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Did anyone else see The Watchman last night?

29 replies

SuburbanRhonda · 25/08/2016 23:45

Jesus it was so tense! I normally can't watch violence, especially when it's something you can imagine happening in real life, but the story was riveting. The actor who played Carl was brilliant - I felt like I was in his head, feeling every awful moment with him as the situation unfolded.

Anyone else?

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LocalEditorMerton · 25/08/2016 23:59

I saw it and thought it one of THE best one-off dramas I've seen for yonks. Boy was it dark though :-(.

Lilybensmum1 · 26/08/2016 00:12

It was really good, what do you think happened to him, I hated it when he took his watch and ring off and lined them up by his phone!

RCOR · 26/08/2016 00:13

Just watched it tonight. Brilliant. Great to see a good one off drama. I wanted Carl to channel his inner Al Capone. Maybe that was the cheeky grin I thought I glimpsed at the end.

Hidingtonothing · 26/08/2016 00:16

Everything went wrong last night and I missed it Sad just checked catch up and it's there so will watch it tomorrow. Looked fantastic, I'd been really looking forward to it, love Stephen Graham.

Lorelei76 · 26/08/2016 00:16

I watched ten mins and wasn't in the mood
One for catch up
His daughter whining didn't do much to help
But I do love a good drama so I'll watch on catch up

CoolCarrie · 26/08/2016 03:31

It was brilliant, he is such a great actor and plays interesting characters in everything he does.

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SuburbanRhonda · 26/08/2016 07:47

lily, I think it was clear what was going to happen. You saw what the drug dealers were like - they had no qualms. It was just so sad - he tried to do the right thing but it all just went horribly wrong.

Not seen Stephen Graham in much but he was spot on in this. He face showed everything he was going through.

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GetAHaircutCarl · 26/08/2016 07:49

It was excellent.

And could just as easily have worked as a stage play or a radio drama. Brilliant.

StereophonicallyChallenged · 26/08/2016 07:52

Honestly, I thought it was dross but did persevere to the end as I luffs SG Grin I thought the last ten mins were ok-ish but the cast worked miracles carried a fucking terrible script imho!

StereophonicallyChallenged · 26/08/2016 07:55

Agree it could make a good stage play Smile

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SuburbanRhonda · 26/08/2016 08:20

I thought the script was one of the strong points. The conversations between Carl and his wife especially. And this bits where Carl is lip-reading what the drug-dealers were saying ("Who the fuck is Carl?") were terrifying.

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GetAHaircutCarl · 26/08/2016 08:33

I really liked the claustrphobic intensity of it all. It had a lot of things to say about disconnection in modern life (from both people and our decisions).

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 26/08/2016 08:40

We all watched this together in almost complete silence: it was brilliant.

His filming of ex wife and children though - difficult to decide what to make of that. I assume it was because he wanted to keep an eye and keep them safe originally .... But when he said 'when did I change?' To the ex wife, that suggested he wasn't supposed to know about the new bloke... Which doesn't make sense as the children were plenty old enough to know and to say. Is anyone else clearer about what was going on there than I am?

Had high hopes for The Circuit last night which I didn't think was so good in the end.

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 26/08/2016 08:42

And yes, as much as like everyone else I love a good long series, it was good to watch a one-off piece of really intense drama. So many 8 seasons, each with 24 eps, I think it's great to have to engage in that really sustained way with one programme entire in itself.

GetAHaircutCarl · 26/08/2016 08:49

I think like a good stage play, it didn't try to do to much.

Essentially, one set. Few characters. A main theme that was explored in several different ways.

legotits · 26/08/2016 08:52

Love him.
Loved him as Craig.

PP may be on to something with a radio play the writing really stood out.

This is England 86 is on catch up if you haven't seen his performance of Compo.

GetAHaircutCarl · 26/08/2016 08:54

He is brilliant in This Is England.

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SuburbanRhonda · 26/08/2016 08:56

When Carl said to his wife, "When did I change?" I thought it meant what I happened to make her fall out of love with him.

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Lilybensmum1 · 26/08/2016 08:57

surburban it is how I thought it would end, makes the drama all the more tense it's horrible becaus all he was doing was genuinely trying to help and getting mocked by the police.

SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 26/08/2016 09:02

It's just, the implied answer to 'when did I change?' Was 'as a result of something I saw on the camera', I thought. Which I guess could go back years to before the split. I know that's really not the point, by the way, but it confused me a bit at the time.

I thought SG was particularly good when on the phone to his son - you obviously knew he was close to tears, but if you'd closed your eyes you wouldn't have been able to hear that, as his son. He's the best actor in This Is England by a mile, in my opinion. In a strong field, obviously!

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SuburbanRhonda · 26/08/2016 09:22

I thought it was lovely that his wife forgave him for forgetting to phone his son Sad

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SeekEveryEveryKnownHidingPlace · 26/08/2016 09:26

And heartbreaking that his son did ....

GetAHaircutCarl · 26/08/2016 09:28

It was very clever that Carl's relationship with his ex and his DC was complex instead of just poor.

A lesser writer would have gone for the later in the name of conflict and tension, but actually the complicated, nuanced situation was more tense.

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SuburbanRhonda · 26/08/2016 09:28

Agree, *seek.

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DollyBarton · 26/08/2016 09:32

I don't know. I didn't watch it to the end but it was so unrealistic that the idiot would send his friend out to get the drugs. What was he going to do? Drop them into the police station he said. Idiot.

Found it hard to watch him as he did stuff as he came across as being well intentioned but not so bright. I think they could have written the character so much better.

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