{feelings} the hour, episode 1
As I've said elsewhere, we went to the BAFTA preview of The Hour where they showed the first episode followed with a quick Q&A with the creative team, Romola Garai & Dominic West. The panel was fab, so many talented people talking about this piece of work. But now, for the work itself:
. So...it's the best piece of television I've seen in a long time. Possibly ever but I'm trying to make this as hyperbole-free as possible. Also I'm writing from the notes I wrote after I saw it, which were technically written after a half bottle of white wine on an empty stomach. But really, it was singularly one of the best pieces of television I've seen in a while.
First we started with a brief chat from someone from BBC2 who talked about their desire to bring pride back to the Beeb's drama programming. He said that Jane Campion (!!!) is writing and directing something for BBC2 and Page Eight sounds amazing too. Before they started the screening they played the BBC 2 drama trailer during which I clutched Sophie's hand - that happened a lot - because God, the BBC is good to me (THE NIGHT WATCH YOU GUYS, THE NIGHT WATCH I CANNOT I AM SO EXCITED IT'S RIDICULOUS)
Anyhow to The Hour itself. This is the first series length drama Abi Morgan has written and oh lord it is immense. Set in 1956 (thank you Sophie!) it follows Freddie Lyons (Ben Whishaw) and Bel (Romola Garai) as they launch a new news show at the BBC. It's all about the birth of modern television news and the break with the BBC to move and modernise with the times. Plus the Suez Crisis. Plus a conspiracy. Plus feelings and strong ladies and generally all things I have ever loved.
Let's get this said: te acting and the cast are phenomenal. Ben Whishaw I have always adored you and you always make great choices and this was another. Romola, queen of my heart you wonderful lady-positive actress you. Dominic West you ridiculously charming man. But also fab support cast: Anna Chancellor as a fierce presenter of the foreign news (who I'm really hoping turns out to be a lesbian); Jamie Parker as a sexy academic*; Joshua McGuire as Freddie's assistant; Burn Gorman as a creepy yet to be uncovered shadowy figure.
Really though this cast. This cast is phenomenal. Ben and Romola played off each other beautifully. Their characters Freddie and Bel has this gorgeous delicate chemistry that is all about believing in the other's talent above all and calling each other out when they do something thoughtless. Romola's character is everything I think I've ever wanted. She's not fighting to get ahead, she's where she wants to be and she'll be damned if she lets anything stop her. Sophie's post talks about it better but basically Bel is going to be this incredible character. There's this wit to her that I already adore, but it's combined with this poise and drive that are so enjoyable to watch. And naturally that's in the script but because it's Romola there's this whole other level, where you're so aware of what her face is doing and yet it never feels forced because she's amazing.
Speaking of amazing, ugh Ben Whishaw how are you the way you aaaaaare. His Freddie is all coiled with tension, desperate to make his mark, to leave something worthwhile because he believes in change, he believes in setting a different agenda. He has class issues and there's a whole background that's waiting to be explored (how are you on such good terms with the debutante? JULY GET HERE FASTER) which you can feel in the way he holds himself with certain people. And as I said, his chemistry with Romola is ridiculous. Also his face in this scene towards the end which I'm not going to give away but it's tense and it's all do to with the conspiracy augh, just, your face Ben. Your actual face.
Quick note here on costume design: whoever did the costumes, I want to kiss you on the mouth. I cannot talk enough about the stunning costumes here, but mainly Ben in that suit, oh god I want to die.
And the script! The script was amazing. The exposition never felt heavy handed or obvious; we genuinely felt like you were just living these people's lives with them. It situated us in the time and place without ever beating us round the head with it and it clearly is going to discuss all sorts of gender and class (and hopefulyl racial) politics of the time. It's just the kind of quality I haven't seen in a pilot in, well, forever. I feel like I usually have to give pilots the benefit of the doubt because they're pilots, they can be a little clunky but this was such a perfect example of how it does not need to be clunky, how exposition can be smooth and hardly noticeable.
(Naturally I already have shippy feelings - Freddie and Bel basically need to fuck it out but glorious class issues and they're kids who'ev known each other forever and just they wrote themselves a manifesto! I cannot. I just need to talk about their scenes over and over because it's very clear that Freddie has feelings and he's bitter because he feels unworthy and cannot express them, as Anna Chancellor's character points out, he has absolutely no poker face. He is honest to a fault but that's the one thing he can't really be honest about, not wholly. He also had this lovely long spech where he details the entire backstory of a lamp he bought her, down to why she reads and how she doesn't want to get glasses because she thinks it'll make her look like a mouse, which he doesn't agree with because he thinks she's beautiful - THIS IS ALL CANON AND IN THIS SPEECH AND JUST LET. ME. DIE. And she just understands why he lashes out at her (not dignifying it with any sort of emotional 'How dare you' just a dry 'Bravo' because she knows why he is the way he is) and she thinks he's utterly brilliant and could change the world. Basically: everything I adore in a ship. They have so many moments where they're looking at each other when the other one isn't watching and it's beautiful.)
I also want to talk about how this show fulfills all my other desires aka lady positivity. It's a very lady positive show even down to its production crew. A woman wrote the show (Abi Morgan, Sex Traffic), another directed (Coky Giedroyc The Virgin Queen), another exec. produced it (Jane Featherstone at Kudos) - the panel we went to was all ladies and Dominic West. It was just so heartening to see so many women onstage to talk about the business and their craft and having a space to show that.
The direction was absolutely stunning - very lush but makes an effort to display the changes between the old and the new school of television and just augh, gorgeous. The thriller plot is also really intriguing (crime drama stan) so I'm really looking forward to seeing how that pans out.
BASICALLY ABI MORGAN & CO, I ADORE YOUUUU. NEVER LEAVE ME. Already buying the dvd I know.
*SPOILER: WHO DIES. WE CALLED IT.
. So...it's the best piece of television I've seen in a long time. Possibly ever but I'm trying to make this as hyperbole-free as possible. Also I'm writing from the notes I wrote after I saw it, which were technically written after a half bottle of white wine on an empty stomach. But really, it was singularly one of the best pieces of television I've seen in a while.
First we started with a brief chat from someone from BBC2 who talked about their desire to bring pride back to the Beeb's drama programming. He said that Jane Campion (!!!) is writing and directing something for BBC2 and Page Eight sounds amazing too. Before they started the screening they played the BBC 2 drama trailer during which I clutched Sophie's hand - that happened a lot - because God, the BBC is good to me (THE NIGHT WATCH YOU GUYS, THE NIGHT WATCH I CANNOT I AM SO EXCITED IT'S RIDICULOUS)
Anyhow to The Hour itself. This is the first series length drama Abi Morgan has written and oh lord it is immense. Set in 1956 (thank you Sophie!) it follows Freddie Lyons (Ben Whishaw) and Bel (Romola Garai) as they launch a new news show at the BBC. It's all about the birth of modern television news and the break with the BBC to move and modernise with the times. Plus the Suez Crisis. Plus a conspiracy. Plus feelings and strong ladies and generally all things I have ever loved.
Let's get this said: te acting and the cast are phenomenal. Ben Whishaw I have always adored you and you always make great choices and this was another. Romola, queen of my heart you wonderful lady-positive actress you. Dominic West you ridiculously charming man. But also fab support cast: Anna Chancellor as a fierce presenter of the foreign news (who I'm really hoping turns out to be a lesbian); Jamie Parker as a sexy academic*; Joshua McGuire as Freddie's assistant; Burn Gorman as a creepy yet to be uncovered shadowy figure.
Really though this cast. This cast is phenomenal. Ben and Romola played off each other beautifully. Their characters Freddie and Bel has this gorgeous delicate chemistry that is all about believing in the other's talent above all and calling each other out when they do something thoughtless. Romola's character is everything I think I've ever wanted. She's not fighting to get ahead, she's where she wants to be and she'll be damned if she lets anything stop her. Sophie's post talks about it better but basically Bel is going to be this incredible character. There's this wit to her that I already adore, but it's combined with this poise and drive that are so enjoyable to watch. And naturally that's in the script but because it's Romola there's this whole other level, where you're so aware of what her face is doing and yet it never feels forced because she's amazing.
Speaking of amazing, ugh Ben Whishaw how are you the way you aaaaaare. His Freddie is all coiled with tension, desperate to make his mark, to leave something worthwhile because he believes in change, he believes in setting a different agenda. He has class issues and there's a whole background that's waiting to be explored (how are you on such good terms with the debutante? JULY GET HERE FASTER) which you can feel in the way he holds himself with certain people. And as I said, his chemistry with Romola is ridiculous. Also his face in this scene towards the end which I'm not going to give away but it's tense and it's all do to with the conspiracy augh, just, your face Ben. Your actual face.
Quick note here on costume design: whoever did the costumes, I want to kiss you on the mouth. I cannot talk enough about the stunning costumes here, but mainly Ben in that suit, oh god I want to die.
And the script! The script was amazing. The exposition never felt heavy handed or obvious; we genuinely felt like you were just living these people's lives with them. It situated us in the time and place without ever beating us round the head with it and it clearly is going to discuss all sorts of gender and class (and hopefulyl racial) politics of the time. It's just the kind of quality I haven't seen in a pilot in, well, forever. I feel like I usually have to give pilots the benefit of the doubt because they're pilots, they can be a little clunky but this was such a perfect example of how it does not need to be clunky, how exposition can be smooth and hardly noticeable.
(Naturally I already have shippy feelings - Freddie and Bel basically need to fuck it out but glorious class issues and they're kids who'ev known each other forever and just they wrote themselves a manifesto! I cannot. I just need to talk about their scenes over and over because it's very clear that Freddie has feelings and he's bitter because he feels unworthy and cannot express them, as Anna Chancellor's character points out, he has absolutely no poker face. He is honest to a fault but that's the one thing he can't really be honest about, not wholly. He also had this lovely long spech where he details the entire backstory of a lamp he bought her, down to why she reads and how she doesn't want to get glasses because she thinks it'll make her look like a mouse, which he doesn't agree with because he thinks she's beautiful - THIS IS ALL CANON AND IN THIS SPEECH AND JUST LET. ME. DIE. And she just understands why he lashes out at her (not dignifying it with any sort of emotional 'How dare you' just a dry 'Bravo' because she knows why he is the way he is) and she thinks he's utterly brilliant and could change the world. Basically: everything I adore in a ship. They have so many moments where they're looking at each other when the other one isn't watching and it's beautiful.)
I also want to talk about how this show fulfills all my other desires aka lady positivity. It's a very lady positive show even down to its production crew. A woman wrote the show (Abi Morgan, Sex Traffic), another directed (Coky Giedroyc The Virgin Queen), another exec. produced it (Jane Featherstone at Kudos) - the panel we went to was all ladies and Dominic West. It was just so heartening to see so many women onstage to talk about the business and their craft and having a space to show that.
The direction was absolutely stunning - very lush but makes an effort to display the changes between the old and the new school of television and just augh, gorgeous. The thriller plot is also really intriguing (crime drama stan) so I'm really looking forward to seeing how that pans out.
BASICALLY ABI MORGAN & CO, I ADORE YOUUUU. NEVER LEAVE ME. Already buying the dvd I know.
*SPOILER: WHO DIES. WE CALLED IT.