The Thorn Birds: Relevant Notes

 

Magie - A frame from the miniseries, The Thorn Birds.

Part 01
Very interesting. The owner of the farm - rich independent woman who seems to have a crush on the priest. The priest who wants to be the perfect priest. The young girl who is discriminated against for being a girl. It also seems as though the young girls in the place are also attracted to the priest (the beauty competition winner) He says, as reply to the young girl 'wouldn't want to upset/make jealous my best lady.' Sounded weird [towards the end of the first part.]
The old rich woman who clearly controls everything. (It is made to look unusual and cruel because it is a woman. also seems to be acting strange around the father's relationship with the young girl. I don't want to spoil your special 'arrangement' with emphasis on arrangement she says when she learns that the father has given a room for the girl in the parsonage. Really strange. But it is not badly made. Not at all.

The 'thorn bird' gives its life for just once. The best is only at the cost of great pain. The rich woman accuses that the priest's intentions with  the girl are not good. He is infuriated.  
Cardinal's robe. The priest confesses that he had eyes on her wealth and contacts. The youngest boy dies. Magie also has a church of her own where she prays. Like the woman in 'Sins'. The girl says she will grow up and marry the priest so that they can mate. The priest says he is a priest and he can't marry (wrong thing to say). She says he can stop being a priest anytime he wants. He says 'no'. Changes topic. The old woman is observing them. 

People cast glances at the priest when he places his hand on the girl's hair. The girl feels ignored and cries seeing that the priest is not talking to her properly. The woman (75) asks him to kiss her on her mouth. Says she loves him. Always have. He says he is still a priest. She says she is still young inside. [I predict she is going to die this night as i write while watching]
What you musn't do is dreaming of me in a romantic fashion - we've been through this before. Horse scene. 
[My prediction just came true. She is dead.]
Ha ha. That wicked old intelligent woman. She gave the man a temptation as her will. [I predict he will accept the cardinal's post.]
[My prediction came true.]
The priest says it is better this way because he won't  have to marry her to someone else or watch her change into something he can never have. He hates it that she grew up because he can't have her now. He could have her when she was a child. They kiss. The he does the 'I can't' thing and runs away. She however is happy. Says 'go to that god of yours but i know you'll come back to me because i'm the one who loves you.'
[P.S I like the theme music a lot.]

When the priest reaches Sydney, the older senior priest asks him if he loved all of that family alike or someone more than the other. He says that he loved the girl in particular. Felt responsible for her. That her parents sometimes forgot she existed. [Indicative - The higher officials were aware or that there were rumours of some sort.]

A younger priest is given a punishment transfer to a small parish somewhere for being 'disobedient' by breaking his vows of celibacy. The young girl should not know where you have been sent. This, our hero priest says. 'I think I know something of the pain you are feeling. You know how many in your situation might have given up the church but you have chosen to remain and it takes a great deal of courage. May god bless you for it.'

The girl gets married. The priest gets a high position like a bishop or something. 

Part 5 of 7
Lady Chatterly's lover. The lady gives Henry Miller reading list to Magie. To get herself pregnant. Magie tries to get herself pregnant. The arch bishop and Magie have sex. The priest goes back. 

Part 6 of 7
The son wants to be a priest. 
Father and son they are. They even look alike. 

Part 7 of 7
Election of new pope - I think actual footage. Nice. 
Son dies. A tragedy in the beach where the sister and her lover reunite. She even sees people gathering around a corpse but does not recognize that it's her brother. Father/priest dies. Daughter goes away with her lover and would pursue theatre. So in the end there is just the daughter she hated to take it (family, legacy?) forward. 

I really really liked this series.