What makes a great miniseries? Sometimes it's easy to see exactly what's behind a show's success: a big star, a flashy setting, and so on. Other times, success comes from a synergy of different elements, when all the pieces fit just right and the whole effect rises to be much more than the sum of its parts. That's the case with the British period drama The House of Eliott: this miniseries, which follows the fortunes of two young women trying to make it on their own in 1920s London, gets all the pieces right, and the result is a show that's a delight from start to finish.

The series gets things right from the outset, with the introduction of the key characters. The House of Eliott will eventually have a reasonably large cast of main and secondary characters, but the amazing thing is how well they're all introduced: there's never even the slightest confusion about who's who. We first get to know Beatrice and Evangeline Eliott (Stella Gonet and Louise Lombard), two young women who are suddenly left on their own with no education or resources after their domineering father dies. As the story develops, we meet more fascinating characters: the sisters' cousin Arthur, their aunt Agnes, the reformer Penelope Maddox and her brother Jack, and many others. We get to see the slums of London as well as the drawing rooms of high society, peopled by characters from all walks of society: flappers, working girls, smugglers, wealthy businessmen, and society ladies, to name a few.

It's when we start getting to know these characters that another essential ingredient in The House of Eliott's magic becomes clear. One and all, from main character to smallest role, these are all three-dimensional, realistic characters, with complex personalities. So often, television and film relies on "good guys" and "bad guys," and it's unutterably refreshing to have a story that never, ever falls into that trap. These are all complicated characters, with their own motives for what they do; it's impossible to assign any character to a simple category like "good" or "bad." The most obvious example is cousin Arthur: he's stuffy and prudish, and he's both domineering and patronizing to the Eliott sisters. Given that Beatrice and Evangeline (with whom we sympathize) are frequently in conflict with him as they try to run their lives the way they want to, not the way he wants them to, it would have been very easy to paint Arthur as "the bad cousin"... but if we think that at first, we soon learn that there's more to the character than this superficial layer. He has his own reasons for doing what he does, and he truly believes he's doing the right thing, even when the other characters (and the viewer) may disagree.

What's more, as the story develops we see that sometimes Arthur really does see things correctly... and that Bea and Evie sometimes get things wrong, too. The two protagonists are thoroughly interesting and sympathetic, so we're rooting for them to succeed, but at the same time we can see they're not perfect. Bea, as the older sister, is often too protective (like Arthur!) and suspicious. Evie, on the other hand, has a fresh perspective on things, but she's naive and sometimes too trusting. And, as the story develops, we see more depths of their personalities, how they react to new circumstances, and how their characters develop. The same holds true for any other character, whether it's Jack Maddox or Aunt Agnes; one and all, they're as full of surprises and new insights as real human beings.

So far I've been enthusing about the fantastic characters (who, I might add, are brought to life by extremely solid acting performances across the board). All this would mean little if it weren't for the high quality of the stories. With the depth and richness of the various story threads here, I wouldn't have been at all surprised if The House of Eliott had been based on a novel, but in fact it's a completely original story. (The series was created by the same team who created Upstairs, Downstairs.) The main plot thread is that of the Eliott sisters trying to make it on their own as dress designers, which in itself divides into many smaller threads as the sisters overcome various obstacles and find themselves faced with new situations. Interwoven with these plot threads, though, are others of equal interest: the sisters are also trying to make sense of their father's hidden past; Arthur has certain things going on that will eventually affect everyone around him; various suitors come out of the woodwork; and through the characters of Penelope and Tilly we're involved with the struggles of the poor to make ends meet, even while the rich are commissioning fancy dresses from the Eliott sisters.

These threads are all interesting stories, developed in interesting and often surprising ways. What makes them work so very well in The House of Eliott is the way that they're interwoven. The pacing of this show is outstanding from beginning to end. There are always several interesting stories running at the same time, and each episode switches back and forth between the different threads at just the right moment. The result is that there's always something on the back burner that we're intrigued about, and (even more importantly) the various stories are always developing. Every time we return to a particular thread, the story advances in some interesting way, so once we're hooked, we' stay hooked.

The pacing for the series as a whole is just as important as the pacing of any individual episode, and The House of Eliott gets things right here as well. The story runs in one continuous arc from the first to the last episode, but with various smaller story arcs beginning and ending over the course of the show. The arc that gets the ball rolling is the Eliott sisters' attempts to find paid employment and get established as dressmakers; when this comes to somewhat of a close around episode 6, there's the question of whether the second half of the series will live up to the first. Fortunately, there's no shortage of interesting developments, so that from beginning to end, The House of Eliott tells an entertaining story. The result is that The House of Eliott is extremely addictive: you'll want to keep watching the next episode, and the next, and the next... until you've watched them all and you're sad that it's all over.

It's worth mentioning, of course, that the meticulous period setting of The House of Eliott is certainly another feather in its cap (and in fact garnered the show a handful of awards for costume design). But what makes The House of Eliott such an entertaining series is not how it looks: it's that it's an extremely well-crafted series with complex, interesting characters, solid acting performances across the board, excellent pacing, and an engaging story.

The DVD

The packaging for The House of Eliott is excellent; with any luck, this will be the new standard for Acorn Media's DVDs. The twelve 52-minute episodes appear on four DVDs, each of which is packaged in an ultra-thin keepcase inside an attractive glossy paperboard slipcover. The result is that the four-disc set is nicely slim.

Video

The House of Eliott appears in its original aspect ratio of 1.33:1. The image quality is good across the board, with a clean, clear print in both indoor and outdoor scenes, a nice level of detail, and good contrast. The colors look natural, though they're not as rich as ideally they could have been. Overall, it's an attractive transfer.

Audio

The Dolby 2.0 soundtrack does a fine job of handling the dialogue-centered soundtrack for the series. The actors' voices are clear and easy to understand, and the background music is well balanced with the rest of the track.

Extras

A few special features are included on Disc 1. We get text production notes and information on fashion in the 1920s, as well as a photo gallery and filmographies for the principal cast members.

Final thoughts

When I can't wait to see the next episode, and the next, and the next, but at the same time I'm very sorry to come to the end of the program... that's the sign of a truly entertaining series. The House of Eliott isn't ostentatious, but it doesn't have to be: by having a high-quality story, characters, and acting, put together skilfully into a well-paced package, it becomes quite an addictive experience without any fuss whatsoever. If you have any fondness for period drama (like The Forsyte Saga), then The House of Eliott is an absolute must-buy, no questions asked. In fact, The House of Eliott is a series that I'll highly recommend to any viewer who appreciates excellent drama. Highly recommended.