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Well.
Not sure that I would, if choosing any Discworld book to convert to a miniseries, choose Going Postal. It's an alright story, if a little slow in the middle, but like many other Pratchett books the joy is in the details, not the plot itself. Going Postal (like many Discworld books) explores the institutions of our world and the theories that drive them... and those sort of academic details can't help but be cut out of the miniseries.
If anything, I'd prefer to see Pratchett's work in full TV series form — giving them the breathing space to go off and explore odd tidbits not connected to the core plot.
The other reason I'm unsure about Going Postal is its core romantic relationship. Sure, Adora Belle is a strong female character, but the relationship between her and Moist is probably the most sexist thing that Pratchett has ever written — with the man constantly pursuing the woman, from whom "no" turns out to mean "maybe", and finally "yes".
That possibly overstates it somewhat, and possibly if acted carefully the relationship would have seemed a little more egalitarian. But Richard Coyle's Moist came across as a bit creepy and manipulative rather than charming, and Claire Foy's Adora came across as emotionally insecure, rather than strong and independent. That said, there's only so much of your own spin you can put on a role, and I remember being unnerved by the relationship even when reading the book.
There were a few other flaws with the miniseries — for one, I don't remember the book being that... preachy. The special effects were a bit dodgy. And a lot of the acting was overly hammy. So, not the best adaptation in the world. Enjoyable enough, but flawed.
Not sure that I would, if choosing any Discworld book to convert to a miniseries, choose Going Postal. It's an alright story, if a little slow in the middle, but like many other Pratchett books the joy is in the details, not the plot itself. Going Postal (like many Discworld books) explores the institutions of our world and the theories that drive them... and those sort of academic details can't help but be cut out of the miniseries.
If anything, I'd prefer to see Pratchett's work in full TV series form — giving them the breathing space to go off and explore odd tidbits not connected to the core plot.
The other reason I'm unsure about Going Postal is its core romantic relationship. Sure, Adora Belle is a strong female character, but the relationship between her and Moist is probably the most sexist thing that Pratchett has ever written — with the man constantly pursuing the woman, from whom "no" turns out to mean "maybe", and finally "yes".
That possibly overstates it somewhat, and possibly if acted carefully the relationship would have seemed a little more egalitarian. But Richard Coyle's Moist came across as a bit creepy and manipulative rather than charming, and Claire Foy's Adora came across as emotionally insecure, rather than strong and independent. That said, there's only so much of your own spin you can put on a role, and I remember being unnerved by the relationship even when reading the book.
There were a few other flaws with the miniseries — for one, I don't remember the book being that... preachy. The special effects were a bit dodgy. And a lot of the acting was overly hammy. So, not the best adaptation in the world. Enjoyable enough, but flawed.