Beth Cole You can tell how evil or - can't really say "good", let's settle for "less evil" - a person is by the length and intensity of their glares.It's as if John Barrymore and Gloria Swanson were brought in as acting coaches.Worsened by head-scratching plot developments such as throwing out a diaphragm but leaving its box in the medicine cabinet (huh?).Oh, and these high-achieving politicians haven't mastered the basic use of a shredder, yet.So if you can buy all that, maybe you'll like the show. I didn't and was lol-ing my way through the end.

Blanche Hudson No one does political drama like the Brits (either on screen or in real life) but this felt like a drama half-written. A good cast with solid performances, but no-one's motives were clear, the twists were not especially surprising and the ending was pretty weak. Whenever there was a chance for confrontation or explanation, it was smothered in a tepid passionless bedroom scene. (And could wardrobe only afford ONE nightie for Emily, or did her character wear the same negligee for months on end?) Plot threads were left dangling, characters were introduced but not explained and scenes seem to stop mid-stream.Shame of it is, this could have been a strong role for a woman but it was an opportunity lost. They needed Malcolm Tucker to sort them all out.

trimmer31 Let me preface this by saying that David Tennant's portrayal of Aiden was masterful and, while I feel Emily Watson was poorly cast here, her effort as Freya was very well done, as well.However -- either the writing was weak, or this was a 6 hour miniseries cut down to three. So much is missing. So much is there and makes you ask yourself, why?The son... what role does he play? Having a child with challenges like this, there was so much character development, for the child as well as for his parents, that could have gone on around this story arc that... didn't. The daughter? Other than the fact of the existence of children in the home (and the nanny being a presence), there is little development here. Many of the plot lines simply... end... without any closure. What happened with the nanny? What happened with the son's challenges at school and elsewhere? What was the purpose of Aiden's father's death? I feel that this could have been so much better, had only they taken the time to tell the story in more depth, or not left so many arcs hanging. How do you go from "I'll take the children away so you can move out," in one scene, to arrival at #10 as an obviously estranged but "united front in front of the cameras" power couple in the next? As I said, the story, while brilliantly acted, was choppy; either poorly written, or half of it is still laying on the editing room floor.

arlene bradley Brilliant drama, a gripping and extraordinary film about politics, power, and political marriages. David Tennant (Aiden Hoynes) and Emily Watson (Freya Hoynes) are brilliant in this film, in roles that are not typical for either one as their characters are not nice people. In fact most of the characters in this film are not nice people. David Tennant portrays Aiden with a very sinister side but with a touch of humanity. Almost all the really emotional scenes belong to Tennant who portrays them with perfection. Emily Watson is brilliant but could have portrayed a little more emotion. Ed Stoppard as Bruce Babbish is chilling, with friends like that you don't need enemies. The performances by all the actors are outstanding. Many of the tender moments in this film are between Aiden and his father, and Aiden and his son. Be aware that their are some strong sexual references in this film and including one very violet sex act at the beginning of part 2 between Tennant and Watson. A very good look at the seedy side of politics. The ending could have been a little better and the dialog could have been better,well worth watching and owning.