Fans of Great Expectations were dissatisfied with the series finale since it had a significant alteration in its finish.
The classic, first published in weekly chapters in 1860, depicts an orphan named Pip who suddenly inherits a vast inheritance and is forced to navigate between his newfound prosperity and Victorian England’s poverty.
Olivia Colman acts as Miss Havisham in the series of Charles Dickens’ classic novel, with Fionn Whitehead and Shalom Brune-Franklin as Pip and Estella, respectively.
Miss Havisham’s bridal gown is destroyed in a terrible accident in the original, resulting in her death; but, in the BBC version, the dress is purposely set on fire as part of a revenge plot.
Viewers didn’t waste any time in expressing their frustration, with one person writing: ‘Speechless at the end of #GreatExpectations. What a load of cobblers. Ending totally rewritten, never mind the rest of it.’
Another added: ‘Interesting end to #GreatExpectations but call me boring but I still prefer the original proper Dickens version.’
However, others shared a different view and praised the finale for being ‘different.’
‘Loved every episode. Great cast, ok they changed the ending but why not,’ one person added.
This is not the first time Great Expectations has faced criticism.
Some viewers were dissatisfied with earlier episodes because they couldn’t see anything on screen.
Following the drama’s premiere on Sunday March 26, one person tweeted: ‘Why does it all have to be filmed so dark!? I can barely see anything!’
The show’s creator, Steven Knight, who also helmed Peaky Blinders, previously stated that this adaptation will take a ‘darker’ turn.
What I didn’t want to do – and I don’t believe Dickens ever tried – was write something explicitly political.
‘He was never banging the drum, he was just saying, “This is what’s going on” and people could draw their own conclusions. You couldn’t write about certain things in Dickens’ time: Certain elements of sexuality, crime, disobedience against the crown and state.’
He added to The Daily Mail: ‘What I tried to do was imagine if Dickens was writing the story now and had the freedom to go to those darker places, what would he do? If he had been liberated to write the things that were going on that he wasn’t allowed to write about.’
Great Expectations is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.
