It's a Sin, 9 pm Channel 4, 22nd Jan CONTAINS SPOILERS **titled edited by MNHQ**

[notawittyname1954]

I keep seeing trailers for this. Anyone else looking forward to it?

[deffonamechange]

Im watching on catch up but weirdly episode 3 isn't available?? But rest of series is. Anyone else seen this?

[notawittyname1954]

@HIVpos

Thank you. have requested it

[CarolineMumsnet]

Hey there, OP, just to let you know that we've added a spoiler alert to the title. Hope that helps.

[SweatyBetty20]

Just finished my binge and had a good cry. I used to work with the guy who played Paul and so had motive for watching anyway, but it was so well done.
I was 16 in 1988 and went to a very strict Catholic school - we didn’t get any kind of sex education beyond a bit of biology, and even that stopped before human reproduction, so I remember the scaremongering and had no kind of education to back it up. I knew there was stigma attached to being infected but had absolutely no idea it was that bad.
Keeley Hawes character confused me a little - soft one minute, hard faced the next - what she did at the end was downright cruel.
Cucumber is available on 4oD - it came up as a “you might like” when I finished my binge watch.

[VillaMia]

I watched the first episode last night and just loved it. It's so evocative and poignant, done with love and humour. I'm looking forward to watching the rest - but definitely not with my 13 year old!

[unique1986]

As soon as Ritchie walked away from the HIV test results I assumed he was positive.
I guess his Mum was in denial?
Keeley Hawes was great in episode 5 even though she was harsh.
I dont think any of the group were perfect.

[notawittyname1954]

Poor Colin, what a tragedy and his unrequited love for Ritchie. He didn't even get to have a loving relationship.

[notawittyname1954]

@deffonamechange
I have just checked on all4 and I have all episodes

[notawittyname1954]

His mum was cruel at the end when he wanted Jill but she was still angry because she hadn't got to spend time with him wasn't she. Not that that makes it excusable. Do you think she felt guilty that she hadn't known and hadn't done enough and that made her harsh.

[notawittyname1954]

I actually can't stop thinking about this today. The way people with Aids were treated then.

[SweatyBetty20]

There was something towards the end when she was taking about Ritchie’s grandad and she mentioned him being a horrible man, I think. Could be something in her background with him that made it a “loveless house”? (Jill’s words).

[Lepetitpiggy]

Just at the very end. Shouted some very bad words at the screen when his mother met up with Jill

[notawittyname1954]

@Lepetitpiggy

I really hoped after he said he needed to see Jill she would get there to hold his hand and the fact that he died alone when his friends would never have let that happen was so sad.

[notawittyname1954]

Sorry I am so emotionally invested in this. Wanted to protect them all.

[notawittyname1954]

@SweatyBetty20
That was a good point.

[HomeschooIerRockthemicrophone]

Yay! Thanks OP. SPOILERS (I know but have been burnt before )
What I liked - Neil Patrick Harris's performance - the bit where he spoke of being worried that mould had been the cause - the whole thing was just delivered so well, so understated, so fragile: I sobbed so hard DS checked I was okay. He nailed the accent, nailed the character.

The Jill character - based on RTD's friend who played her mother in this - the scene at the end where she goes to sit with a stranger who has no visitors and holds his hand, giving him the vital sense of being held/touched - that again was beautifully done, the stillness, the expression saying everything. Really well executed. Had me in bits.

Keeley Hawes - the complexity of that character (the mums in general were the fill gamut from Welsh loving ally to burn all his things and never speak of it) was interestingly written: I knew from the timeline the son was not going to make it. Some of those who did by some miracle survive to 96 often had survivors' guilt. Ritchie had been in denial, not got his test result, had been with HIV for a while - but the mother's reaction was a tour de force from KH. I could understand the initial confusion/denial/anger that she had been kept in the dark. I could understand the jealousy and resentment towards Jill, even though it was unfair/ill-placed. I could understand the territorial claim/wanting her own time with him/solace from childhood memories. But what she did was unforgivable and reprehensible.
As soon as he asked about his friend, she should have given access and as a mother, I still cannot get my head round it.

I gather that at least part of that story happened to Jill in real life and yes, RTD did do him justice.

There were also small roles, with small moments, that I thought were well done: the agent (I do know the actress but have momentarily forgotten her name) who walks away, having given money to Ritchie's friends to see him. That was a scene-stealer. Just one second, where she has the beginning of a tear in her eye, then pulls herself together - incredible acting, says nothing and everything in one moment as you know she has been through it so many times with so many lost clients and clients who have 'gone home.'

RTD did not get the plaudits (emmys, bafta nods) I wanted for Years and Years (especially that scene - you know the one) nor did Ann Reid, but I am hoping he and the cast get the proper recognition for this.

[HomeschooIerRockthemicrophone]

full gamut

[Lepetitpiggy]

I think I missed the bit about Colin dying? where was it covered?

[HomeschooIerRockthemicrophone]

Credit where credit's due as well - Olly Alexander (who I thought was younger than 30 and only knew from the shy seeming, slightly awkward son on Gogglebox and from the songs King and Shine) was very, very good. I hadn't realised he had such an extensive CV.
Omari, Callum and Nathaniel also had stand-out moments. Like its predecessor, it was just excellent ensemble acting.

[unique1986]

I think the series was a bit short.
Wouldn't have minded seeing more of Jill having love interests be it male or female.
I'm sure she wasnt single for all those years.
Not sure there could be a 2nd series with how it panned out.
Unless a brand new cast each time.

[HomeschooIerRockthemicrophone]

Colin dying was episode 3. Inflammation/infection had affected his brain so he had dementia symptoms including no impulse control, in his twenties. You then had the twist that he wasn't the virgin from the valleys but had been having sex with the landlady's football-tee-shirt wearing son Thursday nights (she was in the ward at the end denying her son was gay, when he had potentially been closeted because of her homophobic attitude/his comments during sex were internalised homophobia possibly).
I didn't see that twist coming but did guess that he would contract HIV first from the group, to show that it wasn't all only down to risky behaviour (as Roscoe said, he'd 'fucked everybody') but could be pure bad luck with an unprotected ONS/fling (I do have the risk stats somewhere - it's why the government response at targeting everyone rather than targeting receptive anal, and not sorting out the needle exchanges sooner, was a one size fits all, just because Maggie didn't like the deets).
If anyone is interested in further reading Simon Garfield's The end of innocence and David France's How to survive a plague are both excellent.

[GetOffYourHighHorse]

@deffonamechange

Im watching on catch up but weirdly episode 3 isn't available?? But rest of series is. Anyone else seen this?

If you go onto search by channel 4 it's there, but yes it's missing from the main listings.

This is such a powerful series, brilliantly made and acted. Absolutely heart breaking.

[notawittyname1954]

@HomeschoolerRockthemicrophone

I totally agree. going off piste but if you want to know more about Olly and the band watch this short film made for their album Palo Santo

He is an excellent performer

[SweatyBetty20]

Not sure if I’m seeing something here that isn’t, but the guy in the bed at the end, the one that had no visitors. Was he the permanent replacement in the tailors that Colin worked in?

[HomeschooIerRockthemicrophone]

Thank you. I will watch that with a cuppa now. I only knew him as a singer so knew none of his acting background til I wikied. Fair play to him, double threat. Am going to watch Graham Norton now as well as I missed him on that.