Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston’s Overlooked Apple TV Miniseries Is Even Better Than the Book

Book-to-TV adaptations are difficult to pull off; they have to make the necessary changes in order to fit the television medium while also honoring the source material. If a TV show sways too far from the book, it can leave book fans feeling betrayed, yet a series can’t just be a word-for-word adaptation, either. The best TV adaptations of books are not afraid to change some of the details while remaining intentional in keeping the novel’s essence. Some of the strongest book-to-TV adaptations in recent years, including Interview with the Vampire, Normal People, and Shadow and Bone, put the characters and themes above all else when bringing the source material to life.

This is also true of The Essex Serpent, Apple TV’s 2022 limited series starring Claire Danes and Tom Hiddleston. Based on Sarah Perry‘s 2016 historical fiction novel of the same name, The Essex Serpent follows a woman named Cora Seaborne (Danes) in 1893. After Cora’s abusive husband dies of illness, she pursues her passion for paleontology and ultimately follows it all the way from London to the small village of Aldwinter in Essex. It is there that Cora meets the Reverend Will Ransome (Hiddleston) and, despite their very different beliefs, forges a unique connection with him. The Essex Serpent certainly honors its source material, but it ultimately elevates the book with its changes.

Apple TV’s ‘The Essex Serpent’ Gives the Story a More Definitive Ending

Cora Seaborne (Claire Danes) and Will Ransome (Tom Hiddleston) walking side by side on a marsh beach and looking at one another with mutual smiles in The Essex Serpent

In both the book and the show, Cora and Will’s feelings for each other reach a tipping point, and she leaves Aldwinter. While Cora is away, Will learns that his wife, Stella (Cleménce Pósey), is dying of tuberculosis. Cora then goes back to Aldwinter, but in the show, it’s because Stella has written to her. Stella knows that she is dying, and she wants to see Cora and her son, Francis (Caspar Griffiths), one more time. Stella also knows how hard Will is taking her death, and how strongly Will and Cora feel about each other, so she asks Cora to talk to Will. The two have an emotional conversation where they acknowledge their love for each other, but Will chooses to stay with Stella, especially after she later almost drowns.

In the book, Cora and Will part ways after this, and Will stays with Stella until she dies. Will and Cora keep loving each other from afar, but they are never actually reunited on the page. Cora ultimately ends up having an independent life on her own in London, where she writes letters to Will, and it is left ambiguous whether he will ever write back or go see her. In the show, however, Cora and Will get their happy ending. A six-month time jump shows Cora living on her own in London and regularly writing to Will, who never responds. She still loves him, but as she explains in her most recent letter, she’s also content with the way that her life is now. Then, Will comes to visit Cora, and he tells her that he never wrote back because he had too much to say to her. The two kiss, and then they go for a walk, finally starting the next chapter of their lives together.

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‘The Essex Serpent’s Happy Ending Is More Fitting for Cora and Will

An ambiguous ending is perhaps a more literary one for a novel that deals with the heavy themes of religion, medical discoveries, and gender during the Victorian era. That said, the TV show’s happy ending is much more fitting for the story, and not just for Cora and Will. Martha (Hayley Squires) continues to be independent and fight for her beliefs, but she does so while getting a job working for Spencer (Jamael Westman), who plans to use his money to help enact real societal change. Luke (Frank Dillane) still has to deal with his permanently damaged hand, but he gets a job teaching medical students, and he ultimately seems really happy. Over the course of the show, the characters experience some very bleak and painful storylines, so it feels fitting for the series to eventually bring them to a place of hope and healing.

Cora and Will are at the heart of The Essex Serpent, both in the show and the book, so it makes sense for this overall happier ending to carry over to their romantic storyline as well. Cora’s arc in the book is about ultimately finding her independence after her marriage, and making her life her own for the first time, which she does in the show as well. In the TV series, though, Cora’s romance with Will gets to play even more of a role, as they are both particularly crucial to each other’s character arcs. She gets to experience real love with him, while he has his beliefs challenged and his mind opened thanks to her. Instead of the story ending with Cora waiting to hear back from Will, in the show, Cora gets to have both her independence and a great love story. As for Will, his guilt over betraying Stella certainly affects him, but he doesn’t let it keep him from pursuing a romance with Cora after her death. The result is a powerful and beautiful ending that concludes the series on a joyful note for both of its main characters.

The Essex Serpent is available to stream on Apple TV.