UNFORGIVABLE - Thur 24/7 bbc 2 - 9pm - TV PACE NO SPOILERS

[Blondeshavemorefun]

Very weird This in on bbc 2 not one. Maybe due to sport ?

Sure many will miss it

The series, titled Unforgivable (https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/jimmy-mcgovern-bbc-drama-anna-friel-anna-maxwell-martin-newsupdate/), is said to explore the impact of grooming and sexual abuse on one family, and the images give us glimpses of stars including Anna Friel (Marcella), Anna Maxwell Martin (Line of Duty (https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/line-of-duty-cast/)), Bobby Schofield (SAS Rogue Heroes (https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/sas-rogue-heroes-season-3-release-date/)) and David Threlfall (Nightsleeper (https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/nightsleeper-season-2-release-date/)) in character.

The drama is set and filmed in Liverpool, and centres around the Mitchell family, who are dealing with the devastating aftermath of an act of abuse perpetrated by a member of their own family.

The synopsis for Unforgivable says: "Having served his prison sentence, Joe (Schofield) arrives at St Maura's, an institution which offers him a home and rehabilitation after his release.

With the support of Katherine (Martin), an ex-nun, Joe undertakes therapy sessions in the hope of understanding what led him to commit the abuse and to face up to the consequences.

Simultaneously, his sister, Anna (Friel), is dealing with the enormous impact that Joe's crime has had on her family - her sons, Tom (Austin Haynes) and Peter (Fin McParland), and her father, Brian (Threlfall).

The drama examines the extensive ripple effect of abuse from multiple perspectives and how those involved can try to move forwards in the midst of the devastation."

The series also stars Mark Womack (The Responder), Paddy Rowan (This Town) and Phina Oruche (Magpie Murders (https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/moonflower-murders-cast/)) in supporting roles.

Beyond Time, McGovern has also been known for creating shows including The Street, Moving On, Accused, Banished and Broken.

Sorry you are in the same position @Suns1nE💐

i think I was surprised that I felt for Jo. After what he did

I think as he was full of remorse / called himself a bit of shit many times

tho if he knew how awful he felt at that time how could be do that to someone - let alone his nephew

I couldn’t imagine forgiving my bother if he did abuse mini blondes

but as a parent could I forgive mini blondes for abuse /something so terrible if the same thing had happened to her

it’s def food for thought

very well written and think helped it had well known actors in it

I also felt that his dad forgive /wanted to build bridges as he felt guilty

his son was abused by his friend and he didn’t see it or save him

One of the best things from the BBC in a while.

Although I did wonder what the point was of the father’s affair, it didn’t really add anything to the plot.

I think the affair was that the dad thought the son broke her heart but he actually did as well and she kept that secret

I felt that his proclamations of being “a bit of a shit”
weren’t heart felt (though I would say accurate to real life perpetrators) His remorse was for himself and how his actions had affected him. When you compare that to how Tom felt remorseful for both speaking up and not speaking up and talked about the impact his actions had on others. That’s remorse IMO… parroting “I’m a bit of a shit” is just lip service.

Just watched this and bit confused by the glowing reviews!
The acting was brilliant, but the ending didn’t add up and all seemed a bit rushed. There is no way the mum would have had Tom in the courtroom with Joe, after all he had been experiencing!
I felt uncomfortable that it was trying to elicit sympathy for Joe and I am not really sure what this is trying to achieve. We know abuse can be cyclical. But I don’t believe this absolves the perpetrators of CSA.

I thought the same, why would you take Tom to a court case of his abuser? That didn’t add up at all

I think as Jo started to talk again he was making progress and he felt bad that his uncle wasn’t allowed to see them

Sorry I don’t understand this

The nun was not happy that Joe disclosed her cancer diagnosis during a therapy session - showed lack of boundaries and discretion. I totally understood the frustration of Tom's mum regarding the lack of mental care her son was getting.

He asked his mum did she want a cup of tea

after she said the dad pays nothing Everything they have including for on table comes down to her and her working in the supermarket and she was sorry she was a crap mum but trying her best

Nobody is saying having sympathy or compassion for Joe absolves him of the abuse he inflicted on Tom. You can feel revulsion and compassion for someone - conflicting emotions - whether that be a fictional person or someone in real life.

I agree, sadly it's highly unlikely he would've got this long. I actually thought some more details were going to come out about his crime.

I thought the whole programme was bleak and vile tbh, I didn't feel any sympathy for Joe and I think the trope about abused children become abused adults is overstated. The way he spoke about the act and his constant pushing of boundaries (blurting the nun's cancer diagnosis, visiting his mum's grave etc) and the fact he seemed more concerned about how it affected his mum (and his mum's perception of him) than his nephew was completely narcissistic.

Mostly I just thought, why do we need a programme about the "complexity" of child abuse? But it's black and white for me I suppose and I feel angry that we feel the need to "understand" men who commit these awful crimes when it's essentially down to their own sick desire for sexual gratification.

Mostly I just thought, why do we need a programme about the "complexity" of child abuse? But it's black and white for me I suppose and I feel angry that we feel the need to "understand" men who commit these awful crimes when it's essentially down to their own sick desire for sexual gratification.

Totally agree - you’ve said it so much better than I have.

i guess that is why it was on bbc2 rather than 1

I’m don’t think there’s a need for any TV show. But if there is, who should say what should and shouldn’t be on TV?

I think as it made some of us think and feel for joe it was excellent written

I never expected to feel for him after abusing his nephew or the fact he got the courage to say someone abused him. But that they got a not guilty

I really wanted to like this, but I found it really quite unfinished for a Jimmy McGovern piece.
I'm a classic bleeding heart liberal and will watch Parole and really feel for the offenders and their situations. I'm very pro prison reform and feel that prison should be more focused on rehabilitation than retribution and that we are currently far from having a humane criminal justice system here.

However, I found this frustrating. Joe shoyld have been returned to prison when he broke the terms of his parole by visiting the cemetery. Whether or not I agree with the cemetery being within the exclusion zone, the fact is it was, and the victim's family should have been able to rely on the system supporting it's own stipulations.

Anna and Joe's dad was awful to have asked Anna to accompany him to the probation office and I don't think it's realistic that she would have gone, especially given the situation with her son's suicide attempt. I think it would have worked better if the dad had realised this and taken his friend (the original abuser) instead.

The boys wouldn't have been in the court, there is absolutely no way that the family works have gone from hating Joe to being there and putting their traumatised son in the position of being confused by the narrative that his abuser should also be seen as a victim. Yes, he was a victim, but this is of no concern to his own victim and could be potentially damaging. According to the time lines, he would have been able to access CAMHS /The "Bureau" before the court case, and his CAMHS worker works surely have communicated potential harm from him going to court, as would his victim supporter officer.

It just seemed facile, rushed, and unrealistic.

You have to wonder if it was originally going to show over two nights but the edit cut it to one film length.

Thanks for your thoughts on this @JohnnyLuLus I was quite surprised to see 9 months later to a trial. Surely something must have happened between then to persuade Joe's sister to bring herself and her sons there.

I thought it was going to be a series

could have def had more explanations and maybe 3 x 1 hr shows

We watched tonight, very thought provoking.

I felt for Sammy who had shut it away and got on with his life, only to bravely stand up and get no justice.

I thought the nun as therapist was interesting as she wasn't bound by normal therapy practices and brought her own life in, which allowed Joe to open up.

Despite trying to balance the abuser has been abused narrative as not necessarily true, it did seem to use that too much as a justification, causation is not correlation etc. As Sammy said, he didn't go on to abuse.

Dp thought the ending would be Brian killing Paul, not hugging Joe.

Very well acted, as ever McGovern makes good tv, but I agree that a 3 parter might have worked better. We kept having to pause it to discuss.

On the ending: I read it that the dad realised that the anguish suffered by his wife that may have contributed to her death wasn’t all to do with what Joe did, that he shouldered some of the blame for that, putting him in a kind of equal situation of guilt.

Anna Friel was superb in this, great to see her back.

Anna Friel was sublime wasn’t she and the one who played Joe.
I loved how she sorted out the Head when he wanted to move Tom on.
I didn’t feel sorry for Joe , but you could see why he was like he was. It was a tough watch.

i was disagreeing with Anna Friel to move Tom to a different school, she was insistent he would get better, and by some miracle he did.