This BBC series finished on Tuesday the 10th of April, with an ending that was supremely brutal on the emotions, but also incredibly satisfying and also leaving me envious on the amazing way that writer Danny Brocklehurst manages to characterise the struggles of the Farrell family over this 3 episode mini-series.
The biggest praise I can give to this show is the way it portrays its various characters in shades of grey rather than the sadly constant black-and-white mundaneness that sadly common in BBC material which paints one side clearly as hero and the other as villain. In this, both Greg and Marie, portrayed respectively by an Irish accented Christopher Eccleston - which does take a moment to get use to but it's not a massive distraction - and Paula Malcomson, are portrayed as both being at fault for the downfall in this marriage, and whom their previous major faults are both portrayed as their faults, and not as justification.
In the case of Marie, it's revealed that she had an affair with a hairdresser called Billy, which resulted in the birth of their second child Lauren, whom Gregg always treats as a daughter and loves the same way and this destroys him. In the case of Gregg, he lied about having a vasectomy, which resulted in Molly, the third child and the catalyst to Marie's leaving.
Now, one of my biggest complaints about last year's BBC drama Trust Me (which by the way I stand by everything I said about that) is that it undermined its thriller element by making the consequences for everything that happened go in Cath's favour and it made the series impossible to like or even believe. In this, Brocklehurst displays these in a very grey manner - very respectful to the auidence's intelligence and values, and very commendable in terms of ability.
The kids are equally as skilled in conveying the story. In particular Anthony Boyle as Liam, the eldest child, and Lori Petticrew as the aforementioned Lauren, are good at conveying both the fragmented state of the family unit and the conflicts that come with the new status of their parents relationships. Liam is the one who goes through a big transformation, as he leaves both of his parents seemingly behind and starts to live alone. Lauren is the diligent, reasonable daughter trying to hold a relationship with both parents. Elsewhere in the cast is Kerri Quinn as Gregg's new girlfriend, reeling from a breakup with her violent ex-partner and who tries to make a mark in the Farrell household but causes unintended friction, who likewise isn't painted as a monster, but as a person and who is equally well acted. There's also Susan Ateh as Marie's new friend Lucy, who is unable to conceive and whom is betrayed by Marie's lies about her childlessness. Ateh isn't in a large amount of the story, but her breaking down of Marie's subsequent hedonistic behaviour really stood out as being high quality TV acting from someone who really makes this role standout.
In the brutal final moments of the series, Marie looks to Gregg after a nasty custody battle and offers some compromise. She tells him that in spite of the result, "We both lost". As viewers, I say we won, with an intelligently written, well structured and well produced show, with some amazing editing and music choices to boot, being our prize.
The biggest praise I can give to this show is the way it portrays its various characters in shades of grey rather than the sadly constant black-and-white mundaneness that sadly common in BBC material which paints one side clearly as hero and the other as villain. In this, both Greg and Marie, portrayed respectively by an Irish accented Christopher Eccleston - which does take a moment to get use to but it's not a massive distraction - and Paula Malcomson, are portrayed as both being at fault for the downfall in this marriage, and whom their previous major faults are both portrayed as their faults, and not as justification.
In the case of Marie, it's revealed that she had an affair with a hairdresser called Billy, which resulted in the birth of their second child Lauren, whom Gregg always treats as a daughter and loves the same way and this destroys him. In the case of Gregg, he lied about having a vasectomy, which resulted in Molly, the third child and the catalyst to Marie's leaving.
Now, one of my biggest complaints about last year's BBC drama Trust Me (which by the way I stand by everything I said about that) is that it undermined its thriller element by making the consequences for everything that happened go in Cath's favour and it made the series impossible to like or even believe. In this, Brocklehurst displays these in a very grey manner - very respectful to the auidence's intelligence and values, and very commendable in terms of ability.
The kids are equally as skilled in conveying the story. In particular Anthony Boyle as Liam, the eldest child, and Lori Petticrew as the aforementioned Lauren, are good at conveying both the fragmented state of the family unit and the conflicts that come with the new status of their parents relationships. Liam is the one who goes through a big transformation, as he leaves both of his parents seemingly behind and starts to live alone. Lauren is the diligent, reasonable daughter trying to hold a relationship with both parents. Elsewhere in the cast is Kerri Quinn as Gregg's new girlfriend, reeling from a breakup with her violent ex-partner and who tries to make a mark in the Farrell household but causes unintended friction, who likewise isn't painted as a monster, but as a person and who is equally well acted. There's also Susan Ateh as Marie's new friend Lucy, who is unable to conceive and whom is betrayed by Marie's lies about her childlessness. Ateh isn't in a large amount of the story, but her breaking down of Marie's subsequent hedonistic behaviour really stood out as being high quality TV acting from someone who really makes this role standout.
In the brutal final moments of the series, Marie looks to Gregg after a nasty custody battle and offers some compromise. She tells him that in spite of the result, "We both lost". As viewers, I say we won, with an intelligently written, well structured and well produced show, with some amazing editing and music choices to boot, being our prize.