*Spoilers from episode 2*
Season finale time! This was a quick one to run through. The finale gives us some harrowing moments in the lives of our three women, along with some moments of breakthrough/catharsis.
Here’s the biggest spoiler from last week. At the end of episode 2, Kelsey went into labor. However, none of the prison staff were available because they were dealing with a crisis elsewhere: Orla panicked when her phone money ran out and the call dropped in the middle of an important conversation with her son Kyle, and in her desperation to be allowed to talk to him some more, threatened her cellmate’s life. Abi, who used to be a nurse, was the one to deliver Kelsey’s baby.
That’s where we begin episode 3. Orla has just gotten out of solitary confinement and is forced to deal with the consequences of her actions. Kelsey has been moved to the mother-and-baby unit, but a visit from Adam leads to a massive fallout. As the other inmates continue to harass Abi, she finally decides to open up about the circumstances of her crime.
Everyone’s story has some really awful stuff in it today, and the three main actors handle the material with care. When Adam gets her in trouble, Kelsey is frantic, knowing that any infraction will jeopardize her custody of baby Daniel. She’s desperate to explain herself, and the officer who’s been escorting her to doctor’s appointments throughout her pregnancy is sympathetic but implacable. And while the overall direction of Abi’s story is what I expected, it’s heartbreaking to hear her tell it and watch it play out in flashbacks. Tamara Lawrance gives a really stellar performance here, offering the portrait of a mother at the end of her rope.
This episode definitely cements that the series portrays the prison staff—and the criminal justice system on the whole—as too compassionate to feel genuine. Everyone who works with the inmates is presented as “in it for the right reasons,” caring about their well-being and wanting to help them get their lives back on track. There’s a scene where Orla receives a bit of good news, and an officer actually gives her an encouraging wink! While we see numerous ways that the system is putting a wrecking ball through these women’s lives, it’s seemingly never the fault of the people working within it. Everyone has the best of intentions, and they’re oh-so-sympathetic that this is happening, but there’s nothing they can do. For a show that’s not afraid to get gritty or heartwrenching, this aspect is painted so rosily that it takes me out.
With everything that Kelsey and Abi are going through, Orla’s story feels more mild in comparison, even though she’s not having an easy time of it. Her rash, desperate actions from the last episode haven’t done anything to help her relationship with Kyle, and through her, we also get to see another way that the system lets people down upon their reentry into society.
Jodie Whittaker’s performance is still excellent. Her best moments here are all a bit spoilery, so I won’t go into too many details. But there’s a strong scene where she’s telling a story about her mother, one that acknowledges the complicated nature of love with a really flawed person. I also really like a scene where she gets upsetting news from one of the officers. As we’ve seen from her before, it’s an instance where Orla can’t fully believe that this is really happening to her. However, by this time, she’s learned not to come in hot making demands. At first, she honestly thinks the officer is joking, and Whittaker does a great job of showing how this news slowly sinks in for Orla.
Final thoughts:
Accent Watch
Northern.
Recommend?
In General – I think so. Be aware of the heavy subject matter and the way the story pulls its punches in its depiction of the prison staff, but overall, I thought this was pretty well done.
Jodie Whittaker – I would. Whittaker’s a talented actress who’s played a lot of thankless roles in her career, so I appreciate seeing her in projects that remind you how good she is.
Warnings
Strong thematic elements (including post-partum depression,) violence (including discussion about the murder of an infant,) language, sexual references, and drinking/smoking/drug use.
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