Rating: 
Summary: Not to be confused with a Galsworthy story of the same name
Review: While Series 1 of this production was a simplified but, on the whole, faithful adaptation of Galsworthy's "Forsyte Saga", this is something else--and much worse.So, OK, forget about Galsworthy (obviously the screenwriters did). Let's pretend it's an original screenplay; is it any good? The answer is still a resounding "NO!" This is one of the shoddiest mishmashes ever put on PBS. There are many completely unrealistic scenes, here's my favorite example: Young Jolyon, who despises Fleur, goes to visit his son, Jon, in a cottage. Presumably to his surprise, he finds Fleur shacked up with Jon. What's his reaction? "Here, let me show you how to cook this cabbage." He then goes on to tell Fleur (remember, he hates her and thinks she's completely untrustworthy) his big secret, which he hasn't told his wife or his son, that he's dying! Makes a lot of sense, huh? Character development, plot, script continuity are all thrown out the window. We watched the whole thing the way you would watch a trainwreck. We couldn't tear ourselves away from such a disaster. But there's no way I'd ever want to see it again!
Rating: 
Summary: Without baggage, it's a great ride
Review: Without set expectations (having neither read the book nor seen the old miniseries), I found this to be very satisfying drama. In fact, I think I like this follow-up even more than I liked the first part, maybe because the love story is more modern. It's not the Victorian era any more, it's the 1920s. It was a time of enormous change, and that's something that this story highlights (with more gorgeous settings and costumes). Everything was loosening up, including sex (even though I expect there was plenty of sex outside marriage in the Victorian era, too, just maybe not in broad daylight). As a doting father, Soames is more sympathetic, more complex, and ultimately more human. I found the last scene very moving, but I was sorry that it was over.
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