Like many others, I repeatedly devoured the books by Gerald Durrell as a child, especially the Corfu trilogy, and was very sad to discover that the author passed away in my late teens. I also read some of Larry Durrell's writing and watched a documentary "Gerald Durrell in Russia", however I did not see the 1987 TV show (nor the 2015 movie). I am not English, so the Durrellian universe was much smaller in my reality of a post-soviet CEE country; nevertheless I regard it a vital part of my growing up and it brightened many a day back then. So I was really happy when I stumbled upon the TV show on the Durrell's tonight, keen on being reunited with little Garry, mercurial Les, Larry the intellectualist, girly Margo and all the other strange, goofy and dear characters roaming the emerald Greek island . I understand that expectations are high when it comes to childhood favorite reads and after the first episode it's pretty safe to say the show did not overwhelm me either, but I really enjoyed the different perspective on the adventures and struggles of this eccentric family I feel I know almost like my own.
While in the books you watch the family story through the eyes of a young boy keen on nature, in this show it's the grown-up perspective of a mother trying to survive with 4 intense teenagers on a beautiful yet unfamiliar island with no electricity, little money and very basic language skills. It's not all blue skies, sparkling green see, dazzling sun and the perpetual summer holidays feeling the books enchant you with. But watching the show, it's easy to imagine the small and bigger dramas behind Gerald Durrell's lighthearted and funny family portrait, making it a more real and less funny account. The show seems to unravel in a somewhat bumpy and chaotic way, with some originally hilarious scenes becoming more awkward than funny and I can't help the feeling the actors are neither able to play to their full capacity nor do they seem to harmonize with each other particularly well. But slowly the familiar feeling seeps in and the moment you see young Gerry's (Milo Parker) bright eyes widen up in thrill with some odd wildlife, you know you will want to watch the next episode. As a sworn Durrell fan I wouldn't miss it!
