Outstanding Historical Reminder
This series blew me away. In the 1950s and early 1960s, we were not that far removed from World War II and the new world order that emerged with Germany's defeat. I recall in the 1950s, in the U.S., the network news was dominated by news from France and the UK, much as we are consumed by the Middle East and American politics today. Stories involving de Gaulle, Anthony Eden and Harold Macmillan often led the nightly news. Europe seemed closer to the real center of things than California.The Hour spans the fall of Eden and the Suez Crisis, along with the early Macmillan years. The drama centers on a new show on the BBC, "The Hour", produced by Bel Rowley (Romola Garai, whom I am officially in love with now), with investigative reporter Freddie Lyon and presenter Hector Madden (Dominic West). We start with the show's creation, overseen by Clarence Fendley (Anton Lesser). In Series Two, the ever-compelling Peter Capaldi assumes the top man position.
The news show struggles, then triumphs, through these characters. Series One portrays the show covering the Suez Crisis, while Series Two involves the establishment of American air bases and nuclear arms on UK soil. Of course, it's the characters, and their relationships, that we care about.
SPOILERS
In Series One we get to know Ben Wishaw's driven, often obnoxious Freddie Lyon. He is constantly moving, constantly on, while producer Rowley struggles to keep up while establishing her own bona fides, and Madden comes off as a shallow pretty boy and budding alcoholic.
It is in Series Two, though, that we watch Madden being brought low by his drinking and his seeming indifference to his wife (Oona Chaplin in a perfect performance). It is Madden whose character undergoes both downfall and resurrection. Dominic West is an actor I enjoyed in The Wire and Appropriate Adult, but in The Hour I realized how truly fine he is. It would be easy to turn Madden's journey into melodrama, but West never plays it cheap. In the end, you'll stand up and cheer as Madden reveals himself to be a man of principles, and one willing to fight for them no matter the consequences. He is not a pretty boy after all, but a thoroughly decent and talented hero who realizes, almost too late, just how much he has risked and nearly lost.
There are no pauses, no time-wasting diversions, and no time, almost, to think about what we're seeing. The pace is breakneck, the stakes enormous, and the people deeply worth caring about.
Not to be missed. I watched both seasons over two nights, and never wanted it to end. Neither will you.
score 10/10
jsrtheta 27 February 2020
Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw5513430/14530
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