November, 1918, One of the saddest episode's ever, to finish off both this fourth and penultimate series of 'Upstairs, Downstairs', along the end of 'The Great War'.
Hazel Bellamy, having summed up her unhappy life with James at Eaton Place to Georgina, gets caught up in the 1918 outbreak of Spanish Flu which she contracts from her voluntary work at the Canteen where she helps out. She subsequently passes away in her sleep...
I found the death of this character - wonderfully played by the great actress Meg Wynn Owen I might add, affected me deeply, and far more than any other in the whole series - even more than that of the suicide of the little Irish Kitchen Maid, Emily, that had been seen years before. Part of this may well have been due to the 'blase' way in which the death had been dealt with by the Writers - which was very odd indeed...
This is one of the most heart-rending episodes - particularly as the character Hazel had had such an unfortunate and unhappy life; two failed marriages; married to men who both abused and were cruel to her right up to her death - and having been the mistress of a house where for the most part, (excepting perhaps Rose that is) her staff had resented her for absolutely no reason whatsoever... Her character was kind-hearted, and she was exceptionally considerate to the well-being of her servants in a way unseen, both before, and after her death, with no thanks or appreciation shown from them at all... It is explained away in the series, that this resentment of Hazel Forrest becoming mistress of the house had been due to nothing other than the fact she had not been born 'a lady', and therefore had been hard for the staff to accept - yet in comparison, when her successor in the role of Virginia Hamilton, who it is worth noting is a mere 'Mrs.', marries Richard Bellamy, and only inherits the title 'lady' by that marriage, is accepted and welcomed by the staff with open arms... I never quite understood the logic of this from the Writers, which gave the dislike of Hazel Forrest marrying James no real credibility or foundation at all... Nevertheless; we were blessed with one of the best remembered and most well-loved characters to ever cross the threshold of 165, and thankfully, this far outweighed any mis-scripting that may have been involved.
The series ends on a sad note, when Rose is seen sitting sewing in a corner all by herself in the Servants Hall, not participating in the celebrations to end the War. It is implied that Rose would lose everyone she ever gets close to; from Sarah, Miss Lizzie, Gregory, and now more recently, Mrs. Bellamy, of whom she was genuinely fond. Indeed, it is quite satisfying to see her lash out with a home truth to Hudson, when he suggests a prayer for 'the soul' of Mrs. Bellamy. Rose yells: 'poor departed mistress - you couldn't stand her whilst she was alive - leave her alone now whilst she's dead!' Couldn't have said it better myself Rose!
Hazel Bellamy, having summed up her unhappy life with James at Eaton Place to Georgina, gets caught up in the 1918 outbreak of Spanish Flu which she contracts from her voluntary work at the Canteen where she helps out. She subsequently passes away in her sleep...
I found the death of this character - wonderfully played by the great actress Meg Wynn Owen I might add, affected me deeply, and far more than any other in the whole series - even more than that of the suicide of the little Irish Kitchen Maid, Emily, that had been seen years before. Part of this may well have been due to the 'blase' way in which the death had been dealt with by the Writers - which was very odd indeed...
This is one of the most heart-rending episodes - particularly as the character Hazel had had such an unfortunate and unhappy life; two failed marriages; married to men who both abused and were cruel to her right up to her death - and having been the mistress of a house where for the most part, (excepting perhaps Rose that is) her staff had resented her for absolutely no reason whatsoever... Her character was kind-hearted, and she was exceptionally considerate to the well-being of her servants in a way unseen, both before, and after her death, with no thanks or appreciation shown from them at all... It is explained away in the series, that this resentment of Hazel Forrest becoming mistress of the house had been due to nothing other than the fact she had not been born 'a lady', and therefore had been hard for the staff to accept - yet in comparison, when her successor in the role of Virginia Hamilton, who it is worth noting is a mere 'Mrs.', marries Richard Bellamy, and only inherits the title 'lady' by that marriage, is accepted and welcomed by the staff with open arms... I never quite understood the logic of this from the Writers, which gave the dislike of Hazel Forrest marrying James no real credibility or foundation at all... Nevertheless; we were blessed with one of the best remembered and most well-loved characters to ever cross the threshold of 165, and thankfully, this far outweighed any mis-scripting that may have been involved.
The series ends on a sad note, when Rose is seen sitting sewing in a corner all by herself in the Servants Hall, not participating in the celebrations to end the War. It is implied that Rose would lose everyone she ever gets close to; from Sarah, Miss Lizzie, Gregory, and now more recently, Mrs. Bellamy, of whom she was genuinely fond. Indeed, it is quite satisfying to see her lash out with a home truth to Hudson, when he suggests a prayer for 'the soul' of Mrs. Bellamy. Rose yells: 'poor departed mistress - you couldn't stand her whilst she was alive - leave her alone now whilst she's dead!' Couldn't have said it better myself Rose!
