Hetty Feather - The Final Chapter - CBBC

Foundling Hospital, London, 18th century

I know I said I was going to do another post about Anne with an E, but I decided to do this first. Well, it is another story about a red-haired orphan.

I found Hetty Feather - The Final Chapter lazy from both a historical authenticity and character faithfulness perspective. [When I say character faithfulness, I'm referring to the characterisation in the earlier series, not the books.] It's a children's programme, so some might see it as low hanging fruit. But I don't see why children's programmes should be any less historically accurate than adults', or have less plausible characters.

Much of my ire is focused on the Harriet/Mathias storyline. I know the writers wanted to round off the Hetty Feather oeuvre with a happy reunion involving all 'the gang'. But it didn't make sense. Why would two adventurous young people who weren't well-off want to spend what little money they had on travelling from New York back to England to get married there - when presumably they didn't even have many (if any) family members in England (see 'brought up in Foundling Hospital'). They had friends, but given Victorian working conditions, there was no guarantee that any of their friends would even have got the time off to go to their wedding. Plus, what about their New York friends?Plus, where were they staying in England? Were they living in sin? I get that the writers didn't want to go into detail because it's a children's programme but...it was annoying.

Other things...

• They should have explained Miss Emily's absence. It seemed strange that the eldest daughter wouldn't return to the house after the death of her mother.
• Do Harriet and Mathias want to get married in a chapel because they are non-conformists, or because 'chapel' sounds more old-timey? Methinks the latter because they eventually get married at the Foundling Hospital, which was run by Anglicans. Just say 'church'!!
• Speaking of which, WHY IN BLUE BLAZES are they OK with getting married at the Foundling Hospital? I imagine they have some good memories of the place - it was where they met, after all - but the Hospital did not foster a loving, nurturing environment for its child inhabitants. Hospital life was unvarying, rigid and emotionally cold - as portrayed with some success in the earlier series. Having them want to marry at the Foundling Hospital undermines their struggles as shown in the first three series of this programme. Realistically, Foundling Hospital alumni would want to get married there even less than I would want to get married at my old school. Which is very much NOT AT ALL.
• Also, why can't Harriet and Mathias get married in a chapel church? Why are they refused so many times? Is any reason ever given? 
• Final thing about Harriet and Mathias: aren't they way too young to get married? Yes, I know people used to get married younger in ye olde times. But if they were sensible they would wait until the man had enough money to be able to support a family. Given that foundlings would have left the Hospital at the age of 14 and this takes place three series/years later, that would make them 17. I doubt either Mathias or Gideon had anywhere near enough money to support a family at this point. I also doubt either of them would have been keen to saddle themselves with the responsibility. Or that Harriet or Agnes would be rushing into marriage, given that they both had reasonably satisfying jobs.
• Possibly THE most ridiculous event in this series is Hetty trusting Matron Bottomly and offering to take her in - a propos of absolutely nothing. Hetty is kind-hearted but she's also intelligent and reasonably perceptive. Why would you trust someone who has proved over the course of your entire lifetime to be manipulative and conniving - and who also bears a simmering resentment towards you! I bet Jacqueline Wilson did not approve this. At least give Hetty some kind of reason for trusting Matron, even a flimsy one.
• Hetty allows Matron Bottomly to steal Harriet's ticket back to New York. Does Hetty have Stockholm Syndrome or something?
• I don't buy Sheila agreeing to work at the Foundling Hospital for the same reason that I don't buy any ex-foundling wanting to get married there. I could understand her accepting the job if she had no choice and/or was lacking in confidence. But neither of those is true of Sheila. So why would she want to go back? Did the writers of this series know anything about the Foundling Hospital? Egads.
• I miss the theatre!

photo credit: dvdbramhall via photopin (license)