I'm not going to be nearly as critical as many of our other reviewers. No, this last installment of the series is not as good as the first two. Of course, there were problems -- primarily actors who didn't choose to return...which is their right. For example, we have an all new Charles Main -- a major character --, who actually seems far younger than he did in Book 2. It got confusing enough that I had to come to IMDb to compare character names in the different versions.
Having said that, I would still say this is better than "average television".
With Patrick Swayze (the lead actor on the Southern side) gone, James Read (the lead actor on the Northern side) has to carry the plot alone, which he does very nicely. Although always a major character, Lesley Anne-Down is even more pivotal here, and plays her part well. Terri Garber continues her imitation of Scarlett O'Hara (Scarlett without any redeeming qualities)...a major "downer" for the whole series. Robert Wagner is totally unimpressive here, and seemed very uncomfortable wearing a beard...was it fake? Peter O'Toole plays an often drunk actor...and I wondered if he actually was drunk here...totally wasted. Deborah Rush was the third and worst wife of Stanley Hazard in the series...so bad I longed for the return of Mary Crosby (egads!). But despite some of the poor acting here, there were other lesser roles that were carried out very well, so overall acting does not detract from this part of the series.
Special mention should be made of Philip Casnoff. The true villain of the series, his exceedingly handsome -- though repulsive -- character from the first two "books" has gone mad now and he is scruffy menace to all the women and children of the Main and Hazard families. Casnoff makes the most of this part of the trilogy, and you can't help but admire just how successfully he makes his character so very vile! In terms of production values, although slightly less quality here, I would have to say that the photography and art work here are better than the other parts of the trilogy.
Make no mistake, this is not as compelling a part of the trilogy as parts 1 and 2, but it is better than average television fare. One caveat -- if you're expecting all happy endings, you'll be disappointed. The post-Civil War era was a hard time to live, and that is depicted here. A number of significant characters are murdered, and there are hints of brutality even toward a child, although it's subtle. I highly recommend it, and in fact, the trilogy overall has spurred me to buy the novels.
Having said that, I would still say this is better than "average television".
With Patrick Swayze (the lead actor on the Southern side) gone, James Read (the lead actor on the Northern side) has to carry the plot alone, which he does very nicely. Although always a major character, Lesley Anne-Down is even more pivotal here, and plays her part well. Terri Garber continues her imitation of Scarlett O'Hara (Scarlett without any redeeming qualities)...a major "downer" for the whole series. Robert Wagner is totally unimpressive here, and seemed very uncomfortable wearing a beard...was it fake? Peter O'Toole plays an often drunk actor...and I wondered if he actually was drunk here...totally wasted. Deborah Rush was the third and worst wife of Stanley Hazard in the series...so bad I longed for the return of Mary Crosby (egads!). But despite some of the poor acting here, there were other lesser roles that were carried out very well, so overall acting does not detract from this part of the series.
Special mention should be made of Philip Casnoff. The true villain of the series, his exceedingly handsome -- though repulsive -- character from the first two "books" has gone mad now and he is scruffy menace to all the women and children of the Main and Hazard families. Casnoff makes the most of this part of the trilogy, and you can't help but admire just how successfully he makes his character so very vile! In terms of production values, although slightly less quality here, I would have to say that the photography and art work here are better than the other parts of the trilogy.
Make no mistake, this is not as compelling a part of the trilogy as parts 1 and 2, but it is better than average television fare. One caveat -- if you're expecting all happy endings, you'll be disappointed. The post-Civil War era was a hard time to live, and that is depicted here. A number of significant characters are murdered, and there are hints of brutality even toward a child, although it's subtle. I highly recommend it, and in fact, the trilogy overall has spurred me to buy the novels.