Agnes Carlsson [Character Review]

Character Review - Agnes Carlsson

The arrival of forthright Norwegian girl, Agnes, in New World, the final episode of the second series, prompted a chain of events that would change the lives of our survivors forever. Agnes's late father had been engaged in a meticulous mapping exercise during which he travelled England, locating settlements, noting resources and expertise as he went. She arrived at Whitecross looking for him and soon learnt that his corpse had been found by the community there. She explained the predicament of her starving Norwegian countrymen and the details of her late father's recent activities, to Greg and Charles. In the process she fired them both up to look beyond the confines of their community to the wider issues of federation and resource sharing. Despite Jenny's protestations Greg left with Agnes (and Jack) in a balloon headed for Norway where he intended to help her people in his capacity as an engineer. Greg returned with Agnes and Jack some months later, but was now engaged in a tour of the settlements mapped by Agnes' father, helping them out where he could. He intended to return to Whitecross to see Jenny but events always seemed to overtake him and despite several near misses he would never see her again. As well as accompanying Greg during the events at the settlement of children in A Little Learning, Agnes joined Charles and Jenny during their search for Greg in Law of the Jungle and Bridgehead. At this time she understandably became the object of Jenny's jealousy and anger due to the time she had spent with Greg and the fact that she had taken him away from her in the first place. Agnes was destined to meet up with Greg again, before his death from small pox. She ultimately went on to set him up as a figurehead for the federation of survivors she and Greg had been attempting to establish, in Long Live the King. Jenny's final confrontation with Agnes revealed that she had been right to be jealous of Agnes all along as the Norwegian had fallen in love with Greg. Jenny received some consolation in that Agnes had been frustrated in winning his heart and in setting up the federation due to Greg's love for Jenny. Agnes no doubt went on to hold some position of power in the inaugural government that would attempt to run the federation of communities in England. It is very difficult to like the character of Agnes primarily because she is the catalyst for so much change, most of it for the worse, for both the characters and the series. She nevertheless is played very well by both actresses, although Anna Pitt is a noticeably more mature and tough Agnes than the character first portrayed by Sally Osborn.