Monarch of the Glen Series 7 BBC Scottish Drama
Paul Bowman MacDonald Fights to Save Glenbogle, Finds Love with Iona
Jun 17, 2009 Sallie Schaaf Borrink
Series 6 ended with Golly (Alexander Morton) expecting a child with Meg (Karen Westwood). Paul (Lloyd Owen) was last seen chasing Isobel (Simone Lahbib) down the beach after she declined coming to the ceremony in which Paul would officially become laird. But some major shifts occurred between the two seasons.
New Loves for Paul and Golly
Isobel was completely written out of the story without explanation. (In real life, Simone Lahbib was expecting a child and so she left the show.) Instead, Paul's love interest in Series 7 is Iona McClean (Kirsty Mitchell), the local shepherdess who becomes the liaison for the crofters and tenants on the estate.
Series 7 opens with Golly carrying his infant son, Cameron, to visit Meg's grave. As the first episode unwinds, it comes out that Meg died in childbirth. Throughout much of Series 7 Golly struggles to find the balance in being an older single father with his adult daughter, Jess, living at home. Golly also struggles with his life-long love for Molly and her place in his life.
Love and Relationships
Much of Series 7 revolves around bringing the show to a close. Key aspects of this focused on Paul and his need to deal with an estate that is once again struggling financially. The show also focused on bringing the show to a close with a wedding, preferably Paul's.
Because Series 7 was so brief (only six episodes), things happened quickly and often in a contrived manner. Quickly developing a Paul/Iona relationship, bringing back Iona's former fiance, and then bringing the love triangle to a climax in the last episode was only partially satisfying since so much of it felt hurried and not completely natural.
Return of Duncan, Kilwillie and Hector
Several former cast members returned for the last season in one or more episodes. This was largely in response to fan requests. Duncan (Hamish Clark), Kilwillie (Julian Fellowes) and Hector (Richard Briers) were all part of the final series. Hector was brought back in a ghost-like appearance during which time Molly (Susan Hampshire) asks him if she should marry Kilwillie or Golly.
Although it was enjoyable to see these actors return in their classic roles, the absence of Archie (Alistair Mackenzie) and Lexie (Dawn Steele) made the reunion of the cast seem incomplete.
The End of Monarch of the Glen
Although the last three series were not watched by nearly as many people as the first four, Monarch of the Glen clearly struck a chord with viewers. The quirky characters, gorgeous scenery, and beautiful music drew people into the Highland adventures and drama of the MacDonald clan, and once people were drawn in they weren't very willing to leave. Thankfully Monarch of the Glen lives on in rebroadcasts around the world and on DVD. This Scottish Highland drama from BBC is sure to be discovered and enjoyed by millions of people in the years to come.
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