If you find yourself down in the dumps after finishing Outlander Season 8, and it’s too raw to go back and watch the last season or start back at Season 1, and you need a delightful distraction, you can watch Seeking Persephone. It is a regency drama, very reminiscent of the early 2000s BBC productions of Sense and Sensibility, Persuasion, North & South, and Lorna Doone. I started seeing clips pop up in my social media, and it piqued my interest. I did more digging and found out it was based on a book by Sarah M. Eden. I bought the book on my kindle, thinking I’d see what it was all about. I’m a stickler for reading the books before watching the show or movie. I ended up really loving it. It’s a closed door romance, so no spicy scenes, but the characters and their arcs are well-crafted in a short amount of time and feel more believable than silly, as some romances do. There are some references to the Hades and Persephone greek mythology story, and for some it’s easy to think of this as another Beauty and the Beast retelling, or another version of Jane Eyre or to see the male protagonist as a Mr. Darcy. I think there’s more to it than that and that the story quickly begins to stand on its own. I loved the book and went straight to buy the show. It’s only available for free on Plex or for purchase on Amazon Prime. If you have a subscription of Peacock, it is included. It’s made by a small independent company, and the author is the screenwriter. If you go to her website, you can purchase the DVD straight from her. In someways, I really respect that this is a small independent company, living the dream and putting out stories they want to tell and be seen.
The opening credits begin with two older girls and one young girl carrying baskets of laundry while a soaring violin melody takes off. We find out the girls are all sisters, Persephone being the oldest, then Athena, and then little Artemis. Artemis does not like having to take in the neighbors’ laundry but Persephone points out the few pennies they get from doing the laundry keeps them from being completely broke. Still, little Artemis is quite dramatic about it all. Persephone makes it through the door to find a mess in the house. She checks on her other sister, Daphne, who has been reading at home and keeping an eye on their father. It sounds like he might be in the early stages of dementia as books and papers are left around. He is also described as getting into funny moods and is unpredictable. For some reason, he doesn’t speak to Daphne, which is incredibly sad. Persephone goes on picking up and comes across Artemis “dead” on the floor. She gives this one-liner that has been stuck in my head as I finished up the school year.
“My suffering is too great that no words can possibly describe it.”
ARtemis Lancaster, age 6
I feel like I need this as a meme for school. All of a sudden, I wonder if this is what the Dowager Countess of Grantham from Downton Abbey sounded like as a child. Artemis goes on to share that she didn’t see her friend, which almost sounds like an imaginary friend. Persephone treats it as such and tries to cheer up Artemis by saying there’s enough ingredients around to make bread pudding. It does the trick for Artemis as it’s her favorite. However, it’s also a reminder of how poor they are that this can be a rare treat for them, as well as the fact that Persephone is the one doing the cooking. The idea of bread pudding immediately cheers up Artemis and she is miraculously all better. Her sweet little accent made me laugh and think of Monty Python and the Holy Grail and the dead man who says he’s “all better.”
Persephone continues picking up and comes across Athena in the stairwell looking over the “almost newest” fashion cards. Athena adds it to her list of dreams and asks Persephone what her dreams are. We find out that they have two younger brothers that were sent to work in the navy. Persephone’s dreams center around the boys being able to come home and having enough money for food to eat. Her mentioning how hard she tried to keep the boys at home shows how Persephone has been running the house and how much her father has been MIA. We hear he is coming through the house, and Persephone has Athena take the other girls to the kitchen because their dad can be “frustrating.” It really makes you wonder what kind of man is he. When he finally comes onscreen, he’s is disheveled and confused. He explains that he has received a letter with an offer of marriage for Persephone. She almost doesn’t believe him, like he would have made it up. However, the more her father explains, the more she realizes it’s real. The Duke of Kielder has offered to marry Persephone, as well as pay dowries for her sisters and provide an income for her father and brothers. It ends up being over $100,000 pounds, which was big money for back then. The problem is the that Persephone doesn’t know the duke at all. Neither does her father. She asks him what his parents were like and he’d mentions that the dad was boring but the mom was social.
We cut to Persephone sitting on a swing (nice nod to the 2005 Pride & Prejudice movie) in the garden, getting a little peace and quiet to think. Athena has heard about the offer and runs out there to talk to her. They both wonder at the amount of money being offered. Persephone can’t help but admit how it would fix everything financially, not just for them now but for future generations of their family. While Athena (with her distractingly thoroughly modern looking hair roots) tries to protest and encourage Persephone to think of her own dreams, Persephone admits it does complete her dreams. Athena could attend balls and get the latest fashions. The boys could come home. There would be no more doing laundry for pennies. Persephone wouldn’t have to cook. Artemis could have more than just bread pudding as a treat, and Daphne could have all the books. Their father would be taken care of as his mental state continues to deteriorate. The girls could have a governess to oversee their education. Yet Athena is trying to fight for Persephone to have a dream of her own, something that probably died a long time ago with their mother. That’s the problem when you keep sacrificing to make ends meet or to keep your loved ones happy. Persephone has lost quite a bit of herself to keep things afloat. Either this marriage will destroy the last bit of her reserve or it will give her a chance to rediscover things about herself that were maybe long gone. It’s hard for our modern minds to fathom, but many women in her time married for financial stability for themselves or their families, although perhaps not to this extreme amount of money. Persephone can’t ignore that there really is no other option for her. They are close to destitute. No one else will probably offer to marry her, and perhaps this allows good connections so her sisters can marry for love. It even feels more like fate and living up to her namesake from the Persephone/Hades myth.
We get a view of a gorgeous church and the assumed Duke of Kielder. He’s grumpy and with a web of scars on one side of his face. It doesn’t help his mood that Persephone is late, his mother invited extra people (no one likes guests they weren’t counting on when one is an introvert), and people are making rude comments, although I do like the dry, humorous tone of the vicar.
Fun fact, the author of the Seeming Persephone is the red head sitting next to the duke’s mother in the church. Athena hurries in with Artemis and Daphne. The man in blue (we later find out to be Harry, the only friend of the Duke) seated next to the soon-to-be dowager Duchess of Kielder does a double take. He takes notice of Athena, Daphne and Artemis, although her being a typical kid, is hungry and doesn’t hide it well.
Poor Persephone dressed in her finest looks a little threadbare next to some of the finer outfits of the guests. And her father can’t even walk her down the aisle as he gets distracted by the church architecture and then a lost button. She is humiliated by lack of fancy attire, lack of attention by her father, and then by random comments from her soon-to-be husband. It doesn’t help he rattles off a mouthful of titles when he says his vows. Persephone does her best to say her part and then the duke asks the vicar if they can cut it short (It’s giving me Jane Eyre vibes. He better not have a wife in the attic!) He proceeds to leave, leaving poor Persephone to again walk herself back down the aisle. The duke helps her in the carriage, and they leave, with only a wave from Harry, the man in blue. Once in the carriage, an awkward conversation starts about names. It seems that he thinks Persephone’s name is ridiculous and would like something more practical. However, her middle name Iphigenia, is deemed more impractical and not having any nicknames, he must resign himself to calling her Persephone. We also find out that his name is Adam, and he had one friend named Harry, which must be the man in blue. We then get a gorgeous view of Falstone Castle. (Raby Castle in real life, with a fascinating history.)
Adam politely helps Persephone out of the carriage and introduces her to the staff. There are a couple moments throughout the episode where you can tell this is a lower budget than the BBC or Netflix. This is one, as the footmen’s wigs are pretty bad. I feel like it’s almost Spirit of Halloween wig worthy. I’m not usually one to pick apart wigs but these are pretty obvious.
Adam introduces Persephone to the housekeeper and then disappears like an apparition himself. She’s left in a gargantuan and beautiful hall, only to be led to a stately drawing room. If the sheer size and grandeur of the place isn’t already getting to her, it doesn’t help that it’s mentioned that royalty used to visit the castle but wouldn’t dare step near it (implying out of fear of the duke). Persephone notices a gibbet out the window, only to discover there’s also stocks and a dungeon. Thankfully the housekeeper Mrs. Smithson cuts the tour short so Persephone can rest as requested. Also, it helps that her room is full of light and brightness. She sinks into the window seat of my dreams, overwhelmed with now being the lady of a huge household, including a grumpy, anti-social husband who thinks she’s ridiculous.
I do love the transition from Persephone declaring “this will never work” to Adam declaring “this will never work.” Harry walks into Adam’s study and tries to find out why Adam fired his estate manager. It sounds like this isn’t the first time the manager has been fired and reinstated, although we find out that the marriage was the manager’s idea, to make sure Adam would have an heir instead of the estate going to a distant cousin. If Adam is grumpy and dour, Harry is quite the opposite, razzing Adam with humor and sarcasm. He teases Adam about hanging out with him on his wedding night. Adam feels he’s been through the wringer by having to put up with three new sisters-in-law at dinner and having a wife with a ridiculous name, which he feels he should have known beforehand. Harry asks if Adam told Persephone about his scarred face, which he admits he did not. Harry instead teases out of Adam the heart of the problem, which is that Persephone is pretty and kind, not at all what Adam assumed she would be. Adam thought that Persephone would be an old ugly spinster, desperate to marry and would do her duty to give an heir and then leave him alone. However, Harry points out how Persephone is pretty, enjoyable to be around, and good natured. Adam has left her upstairs, alone on her wedding night, and probably not sure about what she did wrong. Harry calls Adam, “bacon-brained” and teases him about it not being Persephone’s fault that she is every man’s the idea of a perfect wife. Adam threatens Harry to a duel the next morning but nothing comes of it. We then see Persephone pace on the floor, waiting for Adam to come. Instead he blows out his candle in this room, and below the door, we just see the light go to darkness.
The next morning, Persephone says goodbye to her family. We don’t see her dad get into the carriage, but she does say goodbye to her sisters. Poor Daphne admits she doesn’t know who will talk to her if Persephone is gone and puts on a brave face. At first it’s easy to pass by. But the more times I’ve watched the episode, I realize that response it’s not a good one for a 10-12 year old girl. That’s a girls who is sad and scared enough to verbally realize her fear…”who is going to talk to me if you’re not there” and then to quickly cover it up with “I’m sure everything will be fine.” That’s a kid who is used to being ignored by her father, a kid who puts her needs behind everyone else’s. Even when we saw her first scene, she shares what she’s read as interesting and “so terribly useful.” That’s a kid who has only found self-worth in what she can contribute as useful. It makes me hope she gets a kind governess who does see her.
Athena gets in the carriage but we don’t see a goodbye. I wish we did or see a conversation between Athena and Persephone, with her delegating all the things Athena must do in her absence until the governess arrives. In some ways, it has to be overwhelming for Athena to take on the role of her sister and keep things together. It’s probably why she’s half-dragging Artemis to the carriage. Poor Artemis doesn’t want to leave. It’s easy on the first watch to see this as a sweet and sad exchange. After multiple watches, I realized each line shows quite a bit. Artemis asks who will take care of Persephone. While it seems sweet, it’s also a sign that these kids have had to be a team to survive. They are not only bonded by blood, but by trying to keep each other going with little money and no adult leadership. Their brothers are already gone, and the duke who seems grumpy and doesn’t say much, doesn’t alleviate a child’s fear that the only person she sees as a mother figure will now be left alone in a cold, drafty, scary castle. They do a very British thing and try to hold a stiff upper lip and promise each other not to cry, but Artemis gives the most heart wrenching line, “you’re the best momma I’ve ever had.”
If you watch the Duke during this interchange, you can tell he is wrestling with seeing so much love openly between family but also guilt that it’s his fault this family is being separated and he doesn’t know what to do with it. After all, he made an offer that no one could refuse. After the carriage leaves, he asks Persephone why make the promise if they are both still crying? At first, this interaction along with repeating Artemis’s line of “best momma she ever had,” can feel cold and standoffish. But really, it’s someone trying to understand their relationship and how they could be so sad. It’s makes one wonder if anyone ever shed tears over leaving Adam. So far we’ve seen his interactions with his mother to be very formal and aloof. There isn’t a love or tenderness visible, just pity as she call him her “poor boy.”
I do love the score for this show. As Persephone’s emotions overwhelm her, she takes off for the garden and a beautiful violin line takes off, reminding me of Ralph Vaughn Williams’ The Lark Ascending, or Dario Marianelli’s soundtrack to the 2011 movie, Jane Eyre. Seeking Persephone may be a small budget production, but they get an A+ when it comes to the music.
While we thought the duke disappeared, we see he’s in his study and can see where Persephone is. If he already had his doubts about the marriage, it’s compounded by witnessing a family losing their mother figure, and his wife feeling all alone. Adam starts talking to the portrait of his father (and presumably his younger self also featured in the portrait). To the casual viewer, it could seem a little corny or predictable. From a book reader’s viewpoint, this is an excellent adaptation choice. Adam is a man of little words but as readers, we are privy to his thoughts. How do you get those thoughts aloud when a main character is a quiet person who keeps to themself? What he says in this moment matters. We discover his parents didn’t have a great marriage. In essence, Adam wonders if his father was the reason his parents were miserable, but his tone has hints of blame. Unspoken is the question and fear that Adam will also make his wife miserable.
Persephone cries herself to sleep on the bench and wakes up exhausted. Unfortunately, if she was hoping to sneak off to her room where no one can see her sorrow, there are servants everywhere, and her mother-in-law just happens to walk by. Persephone does what anyone does when someone asks if they are well…makes up a lie and says they are just really tired. Her new mother-in-law kindly offers to have some food sent to Persephone’s room. Persephone then makes her escape and continues another round of tears and sleep.
We next see Harry come into Adam’s study, and he continues teasing Adam to draw answers out of him. He does point out that Adam could have let Persephone’s family stay longer to help with transition. However, he keeps poking the bear to get Adam to action, to do something for his new wife, instead of keeping himself sequestered in his study with work or reading or brooding. When Adam finally decides to got check on his wife, Harry is concerned at first, but Adam assures him he won’t hurt Persephone. He is a man of honor, and Harry should know better. Adam ends up in her room and seeing she is asleep, stops a moment and tries to figure out what to do. He ends up covering her with a blanket half-heartedly. He then stops, and we see his hands twitch as he makes a decision and pulls the blanket up more to cover her. This scene isn’t so much about her being cold but seeing Adam’s indecision when it comes to social and emotional situations. Adam reminds me of Yule Brenner in The Ten Commandments or The King and I. He’s resolute. He sees a situation and handles it. He’s obviously a good businessman and estate owner because he is one of the top 3 richest men in England. Even if it’s inherited from his father, he hasn’t squandered the money away. He used to making decisions and moving on. He’s practical, almost to a fault. It made the most sense to marry to get an heir, and he banked on his spouse to be an old spinster that would do her duty to have an heir, and they’d live their separate lives. He didn’t count on having emotional situations to deal with and checking on a wife who is pretty and kind, and was a good mother to her younger siblings. To have to stop and second guess if he should be doing more, if he should cover her more completely with the blanket and show kindness is out of his wheelhouse.
The next morning we see Persephone try to find the breakfast room. It’s a more believable scene as old castles can be quite a maze of add-ons and renovations. (Side note: this castle in real is featured in the American Duchess series on YouTube and has amazing stories behind it. It’s actually also not far from where the story is the book is set.) Persephone finally makes it with the help of a maid. Harry is again giving Adam a hard time about pushing people away. It’s kinda their “bro” language (And that’s how I know I teach middle school choir when terms like “bro” are coming more to mind. Lord, save me from middle school lingo.). Harry and Adam needle each other, but I think they secretly enjoy the routine. Persephone walks in on the conversation and is invited to eat. On the first watch, you can feel how Persephone feels so out of place. Adam also begrudgingly fixes her a plate. Also, kidneys for breakfast? Not my first choice. I’m guessing chicken kidneys? I mean, high in protein, but that kidney on toast looked huge. I know they used every part of the animal but please tell me tomorrow the option is bacon. Persephone is encouraged to sit in Adam’s chair, and Harry helps her sit but Adam makes it awkward. He’s doesn’t know where to sit, and I think it’s because he doesn’t want her sitting on his right, where she can easily see his scars. Even if they are faded, it’s obvious he isn’t comfortable with someone new having a close look at him. Side note though…even if it’s awkward, Persephone has to enjoy not having to make breakfast. Then again, maybe if she was, she’d be getting bacon or sausage instead of kidneys, or even an omelet. But I digress…
We see what Persephone’s dad means by calling the dowager duchess an active sort. She is leaving right away for Town (London), but she’ll delay if it means they will all come along. (Maybe that’s why Adam thought Persephone’s family would leave right away because he’s used to his mother leaving right away.) Adam would rather die than go to London. He will only go when absolutely necessary, and that’s when he has to present Persephone to the Queen. Although I had to laugh when the dowager duchess calls the season “such fun.” All I can think of is how the mom on the show Miranda says “such fun” all the time.
It would be easy to take offense at Adam saying how he doesn’t want to go to town until he has to present Persephone, but Harry uses his humor to dispel the moment and jokes how Adam will need to offend society and members of parliament soon so Persephone shouldn’t feel it’s her fault Adam has to go to Town at some point. Harry also offers to stay for a bit to help be a buffer to Adam’s grumpiness. Harry uses humor to leave and dispel the tension of the moment. While it’s not an ending I would have chosen for the episode, we do see a little smile from Persephone as she sips her tea. A lack of a satisfying ending does show how this was meant to be a movie, not a 4-part series. But it does lean into our binge-watching-addiction-society, and so since the ending isn’t satisfying, it’s easy to want to watch more. So on to the second episode we must go.
As you can tell, I’ve really enjoyed this series enough to watch it multiple times and overthink quite a bit of it. It was new and refreshing. Having done local musical theatre and opera, as well as having friends in college that were film majors and watching them make their own short films, I can appreciate an indie film project and what they are doing. I also respect an author wanting full control of adaptation of their written work. While sometimes creative license with adaptation can lead to a new way of seeing a story or a scene, it’s also hard to see a scene that wasn’t in the books or an interpretation that totally goes against everything a character is. I hope you stick around and continue going through more of this mini-series with me.
Dram: Chivas Regal, probably a little sweeter than the duke would prefer but I think it fits since his wife is prettier and sweeter than he thought she’d be.
Comfort Food: Bread pudding. For the American in me, bread pudding feels more like a French toast casserole, but I feel like Artemis wouldn’t say no in having dessert for breakfast.
Song: Ralph Vaughn-Williams The Lark Ascending. I prefer it just violin and piano, instead of violin and orchestra. That’s the ways I first heard it, and I got to be up close, turning the pages for my piano professor as he performed it with our violin professor. It was the most powerful thing I heard and to feel part of it, even just turning pages was amazing. Everyone should heard it performed live once in their life.