This episode is as on the nose as a John Lee Hancock film! No ambiguity, no grey areas, it’s a celebration of the career of Emma Thompson. After recently rewatching 1995’s Sense and Sensibility, Dara was reminded of how much he has always admired Thompson and her work. So he decided to dedicate an hour to her (almost) entire filmography.
He goes through a selective history of her most prominent roles, identifying some personal favourites and some missed opportunities, including a relatively recent film that was quietly breathtaking and possibly underseen.
Sense and Sensibility occupies a particular place in Dara’s memory for a very specific reason. He shares that story as well as biting back at a disingenuous take on Ang Lee’s film by a critic who sometimes seems to misread female characters and their experience.
From The Tall Guy (1989) to the Ken and Em years, to a paycheck decade, to the prolific 2010s, up to the current output which may contain her best performance in 30 years, Dara hopes he has done justice to a really special talent.