If there was a subtitle for this review, it would be "How Keeley Hawes and Isabella Pappas respectively broke my heart into pieces in a matter of minutes". It was the day after the tragedy, the day of processing what just happened at the end of episode one (gasp! Harry had a son no one knew about! But is he legit?) and the day of mourning the death of a partner and a father. What do you do? And most importantly, how do you honor someone you loved so much? You want to do the best you can to make his legacy last and that's what Alice and Charlotte try to do.
Arranging the funeral for the man you love and the father of your child is no fun, I don't have to tell you that; Alice desperately tries to not have a traditional funeral as Harry's parents would like. She wants to bury him in their huge garden in front of the house. Weird and unpredictable choice, but understandable and kind of logical. It is really interesting to see the different approach to the whole situation, not just with Alice and Charlotte, but with the people around them. We shouldn't dismiss Alice's choice of burying her partner in her garden as odd, because that's what she wants. We are drawn to judging her and her intentions, because that's not usually happens, because that's not considered "normal or socially acceptable.
Alice's resilience and Charlotte's guidance help them have the memorial that they were hoping for; Nathan also helped and I have to say, I am so here for his friendship with Alice, it's fun to watch them interact. He is proving to be some sort of guide in her grief and she seems to welcome him and be truly herself when she talks to him and he seems to be doing the same. "
If I had known you were this loaded, I would have been more polite". Love you, Nathan!
The memorial, as I knew it would, broke my heart, but not because it was sad, but because it was honest. Honesty seems to be lacking in scenes like that sometimes, and honest is one of the words I would use to describe this show. And don't even get me started on what was my favorite line of the episode, spoken by none other than "certified-MVP-of-the-show" Charlotte: "
I don't want to look like I think this is about me". Okay, can we please just stop for a minute and ponder how strong this statement is? She is so selfless, so worried about not giving her father the right space he deserves, because that day was about him and not about her or her mother grieving him. I can't stop thinking about how monumental those words are. Charlotte (and Isabella), you are the rock on which the show is built upon.
The show is great at blending genres, especially when it tries (and succeeds) to get those different nuances throughout a single episode; humor here plays a very important part, and it is mostly bestowed upon Alice, with Keeley Hawes never failing at delivering those heartbreaking yet hilarious moments. Of course she rips your soul apart when talking about Harry's love of foxes and of course she makes you laugh out loud when she is clearly intoxicated by booze and the pills her mother gave her. And also, the lack of energy when it comes to speaking about your loved one who just died: "
I haven't quite got the energy to speak eloquently or at lenght about my H". You can feel the emotional weariness from miles away.
The spectrum of feelings represented in the show is never-ending. You truly are crying one minute and the other you are smiling or even laughing.
Speaking of blending genres, let's not forget that there is also a mystery to solve: there's Harry's letter from a fertility clinic and the CCTV that shows someone who looks like George arguing with Harry before his death. Who do you think that person is? And how many more secrets are we about to uncover? Let me know in the comments below!
