anyone watching criminal justice?

[ByThePowerOfGreyskull]

as above

Missed it and too tired to work out how to watch it on the computer. Would anyone midn summarising what happened in last episode? #please?

Bloody brilliant. God, did I cry at the end. And I thought that the ending was realistic - I mean, it was never going to be a happy ever after ending was it?

I reckon that the judge, as well as liking Joe, thought, "buggering? What's wrong with a bit of buggering? It's an absolutely normal thing to do to the wife, what?". There was a prostitute in the same cell as Juliet earlier on in the week who made a comment about a judge saying, "I 'ad a judge once. He wanted me to piss in his mouth while singing Jerusalem".

As well as being torn to bits by the ending (pregnant and 2 year old DD in bed, how could I not be?), I thought that the coppers' crumbling marriage was also beautifully acted.

However many inaccuracies there were, I thought the whole series was just fantastic - the acting was beautiful (especially Maxine Peake and the girl who played Ella), and the actual storyline just harrowing.

I know that Maxine Peake was in stuff before Shameless but my God, that programme has produced some seriously fine actors hasn't it!?

In RL aren't all the jails full anyway so she would have to go on a waiting list for a place in prison or do some community service instead?
What was going to happen to poor Ella?

Just to say I've been lurking on this thread all week and have really enjoyed it - thanks!

Regarding the facts of the case and 'slow burn provocation" - this was a much debated issue when I was at uni doing law (mid 90s). Certainty then this concept was not recognised in law, so if you suffered over a long period of time but on the night you chose to "kill" there was no provoking factor, you couldn't run the defence of provocation. The most famous case was Sara Thornton who stabbed her (previously) abusive husband whilst he was drunkenly sleeping (ie, no immediate threat). She was originally convicted of murder but after much campaigning regarding the existance of "slow-burn abuse" it was reduced to manslaughter on appeal and she was released for time served.

Facts not completely the same but I'm sure the writer was influenced by this.

Careful if you google "Sara Thronton" you'll find more anti-woman vitriol about "getting away with murder" than you will useful information - I fear society hasn't advanced that much since my student days after all

Aw god it was awful. Thank god DH was asleep on sofa as I was a blubbering mess (have 4 month old so a bit raw to me). Ugh awful awful awful. So not only had she spent YEARS in her husband's prison, she now loses her baby and continues to be 'in prison'.

Awful but agree that her running into the arms of her daughter having been released would have been a bit naff.

Really awful to watch just before bed, gave my LO an extra squeeze during the dreamfeed and even managed a smile when DS1 decided 5.30am was a great time to get into mummy and daddy's bed!!

I watched the first one on iPlayer last night.

I thought it was fantastic, it kept me gripped.

I currently work with a couple of women who attacked/killed following DV. It was very thought provoking.

DH and I having long discussion over this. Maybe it is a man's psychology but he thinks that she deserved to go to prison (albeit with the abuse taken into account as a mitigating factor). He argues that she could have left him at any point during the marriage and she had money, education and lots of options. He did say that he did not think this would be the same of everyone in her position for example, those that have no money to speak of.

All I can think of is that it is really sad when a woman's baby is taken away from her and it would not have been in the baby's interest to be brought up by someone else.

Am i the only one that thought it was a bit dissappointing last night?

I thought there'd be some big twist or reveal, and all that happened was that Juliet told the jury everything we've known all week (except perhaps that she was going to kill herslef but not sure i quite buy that that she'd do it in bed next to him).

Great acting but the whole story could have been done in a couple of hours. And have to agree about ridiculous investigating going on while the trial was happenning - what had the been doing over the last 6 months or so?

awful awful awful ending. cried my eyes out. thought the bit where the dr stood up in court was a bit weird though. wondered if he would (hopefully) end up looking after the baby?

yes I thought the writing let it down lilysam.

Ooooo we made 'Discussions of the Day!'

She got 5 years for manslaughter. Will do half, minus the time on remand. They wouldn't take the baby away for adoption when she could be out in 2 years. The social worker would work hard to keep the bond going, and if a mother and baby bed could be found they would go to that.

I think that the lack of a 'twist' made a refreshing change. There is always some sort of twist in the usual crime dramas we see on telly so nice to see this as more of a description of the process.

Full of inaccuracies though - as already pointed out.

I thougtht the ending was too predictable and a bit of a let down

exactly, but it wouldnt have been the same programme at all if she told the police in the beginning that he was buggering her and she was contemplating suicide

AlliGrylls, I must admit I agree with your dh. While I feel very sorry for her and her poor children I also think that she deserves to spend some time in prison. She did have options which she didn't take, and the worst thing IMO is that she stabbed him and then left her poor poor daughter to deal with the aftermath.

OK at the risk of sounding mysogynistic, I don't think that 2.5 years for killing someone is that tough. Sorry but it isn't. Manslaughter or not someone was dead.

Very very sad that her baby was taken away. Very sad and I still don't understand why she couldn't have been fostered for 1 yr after the initial 18m.

Cried my eyes out.
Then watched Eastenders and bawled at that too

I am not sure why Juliet couldn't have left him rather than killing her dh?

I'm also not sure why she refused to help her defence team - was it all about the sheer embarassment of the bmsx?

when someone has been abused for that length of time and removed from all normal situations you can't judge their actions based on the response expected from a person in a normal relationship.

He had stripped her of confidence and made her believe this was all in her best interests. He made her believe she couldn't do this by herself. which is why her out was to kill herself rather than to leave, it was only at the very last minute that a flash of reality and anger at her situation made her kill him instead of her.

She didn't feel she should be defended, how can you defend killing your husband who loved you so much and loooked after you, it came with things she hated but I think she was genuinely unable to see why she deserved anyones help.

Orm - I don't think you're being misogynistic. I fully agree with you. She got off pretty lightly in the end for killing someone.

Oh and what made you cry in Eastenders? (haven't watched it in years-just curious!)

I (formerly TheSignificantVaseline) found the ending disappointing and resolutely meh.

I had to fastforward through the scene with Juliet's baby being taken away as I was in convulsions . Ever since having dd my heart breaks at the slightest hint of baby related trauma on telly.

I agree with DH sort of. If someone kills someone, no matter what the reason, they should have to serve time.

However, I think my problem is that when a person is being abused they behave differently to how they would normally. In the case of this programme he had convinced her she was psychologically ill and she came to believe it because he had continually reinforced the belief that she was.

I do not know about abuse from firsthand experience of abuse, however, I can say from my own life-experience that people act out whatever character / role they are given. If he made her believe she was helpless that was certainly the role that she was playing. This is why I think it was unfair and why I felt sorry for her. She was not a bad person and would not have hurt her child.

However I must also remember it was a tv programme.

I left my x before I killed him or he killed me (he was routinely agressive to me). I had to deal with charges of abduction and I had to walk away from him wiht nothing but the clothes we stood up in... but it was that or a murder charge..

It had got to the point where I was lying in bed fantasising about him crashing the car, or crashing with his motorbike.

bunny - I am not a regular Eastender watcher. DH is. Stacey Slater has been diagnosed as bi-polar and has just been sectioned when she had a bit of a meltdown due to stopping her medication. It was truly tragic and terrible. I have just come off my anti-Ds (much to DH's unease) and have been struggling a little. I guess it hit home.

Wow - It sounds like you are really brave. And prepared to put up with a lot.