How much did "The Buccaneers" get right and wrong? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our pick of what “The Buccaneers” gets right and wrong when it comes to historical accuracy.
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00:00 "Girls, here is to a new world. Marriages, men, parties."
00:05 "Not particularly in that order."
00:07 Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks of what The Buccaneers gets
00:11 right and wrong when it comes to historical accuracy. We're talking about the series as
00:15 a whole, so watch out for spoilers.
00:18 "Pure theater."
00:19 Number 10. Victorian holiday celebrations. Right.
00:27 The Buccaneers follows its characters through the seasons, and for the most part, the seasonal
00:31 celebrations are accurately depicted for the time and place. A Victorian Christmas may
00:35 well have included charades, which was a popular parlor game of the era.
00:39 "If we knew him, I'm sure it would have been very good."
00:41 "I said I didn't know anybody."
00:44 The Scottish New Year tradition of first footing was also practiced in England during this
00:48 period. To bring luck, the first foot through the door should be a good-looking man, while
00:53 blondes were believed to be less lucky.
00:55 "But what about Richard?"
00:56 "Oh, he's wandering around like a lame duck. Or a girl. But we can't have him cross the
01:02 threshold first in that state. God knows what rotten luck will invite him."
01:07 Guy Fawkes Night, which commemorates the failed gunpowder plot of 1605, is also depicted in
01:12 the show. Burning a guy and eating treacle toffee are both traditions associated with
01:16 this UK holiday. However, during Victorian times, it was primarily a working-class celebration.
01:22 "Why would we celebrate blowing up Parliament?"
01:24 "We didn't actually manage to blow it up."
01:26 "Most English thing ever. He was bad at it. So let's celebrate."
01:30 Number 9. Attitudes to race. Wrong.
01:34 Thankfully, period dramas have become much more inclusive in recent years. The Buccaneers
01:38 includes both gay and non-white characters amongst its leads. However, despite a diverse
01:44 cast, the show barely scratches the surface on the subject of race.
01:47 "Conchita, don't raise your voice. Please."
01:49 "My voice isn't raised."
01:51 "It was a first."
01:52 Of the characters of color in The Buccaneers, only Conchita's heritage is referenced. We
01:57 never see her parents, and the discrimination she faces presents more like modern-day racism
02:01 than its less subtle historical counterpart.
02:03 "Oh, that would be very easy, I'm sure."
02:06 "No thank you, we're not accepting those accusations."
02:09 Bridgerton wove the characters' ethnicities into the storylines to create an alternative
02:13 version of history. Meanwhile, The Gilded Age and Sanditon took a more traditional approach.
02:18 The Buccaneers does its own thing, but it could probably have delved a little deeper.
02:22 "We're oblivious."
02:24 "Lucky you."
02:27 Number 8. The costumes. Wrong.
02:30 Another way in which The Buccaneers puts a modern spin on this classic story is through
02:34 the costumes.
02:35 "I didn't bring any party clothes."
02:37 "I virtually just bought nightclothes."
02:38 "I'm sure, so you didn't want complaints."
02:41 The costume designers took inspiration from the late Victorian era, but didn't stick too
02:45 closely to the rules. Instead, they got creative.
02:48 "I must show you the dress that I'm wearing."
02:50 "I'm going."
02:51 "It's gonna be worth it."
02:56 The first step was to convince the writers to move the story forward ten years to 1880,
03:01 when the silhouettes and hairstyles were less fussy. The team kept the corsets and trademark
03:05 bustles, while experimenting with color and fabrics. They eschewed pastel tones for bright
03:10 jewel colors to reflect the bright personalities of the girls.
03:13 One costume designer said, quote, "I don't care what the history books say. For me, let's
03:18 exaggerate."
03:19 "Lady of Wild Times keeping watch."
03:20 "Hi, Inoria."
03:21 "The elegance."
03:24 Number 7. The hairstyles. Wrong.
03:27 The Buccaneers' costume designers may have bent the rules, but when it came to the hairstyles,
03:31 they threw away the rulebook.
03:33 "I was a mess. I just wouldn't."
03:34 "You should have seen the state I was in."
03:36 "Can we just please go inside and talk?"
03:39 Victorian women were expected to wear their hair up after they were out in society, and
03:43 especially once they were married. They would rarely be seen in public without a hat. Hair
03:47 was grown long, usually curled, and piled up on top of the head in elaborate styles.
03:52 Short, loose hair, as favored by Nan St. George in the show, didn't become the rage until
03:57 the 1920s.
03:58 "Darling, please. The guests will be arriving any minute, and I want to show you off."
04:04 "Why?"
04:05 In The Buccaneers, the American girls are styled as a contrast to the more reserved
04:09 British characters. However, American women, as well as the British, were bound by these
04:13 rules of fashion and propriety.
04:15 "Goodness, what a lady you are."
04:17 "All I've ever wanted to be."
04:19 Number 6. Attitudes to illegitimacy. Right.
04:23 While this adaptation of Edith Wharton's work has a fun and contemporary flavor, it's still
04:27 very much set in the past. Mabel and Honoria must navigate their romantic relationship
04:32 in a society where homosexuality is still taboo. Conchita, Ginny, and Mrs. St. George
04:37 all suffer due to the unequal nature of Victorian marriage. Meanwhile, Nan is cursed with the
04:43 stigma of illegitimacy.
04:44 "One of daddy's dalliances. Mother wanted to avoid a scandal. Nobody knew, nobody knows."
04:54 In the 19th century, children born out of wedlock were not considered respectable members
04:59 of society. Their parentage was often kept secret and they couldn't inherit property
05:03 under the law.
05:04 "And I have to tell Conchita. And I have to tell mother."
05:07 "No, no, no. You mustn't tell anyone. If anyone knows, if anyone finds out, you say your past
05:12 is a lie, Nan, but your future, I mean, it won't exist."
05:15 The revelation of Nan's illegitimacy would have been a big deal in this era. The reactions
05:20 of the other characters feel consistent with the time period.
05:23 "Well, at least we're not the most ashamed here. His father will be turning in his grave."
05:28 Number 5. Divorce and separation. Right.
05:32 When Theo decides to stand by Nan, her mother finds the courage to ask her husband for a
05:37 divorce.
05:38 "You marrying Theo lets me be myself again. Even the scandal of divorce won't shut out
05:43 the mother of a duchess from society."
05:45 But was this a realistic expectation for the time? Under the doctrine of coverture, married
05:50 women were under the authority of their husbands. They couldn't own property, earn money in
05:55 their own names, or bring lawsuits. This changed as individual states in the U.S. began to
06:00 enact Married Women's Property Acts beginning in 1839.
06:03 "I believe I'm leaving you."
06:04 "Oh, sweetheart, without me, you have nothing."
06:12 "Not true. Not anymore."
06:16 It nonetheless remained challenging for a woman to get divorced, especially in conservative
06:20 New York State, where adultery was the sole grounds. However, it was possible. The Buccaneers'
06:26 author Edith Wharton was herself divorced in 1913.
06:30 "No more talking. And no more pretending to laugh at your jokes. Or turning my back every
06:38 time something young and pretty catches your eye. I have always deserved more."
06:44 Number 4. Social etiquette and behaviors. Wrong.
06:47 "First things first, down your drinks, and go down the lawn and spin as fast as ever
06:53 you can! Go, go, go!"
06:54 There was a difference, of course, between what was legally possible within the confines
06:57 of Victorian society and what was socially acceptable. Divorce would have been frowned
07:02 upon, but so would many other things. For example, the modern-day manners of the Buccaneers'
07:07 protagonist would have been considered pretty scandalous.
07:10 "Everybody look! You can see her through her mouth! Woo! Look and learn! Feed the party!"
07:19 The TV series is a contemporary take on a classic story, and the central group of girls
07:23 are written to be relatable to a young, modern-day audience. They drink at parties, dispense
07:28 with bonnets, and act like 21st century teenagers, rather than the Victorian idea of young ladies.
07:34 The premise of the show pits the Americans against the prim and proper English characters,
07:38 but realistically, the differences would have been a lot more subtle.
07:42 "They're never still. Not one of them. They toss about so."
07:49 Number 3. Power imbalance in marriage. Right.
07:53 The pressure to act and present yourself a certain way would have come from society as
07:57 a whole, but The Buccaneers demonstrates it most effectively through individual characters.
08:02 "Theo is the main event tonight. You can stand silently by his side. Which is the job, of
08:09 course."
08:10 Theo's mother is the voice of the aristocracy, determined to preserve the dignity of the
08:14 duke at all costs. But the real villain of the piece is Ginny's husband, James. Through
08:20 him, the show demonstrates the potential dangers of marriage during this era.
08:23 "Okay, well I'll go get mother."
08:25 "No, no, no, no. She'll go straight to Sydney, and she wouldn't be able to help herself,
08:28 and then she'd tell daddy. I don't have long, any minute he's gonna realize that I'm gone."
08:32 As shown in the series, the imbalance of power between a husband and wife left women open
08:37 to abuse. Once she's married, Ginny cannot call her life her own. She's at the mercy
08:41 of her husband, whom she's expected to love, honor, and obey.
08:46 "Is that what you want? Honestly?"
08:50 "I'm sorry. Truly, I am."
08:55 Number 2. American heiresses in England. Right. Fast courtships, conducted in the presence
09:00 of chaperones, didn't much help the state of Victorian marriages. Many married couples
09:05 were practically strangers at the beginning of their life together. This was often the
09:09 case for the so-called "dollar princesses."
09:11 "There is talk, Mrs. Paramore, that for certain girls of refinement, New York has become too
09:16 limited."
09:17 "Very limited, I quite agree."
09:20 This late Victorian phenomenon involved eligible American heiresses of the Gilded Age. They
09:24 traveled to England in search of a title, and were courted by cash-poor aristocrats,
09:29 looking to restore their fortunes.
09:31 "Richard has a knack for picking up things that are worth money."
09:34 Edith Wharton's novel focuses on a group of these young women, as does Apple TV's new
09:39 adaptation. Whatever liberties the show takes with the historical details, its central premise
09:43 is based on a real and fascinating period in British history.
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10:13 Number 1. Accuracy to the book. Wrong.
10:16 So The Buccaneers has its moments of historical accuracy, but how true is it to its source
10:21 material? Well, not very. Show creator Catherine Jakeways described the book as quote "a starting
10:27 point." She's expanded the characters and changed up the plot.
10:31 "Four weeks since we left London and you've not once been yourself."
10:34 "Well, maybe I'm not who you think I am."
10:37 In the novel, Nan isn't illegitimate, Mabel and Honoria's relationship isn't romantic,
10:42 and Miss Tess Valley isn't so sinister. It's clear from the start that Guy's interest in
10:46 Nan is genuine, not motivated by money. Theo's name is "Ashant," and he isn't as sympathetic.
10:52 "I have told the whole world that I love you unconditionally. But I will not fight the
10:59 sort who deep down doesn't want me in the same way."
11:02 The book was unfinished at the time of Edith Wharton's death. Author Marion Manwaring created
11:06 a finished version in 1993. The show ends very differently, but there's definitely room
11:12 for a season two. Perhaps we'll get that happy ending after all.
11:16 "Who comes first?"
11:17 "Always."
11:18 "Always."
11:19 "We come first."
11:20 Have you been enjoying The Buccaneers and have you read the book? Let us know in the
11:24 comments.
11:25 "This country has put ideas into her head."
11:28 "You know, I've always had ideas in my head. It's only now I realize people might want
11:33 to hear them."
11:34 Do you agree with our picks? Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo. And be sure
11:39 to subscribe and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.
11:43 [Music]
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