Ah, candy hearts…those sweet treats take me back. Of all the holidays we celebrated in grade school, none quite matched the anticipation that surrounded the classroom Valentine’s Day party. My friends and I spent hours transforming ordinary shoeboxes into elaborate receptacles, decked out in tin foil, lace doilies, glitter, paper hearts, and any other gaudy elements we could find. Come February 14th, our Valentine mailboxes would overflow with cards and candy from each other and our fellow classmates.
These days, I’m happy to celebrate Valentine’s Day with much less fanfare. A quiet night in with the hubs, snuggled up on the couch, adult beverage in hand, and one of our favorite PBS dramas on the TV is just the thing. This Valentine’s edition of Handpicked by Heather offers a curated list of romantic programming from which you and your sweetheart can choose to add a little something special to your own date night in. And while most of us may have outgrown candy hearts, be sure to read the full blog for some grown-up Valentine treats as my gift to all WTIU viewers!
Walter Presents Love Stories for the Ages
I don’t like to admit it, but I struggle with subtitles. When I watch a show, I want to get lost in the story. To me, subtitles are typically a distraction from that immersive experience. However, when I watch an international selection from Walter Presents, I find the stories, characters, and settings so rich and intriguing that I forget I’m even reading the subtitles. In fact, two of my very favorite series come from the Walter Presents catalog; each one is so captivating that they have even drawn my husband in—and he has a harder time with subtitles than I do! The first series we’ve been watching is the period drama Love & Sacrifice, a story of forbidden love set in 1913 Tuscany against the stunning backdrop of the Carrara marble quarries. The series feels a little like an Italian take on Downton Abbey with its exploration of the upstairs/downstairs dynamic between the quarry workers, domestic servants, and the wealthy quarry owners who employ them.
More to Love from Walter Presents
My sweetie and I have recently fallen for another subtitled drama and are quickly making our way through Season One in anticipation of what we think will be a life-changing revelation for the show’s beautiful heroine. Set in pre-war Germany, the series also takes a hard look at the complex relationship between the haves and have-nots as it follows the story of Vicky, a country girl who comes to Berlin in 1928 with little more than grit, determination, and the dream of a better life. Based on the history of the legendary department store Jonass (now Soho House Berlin), House of Promises takes viewers into the dazzling nightlife and grim realities of pre-war Berlin. Like Love & Sacrifice, House of Promises features outstanding acting, lush cinematography, and steamy story lines. Take it all in with your PBS Passport member benefit!
Shakespeare in Love, Great Performances-Style
Was there ever a romance as iconic as that of Romeo and Juliet? Shakespeare’s classic tragedy has all the ingredients of a classic love story: boy meets girl, boy courts girl, boy murders girl’s cousin, girl feigns death, boy misses key communication from friar, girl and boy die in vain. Okay, so that may be simplifying the plot just a bit, but thanks to its timeless appeal, the story of these two star-crossed lovers has captured our imaginations for more than 400 years. In this stylized film version of the classic tragedy, a company of actors in a shuttered theater brings to life the tale of two young lovers who strive to transcend a world of violence and hate.
In another Shakespeare-inspired performance, explore the Bard’s own love life—or at least a poetic (and sexy!) version of it—through the perspective of the “Dark Lady” in the exquisite ballet Black Lucy and the Bard. The enigmatic Dark Lady appears in several of Shakespeare’s sonnets, but little is known of her true identity—or if she even existed beyond Shakespeare’s imagination. Her mystique has inspired numerous iterations in popular culture, most recently in Lucy Negro, Redux, a book of poetry by Caroline Randall Williams, who posits that the Dark Lady was actually Black Luce, a brothel owner in Elizabethan London, presumably of African descent. Ms. Williams narrates the ballet based on her book, while Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens provides the original score.
Fall in love with these contemporary retellings of Shakespeare’s work, brought to PBS by Great Performances and available now with the WTIU PBS Passport member benefit.
WATCH BLACK LUCY AND THE BARD NOW
More to Love from Great Performances
I’ve already confessed my struggle with subtitles when it comes to watching international films. The same struggle holds true for me when it comes to opera performances—even the ones sung in English! But once again, thanks to my PBS Passport member benefit, I have overcome the distraction of subtitles to the point of losing myself in the riveting operatic narratives brought to us by Great Performances. One of the most gripping of these performances is the heart-wrenching play-turned-opera Intimate Apparel, written by Pulitzer winning author Lynn Nottage.
Originally an off-Broadway drama starring Viola Davis in 2004, the play literally found its voice as an opera in 2020 (although previews were shut down due to the pandemic before resuming in 2022), with music composed by the Ricky Ian Gordon, the libretto by Nottage, and direction by Tony winner Bartlett Sherr. Set in Manhattan in 1905 and inspired by Nottage’s own great-grandmother, the opera tells the story of Esther Mills, a seamstress who makes elaborate corsets and ladies’ undergarments. After beginning a letter-writing relationship with a mysterious laborer on the Panama Canal, she eventually marries the man, only to discover the relationship is not what she expected. All WTIU viewers can watch this episode of Great Performances at PBS.org or with the PBS app.
A Masterpiece of Love
A picaresque story of the title character’s complicated journey to find real love, Tom Jones has both delighted and scandalized readers for generations. This four-part miniseries from MASTERPIECE reimagines Henry Fielding’s classic novel The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling as a sort of 18th century rom com starring Solly McLeod as the handsome hero Tom alongside Sophie Wilde (best known for her role in the Netflix thriller You Don’t Know Me) as the feisty heroine Sophia Western. Fans of the hit series Ted Lasso will also recognize Emmy winner Hannah Waddingham as the seductive and vengeful Lady Bellaston among the many colorful characters of Tom Jones. With its sumptuous settings and gorgeous costuming, this period piece will win you over!
Longing for more lush period romances? MASTERPIECE is sure to satisfy your desire with fan favorites like Poldark, Sanditon, Northanger Abbey, Victoria and more—all available whenever and wherever you want with your WTIU PBS Passport benefit!
A Recipe for Love
The surest way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, or so goes the old expression anyway. Luckily for me, that wasn’t the case with my husband, as I was a far cry from the cook I am today when we were dating. Twenty-five years later, though, many things have changed and it’s safe to say that cooking is indeed my love language. My specialty is comfort food—the kind of dishes that are made with love and taste like home. Discover the recipe for some romance-infused comfort foods in the Date Night Dinner episode of Homemade Live!, when host Joel Gamoron is joined by fashion photographer Nigel Barker to recreate the first date dinners that won their wives’ hearts, including Joel’s Sexy Scallops and Neal’s Parripu Curry. Find inspiration for your own date night in when you watch Homemade Live! with your WTIU PBS Passport benefit. And for an extra special treat, whip up one (or both!) of the following cocktails from Season Two. With a menu like this, you’re sure to win your special someone’s heart this Valentine’s Day.