Gentleman Jack: Series 2 Recommendations
Gentleman Jack: Series 2 Recommendations
Here are my professional recommendations for Series 2 of Gentleman Jack.
The Script
There are 2 things I want to see from Sally Wainwright with the script in Series 2.
- I want to see a fuller and more complete picture of Anne Lister’s life. I want to see the storyline open up wider than being about Anne Lister’s lesbian encounters and her business activities. She was also an avid walker and a pioneering mountaineer and climber. I want to see more about her adventures, studies, mountaineering and travelling.
- Anne’s diaries are central to the story. She was an avid writer, documenting her life in detail. I want to see more private moments of Anne reflecting and writing in her diary and the storytelling that goes along with that. By showing us this, we will get a real insight into how and what she thinks; about herself and others.
In opening up her diaries in this way, we will also get an insight into how Anne talked about her sexuality: the words and the phrases she used. There was no language for ‘lesbian sexuality’ back then. As a modern day lesbian, I want to know how she felt about it and how she talked about it.
Characterisation of Anne Lister and Ann Walker
Using Mind-Body Types
Here are my recommendations for the characterisation of Anne Lister and Ann Walker.
I want to see Suranne Jones and Sophie Rundle go deeper into their characterisation, using mind-body types. This will bring more authenticity to their characters.
I’ll give a brief introduction to mind-body types, in case you haven’t come across them before.
There are 3 mind-body types. You are born with a unique ratio of these 3 mind-body types, as defined by Ayurveda. They come together differently in each one of us and it is this unique combination that makes you who you are. The unique ratio is your ‘natural state’ or what you are born with. This defines your appearance (hair, eye colour etc), the way you move, your posture, your temperament, your personality and characteristics, your mannerisms, gestures, thought patterns, physical and mental ailments and so much more.
Anne Lister is a Pitta mind-body type. Suranne played the physical elements of the Pitta type well (like the stride, speech), but didn’t pay attention to the emotional and mental side of her mind-body type. In Series 1, we see her alternating between a Vata/Kapha mix when it comes to the emotional and mental aspects of Anne. In Series 2, we need to see more of the Pitta emotional and mental qualities of Anne Lister.
Ann Walker is a Vata mind-body type. Sophie portrayed Ann’s mental state really well, based on her mind-body type. In Series 2 I want to see her work on the physicality of the character, with the Vata quirks and the emotional flightiness of the Vata mind-body type.
Without this knowledge of mind-body types there was something missing for me in Series 1.
Characterising using the mind-body types will give Suranne and Sophie a deeper understanding of their characters; how they think, feel and behave.
Combine that with an understanding of the impact of the social and cultural conditioning Anne and Ann faced in their lives and they will have nailed it.
All of this influences who they are, how they interact with lovers, their family dynamics and how they present themselves to the outside world.
More detailed information on the mind-body types of Anne Lister and Ann Walker can be found in the Further Reading section below.
Anne Lister and Ann Walker’s Relationship
I have 4 things to recommend for Anne Lister and Ann Walker’s relationship.
- In Series 1, we did not see an accurate portrayal of a Pitta-Vata relationship. In Series 2, there needs to be more understanding of how these mind-body types interact together in a relationship. In essence, it is a fire and air relationship. I want to see this!
A Pitta-Vata relationship changes over time, from the early days of dating, through to a more serious committed relationship.
How they interact together, their level of connection and conversations, how they experience sexual intimacy and their expectations of each other will change dramatically when they are married and as they spend more time together. I want to see this change in behaviour and the power dynamic that emerges as a result of that.
In Series 2, I want to see a true representation of a Pitta-Vata relationship and how that plays out over time.
- Anne Lister and Ann Walker have very different emotional needs, as a result of their mind-body types. I want to see these differences and how that changes the dynamic of the relationship.
- How does Ann Walker interact socially with Anne Lister? A lack of public displays of affection and affection in the home from Ann Walker will affect Anne Lister. It will be felt as a rejection, resulting in a change in dynamics at home. Lister will likely shut down, be angry and distance herself. I want to see this dynamic.
- And lastly, the relationship shouldn’t be overly romanticised. I feel it has been in Series 1.
Intimacy
- In Series 1, watching Anne Lister interacting in the bedroom felt almost textbook. In Series 2, I want to see a shift from a technical level of intimacy to a tender and sensual level of intimacy. A move from the mechanical to the meaningful is essential and will ensure authenticity in the intimate scenes.
- Anne Lister loved her physical senses being aroused in the bedroom. We need to see this.
- More awareness is needed of what goes on in a Pitta-Vata same-sex couples’ bedroom.
- From Suranne, I want to see the level of intimacy that a Pitta type would exude in the bedroom.
Mental Health
Lastly, here are my recommendations around Mental Health.
In Series 2, I want to see a deeper understanding of the impact of the social and cultural conditioning Anne Lister would have experienced at school and in her local community. This affected how she projected herself to the world – in her behaviours and actions. Whilst a very strong character, the impact of all the judgements and abuse was evident.
From Suranne, I want to see her fully embody the social and cultural conditioning Anne Lister faced over the years. Show us the hurt, rejection, grief and loneliness Anne feels, both with her being a lesbian but also being a strong, bold, outspoken character that rejected gender norms. I want to see the profound impact her lovers rejecting her in favour of marrying men had on her. We cannot underestimate this and ignore it. And I want to see her interacting with others based on her mind-body type – not stereotypes. I want to see the impact all of this had on Anne’s mental health and mindset.
From Sophie, I want to see the sacrifices Ann Walker made for Anne Lister and the impact this has on her mental and physical health. I want to see how Ann’s relationship with her family changes and how her status in society changes after her marriage.
From both Suranne and Sophie, I want to see the impact of the intense bullying, judgements and abuse that they both faced from the local community.
Watch The Video
Further Reading
Below I have included further information about:
- The mind-body types of Anne Lister and Ann Walker
- How they interact together in a relationship as a result of these
- A birth chart analysis of Anne Lister
Anne Lister’s Mind-Body Type
Anne Lister is a Pitta mind-body type.
Here is a brief overview of a Pitta mind-body type.
Pitta is ruled by fire.
Physically, Pitta’s tend to be medium in height and weight. Their eyes are sharp and deep; usually grey, green or copper in colour. Expect a pointed nose and soft, large and thin lips that are red in colour. Soft nails – sometimes a little yellow. When in balance they have radiant, glowing skin. Their skin is soft and delicate but can often be red and irritated. They become hot easily and burn quickly in the sun. Pitta types have thin, soft, blonde or red hair that turns grey early or they suffer from thinning or balding. They have a tendency to eat and drink large amounts and if they do not eat when hungry they become irritable. They have excellent digestion and a warm body temperature. They sleep soundly and have a strong sex drive. They have strong circulation and are prone to heat or blood problems later in life.
Emotionally, Pitta have a powerful, sharp intellect and a strong ability to concentrate. They are precise, efficient, sharp-witted, direct and often outspoken. They understand easily and are intelligent by nature. They are goal oriented. They know what they have to do and they do it.
They are warm, sensitive, smart and have compassion. They are full of vitality, charming and charismatic, with a love of attention. They are great fun to be around because they are so dynamic and colourful. They are good decision makers, initiators, talkers, dealers, administrators, directors, teachers and speakers. They are often high achieving ‘workaholics.’
What does this tell us about Anne Lister?
We can know so much about Anne simply from her mind-body type. And this is essential information when creating an authentic portrayal of Anne Lister.
When in balance she is warm, loving and content. Enthusiastic and passionate. Sweet, joyous, confident and brave. She is intense and 100% present. You will have her undivided attention.
Anne is highly status conscious and an enterprising character. Pitta’s tend to be high profile people and their energy fills the room. In a social situation, she is centre of attention. Everyone wants to know her and as such she gets into high profile places. Anne’s friendships are usually with a goal or shared interest.
When Anne wants something she is very driven, focused and determined in her efforts to get it. She is ambitious and goal orientated; usually having one clear goal and going for it, like a rocket, with determination and intensity. She will do whatever it takes to achieve it. She is a perfectionist about the details, will muscle her way through obstacles and come out strong. She likes challenges and meets them vigorously. She has fire in her belly and is full of drive and energy. This can be seen as calculating and ruthless at times.
She takes command of situations or feels she should. Anne likes to be in charge and to lead (in the family, socially, in business, in the bedroom). She likes to make decisions and she truly believes she does not need to be taken care of (especially by a man). She is active and not afraid to get her hands dirty; loving to work in the fields with the men.
She is a strong, brave character, rising above what people said about her. Anne is not afraid to stand out from the crowd. She doesn’t want to conform to social expectations and defied the gender norms of the day. Anne did not want to marry a man. Instead she wanted everything a man could have.
She is bold and courageous – we see her in episode 8 dancing with a woman at the Queen’s Ball. Most unmarried women wore white back then. She decided to only wear black, spent a lot of time studying, managed her own estates, sought business opportunities, travelled widely and climbed mountains. Most of this was not what ‘women did’.
Anne processes information quickly and she remembers it. She has a sharp, penetrating mind and intellect and brilliant concentration. She has a thirst for knowledge and travel; self-studying politics, anatomy, Greek and Roman literature to name a few. Anne’s ‘oddity’ as she referred to it intrigued her. She trawled books on anatomy to try to understand where her feelings came from but to no avail. As she came to terms with her sexuality, there was no self-loathing. She believed her feelings were entirely natural.
Pitta’s are obsessive in their personality, often keeping accurate accounts of things going on in their life.
Direct, sharp witted, outspoken, strong minded, bold and intense with a somewhat forceful manner. She once argued with a Russian prince about his claim to have beaten her to the summit of a mountain. She is not scared to speak her mind!
Pitta’s have precise, articulate speech. They hold strong opinions and like to argue and debate. Pitta (Anne) speaks less than Vata (Ann) and always with a purpose; direct and sharp. Their words can easily hurt. Her speed of movement and speech is decided. She has a determined stride when she walks.
Efficient and organised, she lives by her watch and resents having her time wasted.
She has an innate tendency to be orderly and manage energy, money and actions efficiently. Spending money on luxuries is the one exception. She loves to have fine things around her.
Anne Lister Out Of Balance
Anger is characteristic. Negative emotion and stress easily brings this out. She becomes quick to anger yet easy to forget. With patience, compassion and a little space she can easily cool down.
She becomes irritable, impatient, angry, demanding, perfectionistic, cutting and abrasive in her manner – which alienates people.
She can be argumentative, opinionated and jealous. Short tempered and hot headed at times. Heat is prominent within her. She typically responds badly to toxic emotions – hostility, hatred, intolerance and jealousy. She is stubborn and critical of herself and others.
She becomes controlling, demanding, competitive and has a fiery personality. She may even try to out-perform her partner. She has a sharp tongue and has workaholic tendencies.
Physically when out of balance, she becomes overheated, has excess stomach acid, skin rashes, acne, inflammation and interrupted sleep.
All of this we know from her mind-body type. And we find evidence of all of this throughout her diary entries.
Anne Lister’s Birth Chart
What else do we know about Anne Lister?
Her birth chart tells us more about who Anne is.
Based on her date of birth (assuming she has a Leo ascendant from what we already know about her) we can access even more information. All of the mind-body type information noted above is also reflected in her birth chart.
Here is a flavour of the additional information from her birth chart:
In Society
“With her ascendant in Leo, she will be noticed whether she wants to be or not. She has presence and radiates with magnetism that gets other’s attention. She cares about her appearance and is aware of people she is with and what that will do to her image. She enjoys being centre of attention. She has a need to be admired. She has a strong need to be recognised and accomplished.
Anne has a strong Uranus presence in her chart. Uranus rules Aquarius and those with a heavy influence in their chart are born to shake things up, to be the revolutionaries. Her focus was on herself, not on reforming women’s rights or reform to better humanity.
Anne’s Inner World
Her freedom will not be restricted and she positively asserts herself to get what she wants. There is a strong need for independence, freedom, uniqueness and a rebellious nature. This includes the way she dresses; she is masculine in her expression. She has problems conforming to traditional and moral social standards. She craves change and will decide on a spur of the moment to go and do something. She is easily bored and needs stimulation. She is prone to feeling isolated for being different and suffers rejection easily (such as Mariana, Vere etc).
She is sensitive and fears rejection. There is a natural cautiousness and defensiveness; it is a self-protection mechanism. She can detach herself from her emotions, which is good in business dealings. However, this can give the impression to others that she doesn’t need emotional nurturing. She hides her emotions (saying “I am always all right”) and rarely shows how she really feels. Only close people to her, who she trusts know her deep feelings. This unwillingness to show emotions leads her to feel she is not worthy of being loved. This leads her into relationships that include hardship. We observe Anne becoming more emotionally detached from Mariana with her constant rejections.
In Love
In love she is the one who likes to do the perusing. If they cant keep up with her or they do not stimulate her, she tires of them once she has conquered them. It needs to be a stimulating relationship.
The drive to find a partner is powerful. She needs a stable partner who is reliable, trustworthy, loyal, is interested in a long term relationship and has wealth. She is sensual, likes cuddles, physical touching and having her senses aroused. She likes a predictable relationship without turbulence. She doesn’t appreciate people with emotional up’s and downs. She is romantic and uses it to charm and humour her lovers. Feelings of love are easily aroused and she enters relationships quickly if it is worth her while. There is a need for emotional excitement and to be spontaneous and free. She likes to be in nature.
She craves big love, emotional expression, extraordinary beauty and financial, material security through her love partnerships. She is attracted to partners who have properties and money and are attractive. She attracts them with her charm and flirting.
Possessive, jealous and obsessive, she finds it hard to let go of a partner she loves (such as Mariana). There is a power struggle in each relationship. Either Anne will be obsessed and controlled by her partner, who will have power over her and control over the relationship (Mariana). Or the roles can switch and change within one relationship. With Ann Walker, Anne Lister had the control; Ann was besotted with Anne from the beginning, and she knew it.
Intimacy
She wants her needs met by her partner. She has a healthy and energetic need for sex. She needs a sexually energetic partner. Sex energises her and it is a vital part of how she expresses her love to her partner.
She is spontaneous when it comes to sex; any place any time. She generally prefers quick sex that is not complicated. She does not have long stamina. She will have more patience and willingness to make sex last longer when she is in the mood for it. She likes to be in control in bed. Even though she loves straight forward sex she also has a need for it to be sensual; if not during it (she has a short patience span) she definitely wants to be sensual after sex. She wants to be seen as a good lover. She also needs quirky sex. She makes sex fun, she is a good lover (and she knows it) and she wants to admired for it. She wants to have a good lover who can please her as well.
She is a smooth operator and says just the right thing at the right time to her partner to charm them and get what she wants (episode 8 to Ann Walker – “I missed you”). She is comfortable with her sexuality and helps her partners’ overcome any sexual hang ups they may have.
Additional Information
The way she relaxes is through, sport, being physically active, writing, learning and sex. Spending time alone is necessary to recharge all that burned energy.
She wants to be the leader in her own home. Her moods are changeable and she isn’t the most peaceful person to live with. She has a childlike innocence about her.
Interestingly, Anne’s 8th house is ruled by Aquarius. Aquarius is ruled by Uranus which is sudden, expected death. Aquarius rules friends. She died unexpectedly and suddenly with a ‘friend’.”
This information was supplied by Anjelia Rakic. Thank you for analysing Anne Lister’s chart and providing this information!
Ann Walker’s Mind-Body Type
Looking at portraits of Ann Walker and accounts of her character, Ann is clearly a Vata mind-body type.
Here is a brief overview of a Vata mind-body type.
She has physical and mental qualities reflecting the elements of space and air. Imagine someone creative, fast and quick thinking. The qualities of Vata are dry, light, cold, irregular, rough, quick, changeable and mobile.
Physically, Vata tends to have a thin build, low body weight and struggle to put on weight. Their physical frame is thin and slender. Their face tends to be long and angular. They are either very tall or short. Their hair tends to be curly and dry. Their eyes are small, dry, active and alive. Their nails are breakable, weak and rough. Lips are dry, small and a tendency to bleed when dry. They have dry, rough and cold skin and poor circulation, often suffering with cold hands and feet. They become cold easily. They have sensitive digestion.
Vata’s are always of the go, with an energetic and creative mind. They are lively and enthusiastic. They have energy in bursts. Lots of energy one minute. Not so much the next. As a result of this, they are likely to experience sudden bouts of fatigue. In order to avoid disease, they need to rest more. Some days they sleep good, others very lightly and with interruptions. They speak a lot and fast, sometimes erratic. They do everything fast and with lightness.
Emotionally, Vata move like the wind, love change and are very impulsive. Memory is not their strength. They are quick to anger but also to forgive. They are creative, bursting with ideas and inspiration – usually becoming writers, dancers, inventors or artists. They can be indecisive and need more time and effort when they have to make a decision. They are active, restless, unstable, nervous, fearful and anxious.
What Does This Tell Us About Ann Walker?
Ann moves quickly, talks fast and flutters from idea to idea. She is artistic and a dreamer.
Everything she does is quick. She is creative and expressive. She is quick to learn and quick to forget. Enthusiastic & vivacious. She has a clear and alert mind. She is stimulating company, with an amazing intellect. She can make friends easily but with the tendency to superficial conversations they probably do not last long.
She tends to have a more flighty way of living. Her energy can be all over the place and she changes her mind often. With no earth element, she can easily become ungrounded.
She is always full of ideas, innovation, vision and very open minded to new things. She gets bored easily and restless and will strive to find entertainment in many places. She wants to achieve and push and tends to ignore her limitations with variable spurts of energy throughout the day.
Communication is key to her. Without communication, there is no connection. And with no connection comes a lack of stability; always questioning what other people think and say about her. It is important for her to have a strong shoulder to lean on and an open ear to her ever changing story. A home she can come back to that is safe and nurturing is key.
Out of balance she is a delicate girl, with nervous illnesses. She becomes tired and/or fatigued. She is forgetful or spaced out. She has a lack of focus. She experiences poor circulation (especially with cold feet and hands). She has feelings of anxiousness. She becomes stressed, nervous and worried. She experiences insomnia, constipation, irrational fears and mania. She tends toward burnout; mentally, emotionally and physically.
Anne Lister and Ann Walker’s Relationship
Your mind-body type affects how you feel, think, interact and experience love and intimacy in a relationship.
For example, a Pitta (fire, intense) and a Vata (wind, airy) interact very differently together than a Vata and a Kapha (earthy, stable, slow).
Overview
Anne Lister as a lover is fiery and intense but with low patience.
In love she is focused, intense, passionate and all-encompassing. She goes all in or plays her cards close to her chest (nothing in between). As a result, she tends to win and lose big. Either way, she is drawn in by the thrill and challenge of the game.
She is passionate in the bedroom and likes to have her needs met. She thinks she is very good in the bedroom, but she could frustrate her partner with her impatience and demanding nature. Once the flood of love starts flowing, the real passion begins.
Whilst Anne was a passionate lover there was a calculating and ruthless side to her. She dreamed of having considerable wealth. Money would allow Anne to enjoy the high society lifestyle she craved without marrying a man. She was interested in a relationship with Ann for her money.
Ann Walker needs a stable and steady person to help ground her and balance the wild and crazy changes in energy she has. Holding her in a hug calms the initial restlessness she feels. Creating and providing a safe haven to come home to is the greatest gift you can give to Ann.
Ann needs constant reassurance and communication is key in a relationship. Without communication, she feels no connection. And with no connection comes a lack of stability and grounding. Making an already flighty person even more so!
What We Can Expect To See In Anne Lister And Ann Walker’s Relationship
Anne Lister and Ann Walker had very different emotional needs.
Anne Lister is the leader in the relationship. Anne (Pitta) always overpowers Ann (Vata) so Ann needs time away from Anne regularly. For Anne’s love to shine, it needs to be met with just the right amount of opposition and surrender.
Ann could be seen as high maintenance to Anne Lister. Ann talks a lot. Her plans and thoughts change in an instant. Her energy waxes and wanes. She is sensitive to too much noise and stimulus – it is overwhelming for her. She becomes insecure and questions whether she did something wrong. She needs lots of reassurance. She would come across as scatter minded to Anne. Observing Ann having a few things she is focused on (instead of Anne’s one goal) she would see her as distracted, unfocused and unambitious.
Ann is worried about her money being spent and needs to have control over it. Her money and possessions make her feel safe. Anne Lister spending Ann Walker’s money would put Ann under a great deal of stress, triggering her anxiety. She needs to be appreciated for her actions (such as giving Anne money).
Ann needs a calm environment; a stable and predictable home. She needs a partner who spends time with her and is not all over the place. Ann Walker is not adventurous. She prefers to stay at home and too much travel has a negative impact on Ann’s mind-body. She needs lots of grounding for her love to flourish.
Yet Anne Lister needs space to breathe, to have freedom. She doesn’t want to be constricted in any way. Anne Lister must have an open minded partner who can accept her need for change and freedom.
As such Ann (Vata) can annoy and aggravate Anne (Pitta) – remember, wind ignites fire.
Intimacy
Anne is dominant and takes the lead in the bedroom. We know from her mind-body type that she takes control of the intimate moments and is quirky in her sexual approach. We need to see her passion, intensity and we need to see her taking control.
She is sensual, likes cuddles, physical touching and having her senses aroused.
Anne is intense. She can be very intimate, forward and direct. She takes the lead when flirting and ‘in chase of a lover’. She is cheeky, probing, flirty, seductive and playful. We see this in episode 2 when Ann Walker asks Anne Lister if she has ever wanted to kiss someone. To which she replies “every time I come here.” After a little teasing and physically close to Ann now, she is very direct and says “I think you’re a little bit in love with me.” We need to see more of this. This is her true character.
Recommended Reading
How Lack Of Public Displays Of Affection Can Ruin Intimacy
Behind The Scenes Of Social Conditioning In The LGBT+ Community
How To Be In An Authentic Relationship
About Gina Battye
Gina Battye is a world-renowned LGBT+ Coordinator and Authenticity Director for film, television, theatre and radio as well as an advisor for the global press, Fortune 500s + Leading Global Organisations.
In the last four years, Gina has been called on to advise and consult on best practice for heterosexual actors playing LGBT+ characters and to create scenes involving LGBT+ relationships to ensure authentic delivery in film, TV, theatre and radio.
Gina created the Playing It Gay Guidelines which are being used by straight actors playing gay characters around the world.
Watching Gina at work is mesmerising. Working with actors, directors, celebrities and public figures, Gina has the rare ability to electrify everyone on set whilst delivering original and useful insights that lead to characters blossoming and stepping into their Authentic Self.
Gina specialises in creating authentic gay/lesbian characters (using mind-body types), LGBT+ relationships and intimacy, being your Authentic Self, LGBT+ mindset and self-help.
Find out more about Gina and her work at www.ginabattye.com/media and chat with her on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.
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