World on Fire Character Review: Connie Wright

*For the foreseeable future, some Character Review posts may not be published every Thursday as they have in the past.

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series World on Fire. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations. For most of history, when the men went to war, women stayed home. It is only in the last 150 years or so that women have actively served in one form or another. In World on Fire, Connie Wright (Yrsa Daley-Ward) does not want to sit around while her fellow Brits fight for King and country.

Connie and her bestie/singing partner Lois Bennett (Julia Brown) join ENSA (Entertainment National Service Association). Following the troops, Connie and Lois perform for the boys fighting dying for everything that the British people held dear. Providing a sense of comfort and normalcy, the soldiers are given a brief respite from everything that war brings with it.

While Connie is traveling across Europe, her thoughts are with her musician husband, Eddie (Ansu Kabia). Like anyone with a spouse, partner, or loved one who is on active duty, she is torn. She knows that what he is doing is necessary, but she is keenly aware of the realities of war.

To sum it up: The idea of women being strong and capable is still a relatively new concept. Up until the last few decades, women were thought to be weak, emotional, and only suited to certain tasks and responsibilities. But Connie is not even close to that idea. As not just a woman, but woman of color in England, she is breaking boundaries, reminding the audience that the stereotypes of women are just that.

Which is why she is a memorable character.

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World on Fire Character Review: Lois Bennett

*For the foreseeable future, some Character Review posts may not be published every Thursday as they have in the past.

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television series World on Fire. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the show.

There is something to be said about a well written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

Love and loss often compels us to act in ways that we would otherwise act. On World on Fire, Lois Bennett (Julia Brown) is initially introduced to the audience as an idealistic young woman living in England at the start of World War II. Though she has a day job, her true passion is singing. At night, she performs at night clubs with her friend, Connie Wright (Yrsa Daley-Ward). She is also happily in love with Harry Chase (Jonah Hauer-King), in spite of his upper class mother Robina’s (Lesley Manville) misgivings.

But life is not all sunshine and roses. Lois lives with her hot-headed brother Tom (Ewan Mitchell) and their widowed father Douglas (Sean Bean). Douglas is a veteran of World War I. Still dealing with PTSD decades after returning home, he is against Britain getting involved in another war.

After she and Harry break up, Lois joins the ENSA and the war effort. When she finds out that he has returned to England with a young boy who is his brother-in-law, she is furious. When they meet, one thing leads to another and they sleep together.

Upon finding out that she is pregnant, Lois decides to keep the baby. But, she does not tell Harry and rejects financial help from Robina. At a local army base, Lois meets Vernon Hunter (Arthur Darvill). She initially rejects him but eventually agrees to marry him.

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To sum it up: There are two ways to deal with loss, especially loss that is associated with romantic love. We can wallow in self-pity. Or, we can find a way to move on from that loss, even if it is difficult. What I like about Lois is that she does not let the breakup with Harry stop her from living. That strength I find to be inspiring and powerful.

Which is why she is a memorable character.