Give Julie a Break

I think some reviewers are being a little unfair to Julie Montagu. Some label her unqualified and too over-awed to educate the viewer as to the history of the great estates she visits. but this show’s whole reason for being , it’s hook, so to speak, is her experience (or inexperience) and perspective. She is an American who married into the British nobility, a fish out of water at the time. Along with a drug addicted husband who was not given the proper treatment he needed, she had to deal with a money-sucking estate. She wants to save it and make it a successful concern. So she is touring great estates of the U.K. gathering knowledge and ideas she might be able to apply to her own situation. The owners of which, by the way, are very very very grateful and eager for the publicity. It is not a documentary hosted by a historian or narrated by a disembodied voice. We are living vicariously in her shoes and sharing in her unabashed excitement and awe. If you want a dry objective history, there are plenty of others to choose from. This show is all about Julie’s unique perspective and her challenging mission.

October 3, 2020