Just re-watched Ep 1. of Masterpiece's "The Buccaneers"

Anyone seen it? This is my third time embarking down the 7-hour path that's this miniseries full of conniving, double-crossing, sex, scandal, and all kinds of other proto-gossip girl stuff. Based on Edith Wharton's last (and unfinished) novel, it tells the story of four "nouveau riche" American girls who find more acceptance in London than in Old New York, whose money buys them entree into a society of dissipated landed gentry still obsessed with rules of decorum but desperate for money. Really, liberally adapted (marital rape! gay subtext! syphilis!) and with a tacked-on ending, it's quite juicy, but it's tempered with a sober dose of hatred for the marriage-prison and the hypocrisy of the British landed classes as befits Wharton. Connie Booth (aka Polly from Fawlty Towers) and Mira Sorvino make appearances along with a number of BBC staples and a few American actresses including Carla Gugino, who's much more likeable here than she was as an agent/love interest for Vince in Entourage.



I know there are some Greg Wise fans out there... in this series he plays Guy Thwaite, which is a great role. Basically he gets to be Willoughby, but a good Willoughby. I'm looking forward to watching the rest soon!