Seeking Persephone is a short four-part historical British romance series based on a novel written by an American romance author. Yes, you may cringe. It has a somewhat sparse production (likely to save money) and a storyline that is not particularly historically accurate or even remotely plausible (my opinion, of course.) Given my upbringing I found the whole thing gruesomely fascinating, and spent a couple of hours being very grateful I escaped my past while watching it.
The author, screenwriter (or perhaps both) follow in the LDS footsteps of Twilight's Stephanie Meyer, which makes it safe for any tween to watch. The lead female is purchased (yes, literally) by a Duke who has a bit of scarring on his face and no right ear to speak of. He pays over $100,000.00 pounds for this girl, a penniless female with absolutely no prospects whatsoever, once again affirming that you can have any woman you want if you throw enough cash at her family -- which still happens today, just not as openly. Thus women = property to be bought and sold by men, what a wonderful message to pass along, especially to the younger generation.
I really do think the series is appropriately tepid enough for tweens, not that I'd ever personally allow them to watch it. The main characters sleep apart, or talk in bed, evidently to avoid the horrors of any other activity, and there are a couple of extremely chaste kisses, and that's all. Sex is from this POV only necessary in order to procreate, I suppose, and takes place at the bottom of a black void into which no one can see. Sure. Accuracy to the time period, the dress of the era, or the British aristocracy in general seems not to have been a big priority. Aside from being almost entirely sexless for a romance, it does portray all women not only as property but as utterly subservient to the men who buy and sell them! Yay!
Since I was brought up in a strict religious atmosphere and spent most of my childhood in church being told I was evil because of my gender, I actually pitied the writer(s) responsible for this. When I wasn't wincing or waving away the smoke coming out of my ears.
Anyway, Seeking Persephone is free to view with commercials on a no-cost streaming platform that I will not link to out of disgust. I can't recommend it as a feel-good watch, or something that will make any intelligent woman grateful for how we're treated by those interested in controlling us. I'm sure you can find it if you want to. Heck, it may make you grateful you escaped whatever persecution your past visited upon you as a child for your gender, private beliefs and/or personal identity. I was left with overall disgust and endless gratitude that I found the courage to leave my past where it belonged, in the dirt.

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