Prisoners Wives - Episode One Review

rating: 4

Returning to British screens this past Thursday, Prisoners Wives has been one of BBC One's secret weapons when it comes to quality drama on their channel. Despite the average-y ratings and the slash of two episodes this series, the hype for the return has been pretty exciting. While this may not be a show directed at WhatCulture readership, it still deserves to be championed alongside other WhatCulture loved shows. The first episode sees the return of Francesca (Polly Walker) and Harriet (Pippa Haywood), continuing their story arcs from the last series. Francesca is slowly drawn more in the mob life of her husband's, whilst Harriet finds new solace in Christianity as well as a new romance. We are all introduced to two new characters. The first being Aisling (Karla Crome), a young woman ready to walk down the aisle, but paired with a petty criminal father whose always on the wrong side of the law. And then there is Kim (Sally Carman), A mother of three young boys, whose life turns upside down when her husband is arrested on allegations of sexual abuse to a minor. One of the strong points about Prisoners Wives is that its a very character driven drama. All of the main characters all have distinct personalities that are very different from each other. They're all drawn out very well, as so for new viewers to get an idea on who they are and how they react to certain situations. Another positive about the drama, is the performances. Not only are they top notch, but like the characters, they're all very different and unique. Pippa Haywood is terrific as Harriet. Series two sees her develop a love for the bible as well as establishing a romance with prison chaplain Ian (Adrian Rawlins) which could see her have some happiness for the first time in what has been a long period of troubled times in her life. We also continue with Francesca's story arc, of course played equally as brilliant by Polly Walker. Francesca's in quite a dark situation. She gets more embroiled reluctantly into her husband's underworld, which puts strain on her health as well as her family's lives too. But Polly portrays the character's reactions brilliantly, and does so with precise focus on her facial expressions, which show her as tired and slightly broken down as a result of the events of episode one. The two new wives are once again dependent on their personalties as well as the strong performances from the actresses. Karla Crome plays Aisling, a young woman who is getting married in a matter of months. The problem rests with her father, who is a petty criminal with a number of stints inside. While not much is seen in this episode, we do get an idea of Aisling's personality. She's quite a bold character with a sense of independence, as well as a sense of care for her father despite the fact that he's a repeat offender. Then comes the star of the episode in the form of Kim Haines, played to perfection by Sally Carman. Kim's life is perfect for her: three sons and a loving husband by her side. But all that changes, when her husband is arrested for alleged sexual offences to a minor, who happens to be their next door neighbour. Kim then has to adapt to a new lifestyle, which subtly puts strain on her. She won't believe her husband's alleged crime, due to the evidence that the family accusing him of the crime are a tearaway family, who seem to take great fortune in making her life miserable. With that, Carman's performance is natural and striking on screen as she prepares for a real onslaught from the community, as well as from the press. Another thing that works about this series is its realism. It feels very pure and authentic on screen, and that can be due to the research in how the prison procedure works and prison life in general. The insight look into prison life feels very genuine. The contrast of religions, isolation from the outside world as well as how self contained the prisoners are with the large white walls and little space in the halls. The creativity side of the show is in the strong writing by Julie Gearey who conceives strong new characters, as well as continues to develop the existing characters from the previous series. Overall, the first episode of Prisoners Wives returns exactly where the show left off the first time round. It resumes establishing its hard hitting world of prison life, the prisoners adapting to the surroundings old or new, as well as the wives old and new trying to keep hold of their lives and stay faithful to their loved ones. With strong writing as well as powerful performances, the show is determine once again to win round British viewers once again.