As with most made-for-tv romantic drama, the series just could not resist making plastic heroes of ordinary folks. The late-70s miniseries, namely Flambards, hit upon the notion of creating the unlikely heroine from a seamy, retching, and spiritually poisonous environment. It worked. Unfortunately, the heroine of Act of Will, namely Audra, seemed to carry the Puritan work ethic as a shield to protect against the phantasmal specter of complacency to fulfill maternal obligations. It worked--but for what reason? You mean she really did enslave herself to see to her daughter's success -- as a painter?? Did she really thought there existed scenery painters who were all cruising to brilliant, self-sustaining careers in the 20th century---in the era of television?? The first half of the series seemed to be setting up for the affair between Christina and the married Miles Sutherland--or haven't anyone noticed? This affair was supposed to be the spice of the drama. But, as with most romantic fiction, it failed to create depth for the characters (even the important ones)--which make them totally forgettable when the series ends. I suspect that the affair didn't get the attention the producers hoped for. The audience didn't really care. How could they?
We'll never know what really happened to Audra's brothers-- who were shipped to Australia after the death of their mother, nor the fate of Audra's granddaughter. I thought they would play a more pivotal part in the drama. The entire series was reduced to Christina and Miles' passionate love making while preaching the faults of instilling one's own will into a daughter. The latter is referenced as a sort of moral lesson by an elderly Audra at the beginning of the series. The series doggedly preaches to us that rich and successful folks are as weak and tormented as the rest of us---which must be a message to those of us living in the nether-dimensions. The series should've at least explained Christina's explosive success from such meager beginnings. This could have proven to be a good side plot-with a little more debauchery, corporate backstabbing, and a Bernie Madoff-like scam perpetrated here and there. Yet, its ultimate aim was to produce total fantasy, ending with the fantasy ultra-happy and ultra-loved coming to a fantasy end.
