Parade's End - Season 1 (2013)

In 1908 civil servant Christopher Tietjens marries the pregnant Sylvia Satterthwaite though the father is probably her married lover Gerald Drake,as Christopher's brother Mark points out. Four years on Sylvia is an unloving mother,disdainful of her husband's liberal views and unfaithful with new admirer Potty Perowne. However Christopher forgives her and has her back for their son's sake though her mother expresses her misgivings. Whilst playing golf with a reactionary M.P. he rescues suffragette Valentine Wannop,who is being pursued by the police. Along with his ...

Sylvia returns to Christopher,largely for the financial security and attends his mother's funeral,where her showy appearance shocks the mourners. Realising she is reviled she goes to a retreat but is soon back in society with another admirer. Christopher develops a friendship with the Wannops,giving Mrs Wannop information about the Balkan situation for her writing,and sending Valentine a Christmas card. Vincent starts to make his name as a writer too and,as her husband gets stranger,Edith leaves him to live with Vincent. She is pregnant and has an abortion after ...

Despite receiving a white feather for cowardice Vincent becomes a very influential author and marries Edith after Duchemin kills himself. They are the subject of gossip and scandal which also, erroneously, involves Christopher, who is wounded and shell-shocked in a French hospital. Sylvia entertains yet another admirer, her husband's banker Brownlie but defends Christopher against his malicious gossip. Christopher returns home but Sylvia's erstwhile German sympathies and past indiscretions, plus the effect of Brownlie's invidious actions as he refuses to accept ...