This article contains mention of sexual assault.
The article also contains major spoilers for Anatomy of a Scandal, now streaming on Netflix.
Anatomy of a Scandal is Netflix's adaptation of the book of the same name by Sarah Vaughan, starring Sienna Miller, Rupert Friend and Michelle Dockery. A slow-burn drama that relies heavily on flashbacks and stylized camerawork, the series tells a timely story of privilege, power and the "old boy" network that shields criminal behavior. But whether it does its subject matter justice is something else that's up for debate.
The series -- created by TV veteran David E. Kelley and Melissa James Gibson -- is set in Britain and begins with a typical political scandal: a well-liked, married politician, James Whitehouse, has an affair with a colleague that eventually hits the front page of the British press. The usual spin is slapped on this ministerial misconduct, with brave faces all around and contrite apologies. Then far uglier accusation comes to light: Whitehouse is accused of rape by his ex-lover Olivia. A sexual assault case goes to trial and everything begins to unravel, with all the secrets coming out.
The show tries to crack open controversy and expose hypocrisy (similar to Hulu's The Dropout and Netflix's Inventing Anna), and where Anatomy of a Scandal excels is in the subtlety of repressed emotion and the nuanced performances. Friend gives a stellar performance as a clueless liar of a man who has no idea about the damage he does, nor the wrongness of his attitude. In the beginning, there is a genuine charm and even a sympathetic aspect to Whitehouse, before the storyline reveals his self-centered behavior and lack of acknowledgement of any consequence. He's an excellent example of how easy it is to believe in a person so fundamentally flawed, and how charm and lies can become gaslighting.
Miller is also a standout as Sophie Whitehouse, his betrayed wife whose perfect life comes undone. While Anatomy of a Scandal writes Sophie with an odd lack of anger over her husband's infidelity, it does showcase her character's inner turmoil well. Miller's looks, gestures and body language all convey an eroding trust in her husband. One scene where she listens to a sexist politician excuse Whitehouse's affair with offensive terms like "boys will be boys" illustrates the seething disgust and hurt she's hiding under the surface. Yet she takes it for the sake of her husband. In later episodes, in which her son is parroting his father's words about how a Whitehouse always comes out on top, viewers can see the wheels turning in Sophie's head. She's wondering if her husband is a good influence on her children.
However, Anatomy of a Scandal is also deeply flawed. Too much of the show is filtered through the male perspective by using James and his family as the core of the story. When used to show contrast between the characters -- especially with Sophie and James -- this approach of privileged male arrogance works, but in other instances it feels almost offensive. In the series' rape scene, the attention on James (who comes off less aggressive than he should) and slow-motion, soft focus camera work give this terrible moment the wrong tone. The event was seen through Holly's memories, yet her reactions are minimal and almost subservient. It makes a critical part of the show feel very artificial, almost dismissing it similar to The Dropout.
Another weakness is the third main character, Kate Woodcroft, played by Michelle Dockery of Downton Abbey and the subsequent films. She starts off as a no-nonsense prosecutor charged with proving the case against James, and creates an interesting parallel to him through her own affair with a married man. Yet when the big twist comes -- that Kate is Holly, a woman James sexually assaulted in university -- her credibility disintegrates with that plot device. Her explanation for her unethical behavior in the iffth episode redeems the character a bit, but not enough.
What's worse is that from that point on, Holly's story usurps the trauma of Anatomy of a Scandal's first victim Olivia, and she disappears from the plot. The last two episodes become an odd game between James and Holly that rings very hollow. It is insinuated that James recognizes Kate as Holly during the trial -- which, considering his drunken state during the assault and his lack of regard for women in general, feels contrived for dramatic effect.
Anatomy of a Scandal is a splashy take on what creates a sexual predator and how society sustains them, but after a strong start stumbles badly by favoring flash over substance. The series offers some insight and some worthy performances, but relies too much on stylish camerawork and confuses the audience with its different viewpoints. Anatomy of a Scandal falls flat in trying to tackle these complicated issues and doesn't support women as much as it believes it does.
Anatomy of a Scandal is now streaming on Netflix.