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Kiri, Channel4, Wed 10th Jan

673 replies

southeastdweller · 07/01/2018 20:34

Anyone else looking forward to this? The writer also wrote the recent Robbie Coltrane drama, National Treasure, and Sarah Lancashire is always superb.

www.radiotimes.com/news/tv/2017-10-31/kiri-channel-4-trailer/

OP posts:
deadringer · 31/01/2018 23:28

I am confused. I thought that Kiri ran away from her birth dad because he upset her or something, why would she go home and pack a bag with the intention of going to live with him?

Bettyswitch · 31/01/2018 23:44

Well thats hours of my life i'll never get back... What a waste of fucking time!

purpleme12 · 31/01/2018 23:46

I think it's the characters I struggled with most

BashStreetKid · 01/02/2018 00:30

Isn't the point about the hitting her head on a rock story that it's the foster father trying to justify what he did, rather than suddenly introducing something new? Because ISTR that the PM showed pretty clearly that she was strangled, and he was obviously angry with her at the time. As for the suggestion that Stephen Mackintosh is a bad actor - you can't have been watching the same programme.

I must say, I don't feel the need to have everything neatly tied up into a tidy ending with baddy arrested and everyone else vindicated. This is an interesting one: we're left with the fact that there was a campaign starting on behalf of Nate, and with him having a decent chance of getting off because Alice gets caught out lying, or Miriam gives evidence that she knew what car Nate drove, or Si decides that he's not going to keep quiet after all. Then there's the fact that Alice will now go off with the lover leaving Jim embittered and alone. And the question of what Miriam does next with her life. Plenty to keep you thinking, which is what the writers intended.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 01/02/2018 00:35

Isn't the point about the hitting her head on a rock story that it's the foster father trying to justify what he did, rather than suddenly introducing something new?

The detective mentioned the rock she hit her head on before we heard it from the foster Dad. She told grandad that “we even identified the rock she hit her head on” when she was in his garage. Why wasn’t a head injury mentioned until tonight? Its just another reason why the ending seems cobbled together. It’s like they’ve finally decided foster dad is killer, so quick, think of a reason why? Oh she tripped and fell, good. But forget to go back and add in that vital piece of information to the start of the story.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 01/02/2018 00:37

And I’ve never seen Stephen Mackintosh in anything else but in this, tonight, he was embarrassingly bad.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 01/02/2018 00:38

Not helped of course by the terrible writing.

FellOutOfBed2wice · 01/02/2018 01:00

Been lurking but I liked the ending. Made me think about the nature of family and what we think of as a society of being a functional set up.

By the end, despite everything, the family who were deemed not good enough to take care of Kiri were coming together, there was a repairing of the relationship between Nate and his Dad on the horizon and them embracing the culture that they’d maybe been forced to reject previously (the “I’m black and I’m proud” chant outside the prison). Meanwhile the family that were deemed to be better than them with their perfect house and nice set up we’re actually fractured and dysfunctional in lots of ways.

Plus the whole storyline had hinged on prejudice about race (and perhaps social status) and actually Jim proved he had been prejudiced all along: the way he talked about Kiri when he confessed to Simon was that essentially they were doing this black “drug baby” a favour taking her in. So perhaps Miriam was correct in encouraging a relationship for Kiri and her birth family because maybe actually Jim didn’t have her best interests at heart. Maybe neither of the adoptive parents did: was she just filling a hole that they hadn’t been able to fill with a biological sibling for Simon? Actually was Simon and Kiris relationship the most loving and functional amongst them?

I didn’t love it as much as National Treasure but that was a truly exceptional piece of work in my opinion and this was still very, very good. And it got me thinking which I always appreciate. Definitely enjoyed and think it was worth my time.

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 01/02/2018 01:10

BTW I think foster Mum absolutely knew the foster dad did it. The look she gave him when he walked in and saw the news and said something liked “they got him then” and she glared at him. I was expecting her to say something like “did they, though?”

FellOutOfBed2wice · 01/02/2018 01:13

Meant to add that the use of that piece of music at the end was brilliant. Chilled me to the bone.

MollyHopps · 01/02/2018 01:24

What. The actual. Fuck.

This always happens. I invest my time in something and the ending is fucking bollocks,.

MollyHopps · 01/02/2018 01:24

What. The actual. Fuck.

This always happens. I invest my time in something and the ending is fucking bollocks,.

Lottapianos · 01/02/2018 06:36

Totally agree with your review FellOut. I preferred National Treasure too but really enjoyed this. Marvellous acting from everyone

redspottydress · 01/02/2018 07:43

Did any body else think something awful happens with the boy and his Mum? Music, then camera onto Dad in the kitchen with lots of bouquets of flowers and cards on the sideboard?

HouseOfMouse · 01/02/2018 08:24

I agree with Fellout and Lotta, above. The end pointed towards a flawed case which would fall apart once the birth family's hot shot lawyer started looking at the detail. And the foster family were happy for Nate to take the blame. The potential fallout, in particular with the race implications, would be huge.

I did feel a little bit sorry for Simon, as weird as he was - his mum just didn't love him, but he was still clinging on to some hope that she would. The parents were very toxic (the suggestion that they'd had sex when she was too drunk to remember it was very murky).

Lottapianos · 01/02/2018 08:33

I hadn't thought of that, redspotty. It was an open ending though. We were left wondering whether Simon had gone back to the car and told his mum, or kept it to himself. Either way, mum was planning to divorce dad and dad had to live with what he had done, so there was a miserable time in store for both of them

CoolCarrie · 01/02/2018 09:07

The flowers are cards were there in earlier episodes, they were obviously sent in sympathy at Kiri’s death.

redspottydress · 01/02/2018 09:18

I thought that about the flowerd, but then I wondered about the length of time that had passed. The timescale was not clear. Why go back to him at all? To show he was alone? Functioning? He didn't look worried.

Clawdy · 01/02/2018 09:25

I thought the final shot was to show he had lost everything, even if he got away with the crime. His face showed that, I thought. Not sure what that strange bed scene with the condoms was about? Really odd dialogue.

Gemini69 · 01/02/2018 11:00

terrifying that a Woman like that... could be considered Adoptive Parent material.... Hmm

eddiemairswife · 01/02/2018 11:10

I thought the ending was terrible.
One thing that struck me earlier was the strange idea that a sibling 5 years younger would be a companion for Simon.

Gemini69 · 01/02/2018 11:15

I found the scattering of Kiri's photo's at the journalists whilst ranting .. don't forget her... very disturbing... Hmm

DonnyAndVladSittingInATree · 01/02/2018 11:21

Yes that was very weird. I’m not sure why she had an envelope full of little photos of Kiri. Was the photo scattering a planned thing?

Gemini69 · 01/02/2018 11:47

the adoptive Mother was behaving like a self appointed Angel scattering Kiri's photo's like petals in the wind... sadly she just came across and deluded pretentious and an media obsessed arse....

young Simon grew on me.. and Kiri liked him... I don't think her judgement was flawed... she enjoyed his companionship..

Clawdy · 01/02/2018 11:55

Interesting the way we found Simon was really the nicest of the family, though troubled and sad. Hate to think of him at that boarding school. What a good actor the boy was.

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