To think Anna Maxwell Martin ‘made’ Gavin and Stacey?

[Jumell]

When I first saw her on screen, I literally couldn’t believe my eyes.

As a whole it was pleasant enough and watchable albeit a bit boring in parts - e.g the whole stag do thing was bit ‘meh’ - but I couldn’t just sit through it without scrolling through phone which is terrible habit I know

No. I don't get the love for her on MN or Olivia Coleman either.

Definitely because Ruth Jones’ Nessa being vulnerable and torn about the wedding was an amazing performance. AMM just read some lines in a rather monotone voice 🤷‍♀️

I like Anna Maxwell Martin but I didn’t think her performance in Gavin and Stacey was very noteworthy.

It was nice seeing her but I can’t agree she made the show. The part could have been played by anyone at all. It was hardly a star part.

I admit I fell asleep in the show, but it had been a long day and I was a bit pissed. I watched it again yesterday sober and loved it, this time I got all the subtle jokes and references to previous shows.

I should probably have watched it for the first time yesterday and not bothered on Christmas Day.

She was only on for a couple of minutes!

I've no idea who she was even playing in it. So it must have been a bit part.

She was good but it's a bit of a random take to say she made it. I think Nessa's part was by far the strongest part of the story.

You post the weirdest stuff.

Interesting - I was thinking that she’s absolutely in the same bracket as Olivia Colman

I didn’t think she was that standout but she was good. Overall the finale was amazing because of the main cast not a random turn by her.

I don't think Anna Maxwell Martin managed to save it. Unfortunately it was just too predictable - both the overarching storyline and the little jokes which were almost all just repetition of jokes from previous episodes.

It's a real shame how much the standard had dropped relative to the old episodes (which I still happily watch repeats of).

Same,

When I first saw her on screen, I literally couldn’t believe my eyes.

We saw her in The Constituent with James Corden earlier this year, so I assumed that was why she had a cameo in G&S.

But the ‘low key ness’ of her performance made her appearance all the more powerful

Ah haven’t seen that

Haven’t watched yet so will read all of this later but I LOVE her!! Yay to her being in!!!

I think she's a fantastic actress but don't think her performance in this made the show at all. James and Ruth made the show. The scene she was in made the show, but not her particularly.

I don't know who she is so, to me, it made no difference. I enjoyed the episode for the storyline and acting from the established characters.

Strange. I had to really think to remember what she played in it. I watched the finale with pretty low expectations, and was delighted by it, it left me feeling like I'd been properly hugged. Absolutely charmed by it, and thought it hit all the right notes.

Ah hold on, was she the vicar? If yes, I thought the acting was very poor and detracted from the scene in a negative way.

I like AMM. Saw her on an old Would I Lie To You and she was hilarious.

Yes she was

No. No I didn’t. I love G&S and thoroughly enjoyed the finale but AMM was hardly the standout performance.

Nothing against AMM and I loved the episode, but I think you may be the only one of the 12m + viewers who would describe her brief, run of the mill performance as "powerful".

@Jumell now your thread makes sense. Very Good actress in other series, but this role didn't suit her at all. I guess they were attempting irony of some sort maybe, with the script? Didn't quite work. It felt disjointed and not very natural.