As a Fitzgerald expert I can say it's a quite good screen adaptation of his book. Wilson's version gives us a false sense of completeness in Fitzgerald's drafts. So naturally I'm not comparing the TV series's plot to Wilson's plot.
I think that the few seemingly overly dramatic instances e.g. Kathleen is in fact an actress who impersonates Minna, are valid expansion on hints/elements briefly shown in the novel e.g. Stahr's fear and doubt of the corporeality of Kathleen when he first meets her and when he decides to ask her out. He mentions an instance in the studio with another actress impersonating a famous one to get some shots done, which is the seed of the series's idea I suppose.
What's more is that the relationship between Brady and Stahr makes more sense to me in the series than in the novel, and Kelsey Grammar's performance gives the characters and their relationship depth, something not seen in the novel. They started out as partners but Monroe's fame makes Brady increasingly jealous which leads to Fitzgerald's murder plot.
Cecelia is also given a greater depth in the series than she is in the novel. The series justifies her presence in some scenes quite well, something Fitzgerald struggled to do in the novel. She is also very sympathetic despite retaining some of her Hollywood snobbishness, which is a logical character development projected from what we have in the novel.
Lastly, Rosemary Brady is nonexistent in the novel but I love how she's treated in the series. She's given a voice, not a weak one either. Unlike in the novel, she is just part of a crayon painting hanging over Brady's safe in his office.
Of course there're other new elements added that go beyond the confine of the source material-novel. But it is something I appreciate the series doing because the unfinished novel is given depth. Overall, it's an entertaining watch with stellar performance from the cast. I have a feeling that like what Fitzgerald's granddaughter said about Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby, he too would've liked this adaptation.
I think that the few seemingly overly dramatic instances e.g. Kathleen is in fact an actress who impersonates Minna, are valid expansion on hints/elements briefly shown in the novel e.g. Stahr's fear and doubt of the corporeality of Kathleen when he first meets her and when he decides to ask her out. He mentions an instance in the studio with another actress impersonating a famous one to get some shots done, which is the seed of the series's idea I suppose.
What's more is that the relationship between Brady and Stahr makes more sense to me in the series than in the novel, and Kelsey Grammar's performance gives the characters and their relationship depth, something not seen in the novel. They started out as partners but Monroe's fame makes Brady increasingly jealous which leads to Fitzgerald's murder plot.
Cecelia is also given a greater depth in the series than she is in the novel. The series justifies her presence in some scenes quite well, something Fitzgerald struggled to do in the novel. She is also very sympathetic despite retaining some of her Hollywood snobbishness, which is a logical character development projected from what we have in the novel.
Lastly, Rosemary Brady is nonexistent in the novel but I love how she's treated in the series. She's given a voice, not a weak one either. Unlike in the novel, she is just part of a crayon painting hanging over Brady's safe in his office.
Of course there're other new elements added that go beyond the confine of the source material-novel. But it is something I appreciate the series doing because the unfinished novel is given depth. Overall, it's an entertaining watch with stellar performance from the cast. I have a feeling that like what Fitzgerald's granddaughter said about Baz Luhrmann's adaptation of The Great Gatsby, he too would've liked this adaptation.