Yep, I'm an Anglophile

It’s no secret that I’m an anglophile. I adore a great many cultural and historical aspects of English or British life. I’m fascinated with the literature, art, architecture, TV programming, films and music of this realm that some of my ancestors hailed from. This hasn’t made me an expert of English culture, by any means. It’s just made me a keen observer of our “friends” across the pond.

Recently, I watched multiple hours of some British television shows as well as some American television with British actors, and I’ve come away admiring their use of language even more.

1.     I find their language vivid and colorful. And no, I’m not talking about their more common use of crude words here. I just mean that they use words with more depth, clarify and significance, and I like that mental stimulation. I like watching programs that make me consult a dictionary afterwards to make sure I know how to adopt a word into my own vocabulary.

2.     I love the variety of English accents. I’m no Professor Henry Higgins. I’m not even going to attempt to determine anyone’s origins myself, but I certainly like the diversity I hear. OK, I know, that according to the Brits, I’m the one with the accent since after all, our common language originated on their shore.

3.     I enjoy the British sense of humor. OK, sometimes I don’t quite get it all, but with a wee bit of practice, I think I’m getting a tad quicker – maybe just a smidgeon.

4.     I am struck with how many British actors are on American TV today and doing well with covering up their British accent. I love it. I just personally wish they got to be British more. I recently watched Andrew Lincoln in a BBC crime drama on Netflix. He was wonderful. A few weeks later, I was encouraged to start watching The Walking Dead, and the contrast made me chuckle. Here is this brilliant British actor now playing a U.S. Georgia sheriff on a television show, and his Southern gentlemanly charm is believable for the most part.

Damian Lewis is another amazing British actor, who has taken on American accents for several different films and TV shows. I just finished the second season of Homeland, and he does a remarkable and convincing job of playing U.S. Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody.

Catching up on TV

I’ve spent a lot of time on my couch lately - resting, relaxing and attempting to keep my coughing to a minimum. Yep, I’m back doing battle with another sinus infection, and I’ve had a few days where I’ve done little else. To further complicate matters, my prescriptions meds made sleep nearly impossible, and so I’ve had a lot of time on my hands. So while I’ve been in my pjs and cuddling with my Snuggie, I’ve managed to watch a lot of TV and clear some needed DVR space. It makes me laugh that catching up on some TV programs has made me feel like I’ve accomplished something…but so it has.

DEXTER: I’ve been a fan of this show from the beginning, and while season 7 wasn’t my favorite season, the writers kept things interesting for me. I felt that Dexter was more raw and full of emotion than ever before. He was less polished and not as seemingly “in control” like he has been in the past.

DOCTOR WHO: I just finished Season 4 (Tenth Doctor) on Netflix and am now officially done with the David Tennant years (sniffle, sniffle). I totally resisted the change when Christopher Eccleston left and was replaced by Tennant, but I somehow became a weeping madwoman during Tennant’s last performance. I love how TV shows can touch us and connect us like they do.

HOMELAND: I got caught up with season 2. I love this show. The acting is incredible, but the writing is sublime. It’s probably the one of the best-written dramas on cable today, and so I was glad to see that the series picked up 3 Golden Globes.

THE WALKING DEAD: I was encouraged by several friends to check this program out, and so I dove in. This show is intense, and that’s putting it mildly. It’s a nail-biter drama with each person struggling to stay alive from one moment to the next. I’ve been hooked since episode 1.