It's a legal drama set in modern London, England, following the charge of rape against a senior government minister who is also the best friend of the Prime Minister.
James Whitehouse (Ben Radcliffe/Rupert Friend) is the senior minister and close friend from Oxford University days with Prime Minister Tom Southern (Jake Simmance/Geoffrey Streatfeild). James is married to Sophie (Hannah Dodd/Sienna Miller); they have three children. Olivia Lytton (Naomi Scott) is a researcher on Whitehouse's staff and a person with whom he had an affair for five months. A week after he broke off the affair, they had a sexual encounter, after which she charged him with rape. Kate Woodcroft (Nancy Farino/Michelle Dockery) is the prosecution counsel arguing the charges against Woodhouse.
The six-part series begins with the widely publicized scandal of the affair, followed by the rape charge and the subsequent trial. Throughout, there are flashbacks to the Oxford University days when Whitehouse and Southern were members of a wild partying group called the Libertines. We gradually learn that a death occurred at the Libertines' last party for which no one has been held accountable. Sophie was already Whitehouse's girlfriend at the time. Kate's relationship to it all is initially unclear but becomes apparent as the series continues.
This is a series with strong, well-developed characters, and the quality of the acting is high. The story raises good questions about the nature of consent in sexual relations. For me, the problem is the plot is fatally flawed because it's not believable. It forced me too often to not roll my eyes. This is unfortunate because the actors and the core issue deserved better.
