Dr Foster, the final episode, can't wait..

[ellenanora5]

First thread nearly full so starting this one for tomorrow night

Of course a SW wouldn't. The whole series is riddled with inconsitincies

No it doesn't pinkfrocks. He was not a 5 year old. He can see who is looking after him and who isn't.

He very clearly smashes her face into the window after grabbing her round the throat twice. That's definitely DV, not just normal behaviour!

I agree it is not normal behaviour. But the way the writer sets it up, it implies that it is her fault, or at the least, that both of them are at fault.

She should have come on MN years ago. If she had posted about financially supporting her Husband, doing more of the childcare, and him not even knowing where ordinary household objects are kept, we would have told her he is a cocklodger and to LTB.

I don't think it was particularly misogynist. The excuses (working mother, cold, snooty) were given by characters who were trying to excuse their own colluding in the affair and explaining there ultimate lack in having the moral fibre to do the right thing, as they would expect if the tables were turned. If anything using these reasons in the last episode rather than the first trivialises them.

I enjoyed this series, I'm not ashamed to say. I wish there was more like them. I can't really understand why people who say they've hated every second have taken time to sit down to watch an hour for 5 weeks

And the accountant was hot! I wish the actor who played him would play a few nice roles, so I can fancy him without feeling guilty!

I think in some of the recent period we were shown Gemma had been acting a bit weirdly, and so wasn't there as much for Tom, whereas Simon took him to Villa Park and was at the school football.

Also there's the factor that he was an upset kid, and saying something not entirely true would have been a way of testing his mother, to see if she would fight for his affection. He would have been feeling very insecure.

I was almost certain that they were going to try and section Gemma when Simon and Ros confronted her at the surgery.

Sinister I've asked myself the same question - I ripped every episode to shreds but then at the end it would show you a clip from the next one and I would think 'Ooh that looks good' - so they got something right

It would take a lot more section someone!

Then that is stupid. Ros would know how hard it is to section someone, and wouldn't have even tried.

Am I the only person who didn't notice the car at the end at all?

When she was "Daddy's girl" she was running around in a smart yellow car with a '58 reg plate. (They took Tom to school in it)

When she left for London as "Simon's pregnant mistress" they drove off in a tatty blue car with a '04 reg plate.

Taking the bus and moving to Middlesbrough would have been more of a sign of skintness

And what have you got against the place of my birth 2rebecca?

It was despicable the way both adults used the boy to wage a war against each other - I couldn't agree more pinkfrocks, particularly when Simon committed his act of horrendous DV against her when he knew that Tom was alive. Simon was lashing out for frightening him by allowing him to believe Gemma had killed their son.

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INTERVIEW WITH BERTIE CARVEL (SIMON) ON 'THIS MORNING'

Apparently the dinner party scene was shot over 2 days. It was 12-15 pages and the continuity was very difficult to get (hence they had to do it many, many times). Bertie Carvel said that Mike Bartlett was writing about real people who were morally ambiguous. All the characters were flawed, full of light and shade - including the neighbours and colleagues who were complicit in covering-up the affair. Simon was the 'villain' but his actions were borne from flaws in his character, possibly because of the low moral standards of his father.

Bertie Carvel said that he didn't feel safe out in public this morning with people shouting abuse at him!

Well, she was self-harming, had admitted in Simon's presence to assault, was acting impulsively and violently, had already attempted suicide (though they wouldn't have known that).

Given that I have no experience of what it requires to be sectioned it didn't seem unreasonable. Also, given that it requires the say of two doctors (I thought, could be wrong), Ros would only have needed to convince one other doctor that it was necessary.

Is it just me that enjoyed it for what it was - a fictional Drama - without feeling the need to pull it to pieces ?

And as for Bertie Carvel if people actually did shout abuse at him in the street then those people need to get a grip - he's an Actor !!!

But Adventure then we'd have nothing to talk about and this thread wouldn't exist

knittingdad - It is very very hard to get sectioned. Lots of people assault other people and behave irrationally, and don't get sectioned. If there were credible reasons for thinking she might kill her son, that MIGHT get her sectioned.

I may have skewed morals, but I am struggling to not see Simon's violence as that terrible (although that is probably the wrong phrase).

If my DH led me to believe that he had killed my son, even if I then found out he hadn't, I think I would probably lash out at him. I don't think I am a violent person by any means, but that extreme mental trauma of believing he had killed my child would probably flick a switch. The thought of one of my children being dead is the worse thing I could ever imagine happening.

I know it sounds anti women and isn't very not MN and I will probably be chased off with pitchforks, but I actually think that him wanting to hurt her after she had just done that to him is... Understandable.

[runs off to hide]

There's wanting to hurt someone and smashing someone's face through a window while your son is upstairs. I think that's one of the scariest comments I've ever read regarding domestic violence, knowing people can think like that.

To be quite honest, I watched the episode again this morning on iplayer - having read all the insights from this thread. I actually enjoyed it much more than I did last night. It's a book like reading a book for the 2nd time: you know the overall plot so you spot the extra clues and character development.

Oh come on, there's no way he would have thought she'd killed Horror Boy.

In that case cleaty my only defence for thinking that they might section her will have to be all the other unlikely things that happened...

Thanks for clarifying how completely off the mark I was.

www.dailymotion.com/video/x38yky5_bertie-carvel-this-morning-8-oct-2015_creation

Bertie carvel on this morning he is soooo nice

Well, I watched every episode. Maybe 5 was 1 or 2 too many ... unless there's lots of threads being laid for many sequels to come.

Enjoyed this MN discussion board very much for different points of view.

All characters had their good and bad points - that seems to confuse or even annoy some MN posters. Personally I didn't like the DV, implying perhaps that not only are men prone to wander but also to violence.

In the end, no one enjoys or wins in a divorce. Although the marriage wasn't a close one. Perhaps the final scene showed both parties moving on with life with some hopes. Thought it odd that Simon didn't even talk with Tom in final scene.

Best wishes all

Overall I quite enjoyed it, silly as it was in places.

I would have preferred to see her have a more dignified, complete revenge. But I'm a bit like that .

I hated Simon by the end. I was so cross when they were standing outside the house and she said they needed to talk and he went off with Kate.

I was also cross at Kate. How dare she lash out at Gemma?! She didn't even have the decency to look ashamed.

I don't think Simon was allowed to talk to Tom because of the restraining order, at least that's how I read it. He didn't exactly look remorseful either.

Crumblybiscuits- it disturbs me that I thought/think that too. But I do (and surely I can't be the only one?). Is there a huge difference between hitting someone who forgot to record your TV show and hitting someone who you thought had deliberately killed your only child? There is a part of me that feels that there is. I am not sure how to personally deal with that thought as it shocks me!

Hullygully- I thought she'd killed Tom. I am pretty sure Simon did too.

Iusedtobeapenguin - good point !! And I have been reading the thread so.....bad post by me !!

I might watch last night's episode again too !

Yes it did imply Simon's violence was justified. That is why it is so awful.