Film Reviews & Movie Analysis

Created by Abi Morgan

Broadcast: BBC One
Concluded: 29/05/18
Synopsis: The Split follows the Defoe family – female divorce lawyers with their own internal family conflicts and secrets.
Cast: Nicola Walker, Stephen Mangan, Annabel Scholey, Barry Atsma, and Anthony Head
Episodes: Six

The series follows the dysfunctional lives of the Defoe women, whose lives have been turned upside down when their absentee fathers return after thirty years.

His arrival is a catalyst, setting off a number of unresolved family and personal issues for his three daughters.

Eldest sister and main character Hannah Stern (née Defoe) (Nicola Walker), who has left the family law firm in order to get out from under her mothers name, has to deal with the attraction to an old flame at her new job. Middle child Nina (Annabel Scholey) regresses – acting out and starting fights just to be seen, whilst youngest Rose (Fiona Button) prepares for a wedding she isn’t sure she even believes in.

After getting through the first episode, I was unsure whether or not I was going to continue. Always one to at least give the second episode a chance, I was surprised from there to find myself drawn into the life of the Defoe family.

Fundamentally I loved that The Split was headed by strong, smart, three dimensional female characters – who didn’t work in the police force!

Everything I know about the law I learnt from American TV, and whether or not the events in The Split were authentic – it was still interesting to finally get a view of the law… and understand the difference between a lawyer and a barrister.

There were undeniably a few plot devices that didn’t make sense within the show. Namely for me was the arc of youngest sister Rose’s upcoming wedding. She never acted like she was in love – or in like with her groom to be, and though conflict was derived from this storyline – it didn’t go deep enough to make me care.

Finally we were left in the dark about the main reason of Patriarch Oscar Defoe’s (Anthony Head) re-emergence after three decades. Things were hinted, wires were crosses and untangled, but at the end of the season I was still baffled.

As much as is the drama that unfolds within the lives of the Defoe’s and their clients, The Split was an incredibly digestible easy watch, and for six episodes it was worth the investment.

Trailer Below…