One of the most outstanding televised drama’s for a very long time.
The writer, Mike Bartlett, is a hugely accomplished playwright and he brought those skills to this story. It was a five part Jacobean Tragedy designed to tease, tear and twist at the watchers emotions- and succeeded in spades.
Yes, suspension of disbelief was required, but this is a story, not a documentary.
Suranne Jones was superb as the tortured, wronged, erratic impulsive wife, Bertie Carvel excelled as the cheating husband who had little to do – but cheat. Suranne carried the show
Any woman who has suffered an errant spouse will have empathised with Jones’s portrayal, combining logic with blind raw emotion, the defiant, consistent lies of her husband a warning to all. Oh, and a tip girls- when you are confronting your significant other do not gabble on, ask- semand an answer, produce evidence- demand a response. When Gemma did that she kept on talking allowing plenty of time for he husband to construct a “defence”.
The climactic “dinner party” scene was as uncomfortable, compelling, nail biting and edgy a situation as I have seen on television owing much too Bartett’s stage writing skills.
The denouement was a wry twist, after the emotional blood bath, life just goes on. Remember that,
Bloody brilliant television of the highest order.