The Virtues

[BitOfFun]

My heart is breaking already

I think this is going to be brilliant- I love Stephen Graham.

I found the sound fine,that would've been so annoying!

Ilovemaxibondi

That makes sense regarding the social worker, I know social workers go through relatives but just thought in regards to this matter once the mother is an adult, the mother is consulted and spoken to directly regarding her baby.

When the social worker asked Dinah why would the mother lie? Like duh you Work in social services you know that ppl do lie, do any parents confess when asked if they are neglectful etc ?

Yes I know it's fiction and I'm over infested and taking the social service issue way too seriously

I think the fact that so much of this show was based on lived events means we aren’t sure about which parts are real or not. I’ve no idea id that would really happen with a social worker but I could see it happening that way if the SW was a bit slack or had been taken in by the mother.

I've downloaded today, to binge tomorrow, really looking forward to it.

I meant over invested not infested ! Lol

I've just finished it. Really moved by it - found it devastatingly sad. The mother was definitely dead. I wish Dinah hadn't killed her. I'm glad Joe didn't kill his rapist. I felt like I wanted him to pick up the chair and smash it round his head though initially. But I think his restraint was really powerful. Not surprised the abuser had been abused at all.
I think I'll probably end up watching it again at some point - brilliantly done. Will definitely be on my mind for a while.

I've just read an article that after they finished the final episode they had some sort of feedback session and they totally changed the story about Dinah and her mother.

I would really like to know what was originally written as I found what was shown as unlikely. However hard and cruel the news about her mother had been, I just wasn't convinced this is what her reaction would be. (And I kept thinking her brother would turn up and this is why he just seemed to disappear.)

And like others I thought the idea that a social worker would just have accepted what she said about the mother of a baby that had been adopted was just improbable, ie they would be obliged to check how Dinah as the mother felt, even if she was under age.

It felt like the ending was saying the men had a hope of redemption but the women didn't.

This is a bit off topic but about sound!

Ever since flat screen tvs became the norm there has been a problem with sound as older tvs with the bit that stuck out the back gave more space for speakers with depth.

The other thing that has happened is that under the illusion that tech is always better than people, and because it is cheaper some production companies try to get away with directional mikes rather than someone with a boom correctly positioning a mike and adjusting it to someone's speaking voice.

But I am now beginning to wonder that in fact you need to be told to get the full audio effect of this production set your volume to such and such a setting. But then I suspect rival companies wont have the same output as each other. And like the ads what should be background music is always decibels above the spoken word level.

I have small external computer speakers and usually have no problems. Except the offer day recorded a film I was recommended and all of the dialogue even at full volume (7 times higher than the level I normally use) and then of course back ground music and sound effects nearly blew me off my sofa!

So strange that yet another advancement is actually worse than the older version.

Like my new mobile which has none of the useful actual phone options my old one did, because they think offering me games and apps is more important.

Just daft.

If I watch normal TV, the sound is fine. If I watch iPlayer or More4 or whatever digital service, it's way, way too loud. Or if it's normal on digital, it's way too quiet when I switch to cable, whichever perspective you prefer. It's fine in that I know, so can adjust the volume in preparation, but it would be quite good if each format had a test sound that should be X decibels whichever way it's coming, and then the volume control could tune into that, so it'd be the same level across all formats. Obviously there will be sound variation between whispering and shouting, which is why a set test sound would be needed.

And about the Virtues, I feel rather dissatisfied by the ending. It didn't feel like an ending, really.

It felt like the ending was saying the men had a hope of redemption but the women didn't.

Very good point! There was a bit of a Madonna/whore thing going on with Dinah and her mother and they were both punished in the end. Whereas the child rapist was forgiven and allowed to live on exactly as he was and Joe got peace from confronting his demon. I initially loved this piece of work but having seen this angle I’m not so sure I love Shane meadows anymore.

To me it just highlighted just how many people abuse affects people.

I thought perhaps we would find out that Dinah had been raped too.

I knew women like Dinah's mother (my own included) you were a slut for just basically being a girl and alive. I wish Dinah hadn't killed/tried to strangle her mother (was she dead?). In an ideal world she would have sued the SS over dealing with her mother rather than her as she would have been aan adult when the drawings were sent. I agree with others that was a weak plot point. Dinah's feisty punching skills were lauded earlier by the family but violence is never the answer. I thought Dinah would beat her mother up not strangle her.

Joe will still have a bloody hard life and go down dark paths sometimes, Craigy is dead and Anna and Joe might blame themselves for pushing him to give the rapist's address. MIchael will feel resposible for Dinah because he didn't answer his phone, it will all affect their children. Anna may wish Joe had never shown up and brought his "shit storm" with him. Heartbreaking.

I wish Dinah hadn't killed/tried to strangle her mother (was she dead?)

I think so, she looked very blue round the lips and rest of the face.

No. Don't want Dinah to go to prison. You are right of course.

Just wanted to add something. I have adopted a child and letter box contact is encouraged between birth family and adoptive family.

If that was the only address SW had, I can't see how it would be strange to send anything to Dinah's mother's house. Dinah would probably have been difficult to pin down I'd have thought? Happy to be told I'm wrong though.

I thought it was superb! I am in awe - Shane Meadows and Stephen Graham. (Yes, very sexy I have to agree!)

Oh and the redemption issue - what struck me was that Dinah didn't have honesty from her mother and yet Joe did have a certain amount from Damon.

It didn't seem like a man/woman thing, more about honesty.

Many years ago I rented a room for a few week in Stockport. In the bedroom next door there was always a lot of crying. The woman who owned the house told me she regularly rented out the room to Irish girls who came to the local hospital for abortions. So sad.

TigerLilyMaisie

Was it just me who wondered if Dinahs sisters H was the father of Dinahs kid? Just because he wouldn't pick up and she was so keen to speak to him after talking to the SW

It wasn’t Dinahs sisters H, he’s HER brother.

Just seen this and wanted to comment.
really great. love Stephen Graham, such a lovely smile. so young looking.
but I thought the Dinah story was unnecessary and was dissatisfied with that.
Pleased that SG hadnt killed the man. Pleased that the man was so disabled.