An old-fashioned courtroom miniseries with some more modern background to sexual politics, "Anatomy of a Scandal" is a clearly told, well binge-able mystery that doesn't get more than its welcome. Adapted from a novel, the material certainly doesn't break any premise, but is adequate for its various twists and turns, some more tense than others.
While it features a celebrity who is on trial (hence the "scandal" part), the six-episode project is defined by two women: the lawyer prosecuting the case, and the wife who wants to stand by her husband but is in doubt. The reason for that is given.
Despite the involvement of writer/producer David E. Kelly (echoing "Big Little Lies") and Melissa James Gibson ("House of Cards"), the Netflix project was not supported by the involvement of Minister of Parliament James Whitehouse ("House of Cards"). Despite being influenced by a very British flavor. Homeland's "Rupert Friend), whose political and personal status is threatened when he is accused of raping an ally ("Aladdin's" Naomi Scott), a scenario complicated by the fact That both of them were having an affair.
The allegations and related revelations come as an understandable shock to Whitehouse's wife, Sophie (Sienna Miller), who is haunted by images of consensual contact, while finding it hard to believe that her husband could commit an act of violence. Is.
To prove it, the task falls to barrister Kate Woodcroft ("Downton Abbey's" Michelle Dockery), who is taking considerable professional risk by raising such a high-profile prosecution that has implications for the governing party.
sj Directed by Clarkson, "Anatomy of a Scandal" does quite well at keeping the audience guessing, and fares low in its liberal use of flashbacks about the elite private school Whitehouse attended with the prime minister (Geoffrey Stratfield), Pointing to a "boys" would be the attitude of the boys that was prevalent at the time and which may have contributed to the bond between them.
At its core, the story is anchored by Dockery, who portrays the character well enough to hide his own secrets; and Miller, whose outwardly delightful existence is shaken in a way that forces her to question what she knows about the man she married.
As mentioned, there's a throwback quality to all of that, and even the title evokes the ideas of something like the Otto Preminger courtroom mystery "Anatomy of a Murder." It works well as near-the-popcorn entertainment, while introspection about changing ways of considering the past behavior of invited privileged youth – an issue that has been well-ventilated in recent years. Perhaps especially around confirmation hearings for Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Granted, Netflix and its rivals are churning out similar themed fare in both theatrical and documentary formats. Yet all said, "Anatomy of a Scandal" pretty much overcomes its flaws, intending to be an ongoing franchise of tightly constructed self-contained thrillers.
The bones are clearly there for him. The trick, as this first lesson in "Anatomy" demonstrates, is coming up with the perfect wrinkles to get them out.