I've admittedly only watched portions of it, but what I saw was spectacle and a gross parody of France's history. Can you point me to any specific examples where a genuine connection between history and the present was in evidence? If I seem harsh on the France of today it is only because I have had such an appreciation of the France of Victor Hugo, Honore de Balzac, Jean Dutourd, Albert Camus, Frederic Chopin, and many others.