The story of the sighting of a snake in the Lark Rise area, with the impact it has on the characters that see it, draws from Emma (Claudie Blackley) and Thomas (Mark Heap)their best performances in the series (and they are always good). Burn Gorman as the Reverend Marley also puts in a superb performance. Bill Gallagher manages to use the symbolic power of the snake without stepping into the hackneyed area of sexual undercurrents,giving to Thomas one of the strongest and most powerful moments in his role as the righteous postman and to Emma, so beautifully lit at times that she is virtually Pre-Raphaelite, a chance to face the recognition of how much she misses Robert. This episode deserves to be considered for whatever awards are going.
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