Emma about Soames

So after falling in love with Damian Lewis as Brody in Homeland I then googled what else this amazingly talented actor has starred in. After watching life and loving Charlie Crews, I then found the wonderful Forstye Saga.  To be honest I have never been a great lover of the 'period drama.' Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs has never rocked me in any way so I was dubious about watching a 2 series, 10 episode long period drama, but because Damian Lewis was the starring role I felt I should give it a go. 


Thank goodness I was pleasantly surprised,  The Forsyte Saga shows the lives of three generations of an upper/middle class British family from 1870’s -1920, Damian plays Soames Forsyte, a man who is unable to show any emotion, love, smile or even sadness, all he knows is that he should be married, he should have a family and he should do all the other things an upper class man of his age should do.  Soames meets Irene, played by the wonderful actress Gina McKee, he falls in love with her very quickly and they get married but after realising she is not happy and actually in love with someone else she asks him if she can leave, which he had previously promised her she can do if she is not happy, he does not allow her to leave and she ends up staying, until its all too much and she finds a new life for herself - the second series begins with Soames married to another woman, french and they have a child called Fleur, Fleur is the apple of his eye and he spoils the child too much, but has found someone to love who loves him back.  Soames sees himself as a "man of property” by virtue of his ability to obtain material possessions, however this does not succeed in bringing him pleasure. 

source: Damian-Lewis.com

After watching this wonderful series, I had my own feelings for Soames and realised once more Damian Lewis played the part of a broken man, someone who wanted love but could not show love, a character that you could warm to, but felt bad to feel anything for. For all the nasty things that Soames did, the brutal way he treated Irene and the way he over powered his daughter I still cannot help but adore this character.  I think the acting of Damian Lewis was superb and the clipped British accent was wonderful.  By the time I finished the series I had found a new love for period dramas, and thanks to Damian I cannot wait for Wolf Hall.