about the hatred and bigotry that has been amplified by Brexit and Trump and...maybe it is still as widespread...back on track for now....).
There's also merit in how Looney Toons approach it - acknowledging it happened, affirming that it is wrong now and was then, but state that they've chosen not to pretend that it didn't happen.
What does this have to do with school-girls slapping each other exactly? Well, in recent books, Darrell doesn't slap Gwen. She shakes her or "scolds" her. The whole reason the slapping scene (and Darrell's temper in general) is shocking in the books is because Darrell uses physical violence. Because she has been portrayed as a nice, friendly kid, and Blyton and her world of "one true flaw to overcome" used something that would have still been shocking even then when corporal punishment was condoned. Nice girls do not hit people, or even get to have tempers like Darrell's. Darrell didn't just hit Gwen, she hit her four times. That's why it's shocking to young readers and it's why changing it to a shake or a scolding doesn't work because those things aren't exactly that bad.
I've seen some people argue that it should be removed because children don't hit each other and that it's unrealistic in a book about boarding school girls. Now, I didn't go to boarding school thankfully but I was a girl at school and I have worked in and adjacent to schools for years. Anyone who says children, and particularly girls, don't get into fights have no idea what goes on in schools. I was internally excluded for thumping the boy who bullied me, and I was the class nerd. Fights and punches and slaps happen even if they're not always for the right reasons and we can have kids read about them without condoning the physical violence.
Wow, massive side-ramble done. Let's actually look at the episode then...
So, another classroom based query. How come some of the form don't have to do this class? How did Sally, Katherine and Jean get out of suffering through Domestic Science? Who did they bribe?
It's clumsy but that fact that Miss Potts' critiques could just as easily be about the characters themselves is quite true. It's also good that this version of Gwen isn't completely hopeless at all classes - this is revisted later on and it's a fairer rendition of a character than just a 2D hopeless mean girl. She is, however, a completely snide cow in this scene and it is glorious. Danya Griver has good delivery with a lot of her lines.
Hurray! Emily saves the day. Emily is just nice for the sake of being nice, no ulterior motive or anything.
Why do so many people call Darrell by her full name? Gwen does it a lot, so does Sally, Alicia does it a few times. It doesn't happen with any of the other characters! I mean, some of them don't get surnames but that's besides the point. It gets really noticeable the longer the series goes on. I might have to start checking if it's when she's being chastised or told off that it happens. Like when your mum uses your full name and you know you're in big trouble...
Off you go to struggle with your prep Darrell. Mary Lou being so nervous and twitchy is really well done. Imogen Lamb is very good, I think I read that she was one of the only young cast members who had already read the series as a young child and she knew the source material well. If that memory is correct, it has served her well in her portrayal of Mary Lou.
Gwen's face where she's getting in the water is hilarious, even looking at the screen grab now makes me laugh. Also, Mary Lou and her obvious girl crush is adorable.
So it was only one slap and not four but it was genuinely shocking for a kid's show. The scene was redone really well and the kids acting shocked at the pool the moment it happens is good. Darrell storms off, Gwen dissolves into tears and Mary Lou is deeply upset. Mary Lou deserves all the comforting. Poor little kid.
Eh, Ron. I'd forgot you existed. Darrell throwing stones is good visualisation of her working out her temper but I don't see what purpose Ron served here apart from to be sexist ("a catfight?") and to hand over some humbugs. I suppose he's some kind of sounding board for Darrell but he doesn't really...do...anything?
Irene is funny in this scene about Darrell ("Because she walloped someone? What? It's what we're all thinking. And is she going to wallop one of us?"), and Sally coming to Darrell's defense as the voice of reason is also good and in-fitting with this BBC!Sally. I think the fact that there's early forms of friendship between her and Darrell works well in this version, it makes the times she verbally lashes out at Darrell all the more confusing for young viewers.
Also one of my favourite exchanges in this series: "Wow, do you just save all your words up for when you really need them?", "You should try it", with the very obvious look up and down of disdain cracks me up.
Mary Lou is quite sure that Gwen did in fact mean to drown her and really, who knows, would Gwen have stopped in time? This is the same girl who ran to a phone-box god knows how far away just to find out gossip about Darrell. She's not exactly characterised as showing restraint...
Aaw, Sally refusing to send Darrell to Coventry is sweet. And then deliberately saying hello to her and getting an eye roll from Katherine is perfect.
Gwen, Gwen, Gwen listening at doors gets you into trouble. Yet again someone rolls their eyes when Gwen enters a room.
Darrell storming out and shaking out her anger makes sense as part of her character but the execution isn't … brilliant. The scene is really clumsy.
Gwen's apology is so terrible and just so...Gwen. My God Gwen, you really are a spoilt little monster.
Jean is the queen of sarcasm. She is perfect in this scene.
Crush on hyper-drive as Mary Lou makes Darrell a daisy chain and you can practically see the emoji hearts in eyes. We also get a clearer shot at Sally's bedside table and it pretty much confirms that she has not put her family photograph out. I'm presuming she hid it with her pre-adolescent stroppiness.
Then we get our shock reveal with Miss Grayling and Miss Potts about Darrell pushing a teacher down stairs. It's interesting to wonder the circumstances where a boarding school would take a student who had assaulted a staff member, even if now Miss Grayling has her suspicions that there's more to it. That's quite a serious event and I wonder how that all played out at Darrell's home and with her parents looking for another school that would take her.
The episode finishes with Darrell and Sally sharing ginger biscuits and the humbugs plus fun-filled ghost trap shenanigans. "You're still talking to me then?", "Very, very politely and from a safe distance". Happy ending.