The Honourable Woman

Usually, I tend to skip movies or series on sensitive and politicized issues as they usually emanate from black-and-white approach and simplified views or solution proposals. So, before my respective decision, I try to obtain a lot of background material and diverse opinions, meaning that I do not watch them "bright and early". This was also the case with The Honourable Woman that was revealed in 2014 and honored in 2015.

And from the first episodes, I was pleasantly surprised and ravished, both performance-wise and plot-wise. True, that Maggie Gyllenhaal as Nessa Stein was wonderful and fully deserved her Golden Globe Award, but I am somewhat puzzled that Stephen Rea's great performance was not too much noticed; he is an otherwise wonderful actor and his performance here as Sir Hugh Hayden-Hoyle was front-ranking as well, particularly under dialogs, including with Gyllenhaal; Rea does really know how to express profundity using minimalistic manners and scenes. Of course, all other performances were at least good as well, but they spent less time on screen.

The plot is captivating, at times a bit over-sophisticated and some scenes protracted, but the versatility and tensions are present and the storyline and values expressed go beyond confined Israeli-Palestinian issues. There are many twists and turns, "good guys die too", and the volume of 8 episodes lets all this enjoy in a relatively short time- frame.

All in all, a good series, recommended even to those not particularly fond of pending political issues. Even just following the dialogs and scenes with leading characters provide a memorable series experience.

Excellent spy series!! Top performances, top plot, top dialogues, nice build up. Quality all the way!!! Top tier!!!

I'm not a big fan of mini series; however, Honourable Woman is the exception for me. From the very first episode, I was drawn into this fast action drama as if I were there. Not only is this one of the best action packed mini-series I have ever seen, but the acting is over-the-top. Maggie Gyllenhaal does an amazing acting job portraying Nessa Stein. Her demeanor, style, and sensitivity to the part, to me, puts her in the stratosphere of acting with all the other great actresses. She's so good, that I couldn't help but feel everything she was going through in this well-played role. And Lubna Azabal portrays Atika Halabi in a way that makes me love her, and hate her. She was great in this role. And Stephen Rea played the part of Sir Hugh Hayden-Hoyle as I would expect a good spy does. His soft spoken demeanor, and his inquisitive mind really helped to make him a believable character. I would say that all the characters were believable, and made this mini-series what it is...fantastic.

well i had originally planed to watch it in a day after 4 episodes i got caught up in other things and later I just did not care very much for the show.Because for me the show was going no where and early 4 episodes were too slow paced.But after 2 months i thought of giving it another chance.And I have to say if you can get past the slow paced beginning the later episodes are wonder treats.This is one of the best modern spy thriller in years. best thing about the series is,it knows what it's doing and takes us in the territory of modern political spy thriller with some strong writing and directing.it gives us every angle of it's story.Apart from being a well written spy thriller it's also human drama with unbiased storytelling which has no theatrical heroes and villain.We see from different angles that,every character have their own faults and virtue,every side have there own story which leads to a gripping but very humane conclusion that makes this show a worthwhile.

Throughout the eight episodes of The Honourable Woman the viewer is treated to a relevant, gutsy, challenging television experience. If you ever dismissed or plead ignorance over the Arab - Israeli conflict, you now have an emotional stake in the conflict. The characters are complex, the actors are skilled artisans. Ever since Maggie Gyllenhaal was slinking around in Secretary she has established a reputation for conquering the challenging, controversial roles. Maggie has conquered once again. The Honourable Woman will win a lot of trophies once the awards season has arrived. Amongst the superior cast is one actor who may have placed an exclamation point on his heretofore fine body of work. The trophy engravers should get a jump on etching Stephen Rea's name on the hardware from the Golden Globe, BAFTA, Emmy and Blockbuster(sic)awards. Rea simply owned every scene in which he appeared. His star rose with the release of the feisty film, The Crying Game whose plot twist remains one of the great and respected spoilers that is kept mum to this day. His efforts were rewarded with an Oscar nomination to go along with his Tony nomination. Twenty plus years later, it is time for this native and resident of Northern Ireland to get his due. Will The Honourable Woman return for another season? Hugo Blick and company drained every ounce out of the script and characters. Perhaps the dawn should best be left unsaid.