This week I have watched the final and penultimate episodes
of two incredibly moving drams, Doctor Foster on BBC1 and ‘This is England 90’
on Channel 4. Although they deal with different themes and stories I feel they
are united in their believable acting and naturalistic approach to the stories
they cover.
Firstly looking at Doctor Foster; the story of a woman, Dr
Jemma foster who discovers that her husband, Simon has been having a long term
affair with a younger woman , the daughter of friends. Throughout the series we
see Jemma discover more about the affair without ever letting on to her husband
she knows. However in the final episode
she reveals the truth not only to her husband but also the younger woman’s
family at the same time. After the initial shock reactions the arc of the episode
deals with the repercussions with the climax of the episode being when Jemma
insinuates to her husband she has killed their son. It is at this point that Simon
realises all that he has lost and in anger pushes Jemma against the glass door.
Also at the same time their son enters the room, Jemma has revealed to him why
mum and dad have been acting so strange and Tom, their son turns on his father
for causing so much upset. It is a powerful scene one of many in the episode.
Another point I felt particularly stirred emotions of anger in
me was when Simon, realising he has lost his wife, due to his own deceit tries
to make out that Jemma is an unfit/mentally unstable parent. I was angered by
this as it was Jemma who had suffered because of him and because now he can’t
get his own way Simon turned on her.
The whole series deals with the concept of affairs and deceit
and how people deal with this. As this is a very current problem in our society
today I felt it was a very topical drama. One of the interesting points of view
explored in the episode was one of the other characters says how she accepts
her husband having affairs because she knows that’s what he needs and in return
he gives her financial security. This is interesting as throughout the
programme it is always the women who suffer because of men’s betrayal and even
if they accept it there is always a price and people are never happy.
This was evident in the closing scene, Jemma has to accept
that the love she had has died and she has lost that, so even though she is
liberated from carrying around the knowledge of the affair she will never be truly
happy again and has to learn to live with her new self.
I thought the acting throughout the series was very
believably on all parts but particularly by Suranne Jones who played Jemma. She
really communicated the pain and suffering of discovering the affair and anger
at Simon’s constant denial. However it also felt natural when her anger became
more deceitful and calculative; to make sure she got the best deal from the
divorce and made herself aware of all the facts before revealing anything.
In comparison to a
drama like this is England the staging is more polished and aimed to create
drama and pace, it isn’t quite as nitty gritty, and also some of the scenes
where she discussed patient’s problems in the car park was unrealistic. However
the raw intensity of the emotions and exploration of a theme so prevalent in
society today made it powerful, stirring viewing.
This is England 90’ was even more hard hitting, the
historical gritty drama written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne explores the
lives of a group of young people in the Midlands; the current series follows on
from the last two this is England 88 and 86 as well as the film of the same
name. The third episode in particular revisits events from 86 and how the
revelations of which influences the characters decisions.
The episode opens with a flash back of those events in
question when Lol killed her rapist father and friend Combo took the blame to
prevent Lol going to prison. The next 25 minutes, a quarter of the episode is
set at a dinner party at Lol and Woody’s house where, due to combo’s early release
from prison Lol decides to tell her younger sister Kelly the truth of how her
father died. The scene is intensely naturalistic with emotions of anger,
sadness pain and loss openly projected across the screen. Meadows doesn’t cut
to anything else for the whole length of time, meaning the painful dragging up
of secrets and ghosts is projected across the screen. This is followed by a
seemingly reoccurring technique used in This Is England 90’ where classical
music is played over silent acting. I feel this heightens the emotions
projected from each character; whether it is a scene of joy and happiness as in
episode 1 to those of worry, frustration or despair in the following episodes
this method of filming allows the actors physical expressions to speak louder
than any words could to express them.
As well as the tensions between Lol and Kelly rising as Kelly
refuses to believe the truth about her father, discourse is also found between
Milky, an Asian man on the release that Combo is being released from prison.
Previously Combo was very violent and racist and as Milky has a mixed race
daughter with Lol he fears for her safety even through Lol says Combo has
reformed his beliefs.
The final scene of the episode sets up the action for the
final episode: Kelly’s downward spiral continues as she turns to Heroin, Combo
struggles to re adjust to his new life on the outside and Milky is preparing to
attack combo. All of which will make for an explosive fallout in episode 4.
I find it interesting how the episodes are named Spring, Summer,
Autumn and Winter, a system used in each series. As I have not seen the
previous series I can’t say if there is a correlation here but in ‘90’ I find
it interesting that in Spring the gang were hopeful and relatively happy as a
group, Summer everything becomes heightened in a whirlwind of raves, love and
other drugs but now as we come to Autumn, a time where the cold dark nights
draw in so does the story turn down a darker path only to cause explosions and
revelations in the final part. Much like winter itself a time to celebrate for
some but also often a time of hardship and at the same time forgiveness,
another theme of the programme. Placing the events over a year and the symbolism
of those times gives an interesting context to the drama.
While the acting comes across sometimes eerily authentic I
also find it interesting how the way the programme is filmed enhances this: in ‘the
dinner scene’, the camera has a handheld, home- made organic look. It slightly jumps
when focusing on each character. The programme almost comes across as a documentary
rather than a drama due to the authenticity of acting, language, emotion,
filming and of course costume. The latter of which are kept in the period
without being stereotypical of the time. The ‘warts and all’ approach is what
makes ‘This is England’ so compelling.
The bravery to explore dramatic and often taboo subjects such
as rape, suicide, racism and addiction add to this; it can be uncomfortable often
difficult viewing but at the same time a work of art in the way it displays
human emotion and life. It is Relatable and believable, occasionally funny and
full of heart.
