What did you think of The Honourable Woman?

[LauraPashley]

I can't decide! MG for me veered between really good and really annoying. Loved her clothes tho. Is she in a relationship with the nanny?

Yes, the beginning was extremely hard to watch; there'd better be a stonkingly good justification for it - "oh look she's indulging in self destructive behaviour" really is not acceptable.

I have only just understood that Hugh is carrying around a weight of misdirected guilt. Certainly he was unfaithful to his wife but it did not get him his job . He got the job because Julia had already agreed to install someone fairly close to retirement (and unlikely to rock the boat) to keep the seat warm for devil-incarnate-Monica. His wife was right - his reputation for not caring too much ended their marriage - because if he'd been a trouble maker Julia would have chosen someone else. She slept with him to disguise the reason for his promotion and thereafter keep him dependent on her.... Which is brilliant because the non-secret about Hugh sleeping his way to the nearly-top was one of the first things we were presented with, in the first episode and it was a lie. Julia put that rumour about to cover her tracks and discredit him!

I cannot help but have a sense of foreboding with regard to Ephra's family - partly because of something written above. The fat slob murderer for hire has been mobilised again, immediately after Nessa threw her full weight at those she perceived to be guilty.

Everyone loves Rachel... I think she's dangerous. If it's true that she has kept no secrets (unlike everyone else who knows most of what's going on) then she's a completely loose cannon, likely to act recklessly. And she clearly hates Nessa. Once in possession of the truth regarding Kasim's parentage she showed absolutely zero compassion. She didn't care about Nessa living with the kidnap of her own child, she didn't care about Ephra, the child's uncle, it was all about her and what she could demand under her own roof. Chilling.

So now there are two little boys with their lives hanging in the balance....

Agree, Rachel is not nice and very self interested.

I'm such a slow typer that my post crossed with yours Squidgy. And we saw such varied things.

Agree that in terms of juxtaposition they certainly made the point with the City rapist, another family man - but it doesn't make me feel any warmer towards a man who leaves a gun unattended in a house with children. That was always going to happen.

And yes, the Sharia court were not going to hold Nessa after the birth. Didn't they say "let them come and get her" or something similar. I imagine they preferred to have her "rescued" to avoid awkward questions about why they were releasing a hostage. If Ephra hadn't jumped the gun they would probably just have had the three dumped on the right side of the border.

I wish they could iterate more of how Rachel feels about the sustainability of their domestic lives (and indeed the sustainability of their lives...) After all that's happened she can't honestly think that simply shouting at Ephra is going to magic things back to pre-knowledge normality.

I think Ephra is completely broken, hes so far in above his head its like watching him drown slowly, Im not sure if Ive been seeing him wrong before as I saw him as a arrogant man whereas I believe that now all that hes done has been for love for his Sister, hes tried to protect and live up to his father and he just cant/couldnt.

I cant make up my mind over Rachel, is she just trying to hold it all together or callous and hard, how can she seem so calm around Atika?

Is Monica a double agent working for both the UK and Americans?

Burnt face man is one desperate scared man, but I havent got to the bottom of that yet.

Finally, Hugh, amazing.

this programme is so ridiculously good, and there are so many threads, it's like reading a book

Zero interesting point about Hugh H-H and Dame Julia. Julia does not seem so career driven that she is all about a US chancellorship or whatever she was promised.

i find Monica chilling and dangerous. It is however yawnsome (and unoriginal.) about it being about the Americans spying on the Palestinians. Please let it be more to it than that.

I think Rachel is all about protecting her little bubble; the roof over her head, her girls and her husband - keeping her immediate family intact.

Atika is careful not to approach Ephra too much as she know that Rachel watches everything.

OneStep you are spot on about Ephra. He's not a player, just a pawn.

I would say, that yes, Monica is a double agent, at the very least.

I've not been able to watch it yet.
And reading this thread today is like torture!

I agree, Squidgy, that it is "ridiculously good". I cannot wait for Thursdays to come around but don't want it to finish either! I have so warmed to Hugh's character over the series - I am desperate for his "wanting to hold his head high" speech to be absolutely true and not some ruse to get the other guy to talk. Stephen Rea portrays him marvellously!

Good Lord, I realise I have a crush on a fictional character! Is that acceptable I wonder?!

Join the queue my friend....

When Nessa gave her big speech to Daniel, he called her "miss" and she said "I am a Baroness, this is not about my marital status". I think she is secretly married, probably to Burned Face. I think he called Nessa for help at the end of the episode.

I don't think Angelica is meeting another man, more likely in cahoots with Monica.

Zero, if I knew how to use the smileys, I'd put in a big grin!

I've just been looking at The Guardian blog - I haven't seen it before and it is very good - I might go back and catch up on that if I can.

I think there are some links in the blog to some views on the showing of the series at this time. I did have vague thoughts it might be pulled given current events - I'm glad it hasn't - I am hoping it is educating me (in the sense of making me really think) as well as "entertaining" me.

I know the whole situation, historically and currently, is very, very complex, but the series has actually given me an impetus to read up a bit more about it.

also the ATIKA codeword was very deliberate to Hugh - telling him where to look

The emoticons and explanations are at the bottom of the screen beneath where I'm typing now. That's on laptop or mobile. (The app is different I know.)

I absolutely don't conflate the TV show with anything in real life....

Thanks Zero.

Even DH is in love with Stephen Rea, he keeps going on about how wonderful he is each week

Ah, yes Nessa and Burned face man married, I think you could be right, hmm the plot deepens.

I really don't think Nessa and burned face man are married when did rape become part of courtship?

I think she was pulling rank with Daniel, pointing out she was a Baroness and should be addressed as such.

Running out of things to analyse though (will have to go back to guardian blog)

Why would Angelica be meeting Monica? Perhaps to give her info to help Monica get Hugh's job.

I actually think Angelica feels sorry for Hugh and has moved on. Either she is going to hammer this point home by having dinner with a new bloke. (Poor Hugh's face lighting up when she mentioned the restaurant) or she will give him something to help his job. (I do think it would be a stretch of dramatic license that she has something to do with Israel / Palestine)

She.Has.Agreed

No-one has mentioned this overheard in the wiretap. I think it is Samir Michal telling someone that Nessa has agreed to give him the phase 3 roll-out contract

It would be so wonderful if Angelica had somehow got hold of a recording of Julia and Monica's car conversation...

Must say I at first completely dimissed the "Nessa married to her rapist" theory - but, but, but (and knowing nothing about this in RL) the kidnap authorities seemed to like a tidy life; why wouldn't they want the child to have an "official" father, dialysis man in particular? And words aren't wasted in this kind of writing - her "marital status" must have some bearing on the plot.

Running out of things to analyse though How on earth will we get through another week?

Unfortunately it is actually quite common for women to have to marry their rapists, to avoid the "shame".

The wiretap is obviously important but the original message is crossed out so it is not "she has agreed" but "she. has. agreed." Probably answers to 3 different questions.

I also think Rachel knows/has guessed about Ephra/Atika. She talked about secrets "under her roof", and I don't think she just meant Kassim. Why did Atika hope to gain by telling her and Ephra?

Also, I think this week's rapist has some connection to Atika. Things he said were very pointed towards the previous rape, things only Atika and Burnface would know. He is not just some random, is he. Nessa's codeword makes even more sense then.

I've had a horrible, horrible thought which I'm sure is completely wrong. But what if Crace was a plant (because I also wondered if he was entirely random) but planted by Hugh's people so they could rescue her in a vulnerable state and get her to confide? The underling knew when she left home alone (last week) and obviously followed her...

Three code words? Oooh....

And Carol is about to be on Feedback!!!

Sorry to be so dim...but what was the rape scene about last night?
I felt as though I'd missed 5 minutes of it - especially after some credits rolled in after it- but it wasn't the end of last week's episode- was it?

And being dimmer- why did she stagger out with a cut- had they been fighting or had she hurt her head on the floor- or what?
I know this is not the main plot but it's bugging me.

Ignore my last post. Wrong thread...