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

[ellenanora5]

First thread nearly full so starting this one for tomorrow night

I never thought she'd killed Horror Boy Tom, but Simon obvs did, I think it just shows that he had very little respect or regard for her. He was only staying with her for her money, towards the end, at least.

Do you think so lola? I thought Bertie Carvel was really creepy, make a great baddie

I'm with you Playing.

I don't think the violence was acceptable, but I do think it was understandable.
To think that your wife has killed your only son is bad enough- going through all the emotions- then find out she's been pretending to wind you up is almost worse.

I think we expect him to be detached, stand back and stroke his chin with a when in fact many otherwise reasonable and placid men would want to and maybe start to beat the living daylights out of anyone- man or woman- who did that.

Easy to pass judgment sitting on our sofas, but in real life Simon ( or even a Simone) would not be alone when goaded like that.

The violence was shocking, but she did lead him (and us) to believe Tom wasnt alive. Anyone under pressure would lash out, he hadnt hit her in the past. Am not condoning what he did, but she really wound him up. I thought she wanted him to hit her even. it certainly helped her case too. Even if he did deserve the other things she did, pretending Tom had died was really off. None of the characters were likeable. Ive never seen Neil Stuke in anything and liked him. He always seems too edgy.
Tom is going to look like Tim Henman when he grows up! At least the whole drama made a change from murders and thrillers.

Tom had definitely had his hair dyed.

I thought it portrayed how a seemingly intelligent woman can completly unravel in the face of infidelity. The psychlogical strain starts long before any suspicion or confirmation. For 2 years she'd been living with someone hiding all sorts from her. She probably felt confused and trapped in a maze with glass walls. What happens once an affair is discovered is the tip of the iceberg, and can make seemingly normal woman act in ways they would never even consider under normal circumstances.
Thought provoking drama I thought.

Surely she wanted him to hit her to get the restraining order. Wasn't that her plan all along - to provoke him until he completely lost it?

"Ancient fucking bitch" wasn't it? Fair play to the actress I bloody hate Kate and can't wait for Simon to cheat on her too when she is also ancient.

I think her goal was to push him over the edge to punish him and also to force him to lash out at her so she could be a victim (not saying she wasn't). Now he is solely the philandering wife beater.

It's true to life in many ways as none of the characters are totally positive- Gemma has her respectable job, does job as evidenced by her life saving various people, but she is told nobody ever really liked her. Simon is a shit but a charmer. They aren't black and white. Gemma should have been liked, she thought she had friends (Ros) but really nobody wants to get involved and could say "I never really liked her anyway" and they will side with the charming local over the outsider.
I think he smirked towards her at the end as he realised he'd met his match and she wasn't weak like he thought and fought dirty.
I wish we'd got more of her back story to see how she'd become hardened.
It some ways it seems far fetched, but I've had many a similar (though not quite as extreme) tale that would give it a run for its money!

how many people 'know' stuff but just keep quiet. must be high, the whole 'shoot the messenger' thing is real and a lot of the time people really do want to stay out of it. There was a thread on AIBU with a lady who now has dirt on her boss - the answers to what to do were so varied too. Nobody knows until they are in a situation how they would react. I was surprised, in this drama, that Kate's mum didn't know anything as she looked more suspicious than anyone! I thought she would have more inkling. oh well. it was entertaining, we are not a couple to go out much so TV is our pastime for a few hours a week. It reminded me a bit of bouquet of barbed wire, was a kid when that was on in the 70s, read the book years and years later and it was very good. back in the day before mobiles and the internet. ( broadchurch was good too I thought)

It's far more likely that wealthy attractive young Kate will get bored of Simon.

So the last few posts seem to justify violence as in 'she pushed him to hit her'
as in

Peppermint: I think her goal was to push him over the edge to punish him and also to force him to lash out at her so she could be a victim (not saying she wasn't). Now he is solely the philandering wife beater.

And

Cloudcukoo50 Surely she wanted him to hit her to get the restraining order. Wasn't that her plan all along - to provoke him until he completely lost it?

Plus others have suggested she/Gemma obviously drove him to seek solace in the arms of another woman.

So much victim blaming.

I agree it is victim blaming. But I also think the programme set that up to make it inevitable.

IME men do not suddenly snap and become violent towards a woman without prior controlling or abusive behaviour.

I have, sadly been in the position when someone my dad told me he had killed my mum "for a joke" yeah right, just happened to be around the time she had got a new boyfriend and he was not happy about it despite being divorced 10 years I just freaked and ran out of the house right down the road, into my mum. Was a horrible feeling

Tom would have needed to have his hair dyed so that the 'pretending I killed him' scene was accurate. sJ used her hair pretending it was Toms - they needed to be the same colour.

cleaty wrote:IME men do not suddenly snap and become violent towards a woman without prior controlling or abusive behaviour.

I'm assuming you mean that the men were controlling and/or abusive before they lashed out?

IMO controlling and abusive behaviour is done in very sneaky ways. What leads a man to kill a woman he has never met before?

Hmm I'm not sure I liked the ending last night. Leaving out everything else, she produces a bunch of scraggy straight dry looking hair from her pocket and offers it in Simon's direction. Leaving us and him to gasp OMG what's she done to the child. Next shot is her glossy, smooth and curled tresses and we're supposed to believe that the crap hair came from her somewhere???

Kate's open hostility towards Gemma. Granted Gemma deliberately drops the ornament and Kate is a complete bitch to the guests over it. Who broke it, Mum is upset over this. Seemed completely unreal. Real life would be some muttered grumbles in the kitchen over the beloved thing.

Ros and the social worker magically available at Simon's word to discredit her? Calls made to the school and the school appearing to act on them with zero evidence?

The final couple of scenes where we see a heavily pregnant Kate approach Gemma. Kate was definitely less glossy and glam than we had seen her before. Simon also had a less polished look but they looked happy enough with each other so not all bad for them.

I think the scene with Gemma sitting with her son and coffee while people watching was supposed to show us that families exist in many different forms. But I just felt sad looking at her and the boy together. They looked lonely sitting there.

Zucker would you have felt sad if it was the dad and son together?

Would they have been lonely? Or would you have thought, yay, dad and son bonding?

hully

I too thought son was creepy. Which in not way justifies killing him, or even sending him off to see his father in flagrant. But still. Creepy

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

No, I didn't either Clawdy. I was starting to think I was the least materialistic on here.

Interesting question Elendon. I think it would still have been sad as I just thought even though the 2 characters were sitting together they could have been sat there with anyone. With Simon in the chair, (roles reversed), watching Gemma and her younger man take off, yep for me the characters still look sad and lonely sitting there.

(Of course I realise I could be projecting me onto the characters)

I think that this programme does not have any wider message about men or women that that adultery is incredibly corrosive.

I think it was deliberately designed to discombobulate and as such was a really good drama. I am not that fussed about it being realistic and I don't think that Gemma came out of it badly.

I did wince at what her son said about her working, but I don't think that we, as viewers, were encouraged to agree with him.

I am not sure if I liked the ending or not. Gemma wanted her revenge and to ruin him but I am not sure she did get it. He's ended up with Kate and their baby. I wanted to see how she got over it enough to speak to kate and smile at hubby in town right at the end.

I thought Kate was a real butch in her contempt to Gemma. I also found it very strange that there was no remorse for their behaviour and no sorry. No-one seemed to care about Gemma whatsoever.