The Accident

STAR RATING: ***** Saturday Night **** Friday Night *** Friday Morning ** Sunday Night * Monday Morning

In a small Welsh village, a group of delinquent children trespass into a construction site, only for a gas canister to explode, killing several of them, and severely injuring Leona (Jade Croot), the daughter of Polly (Sarah Lancashire.) As the town mourns the tragedy, attention shifts to who to blame, in the shape of the corporation who set up the site, represented by Harriett Paulsen (Sidse Babett Knudsen.) As Polly gets determined to fight for justice, spurred on by claims investigator Phillip (Adrian Scarborough), her world is tested to the limit, especially her marriage to husband Iwan (Mark Lewis Jones), who's involved with the company at the heart of the accident.

Writer Jack Thorne, the man behind the excellent The Virtues and National Treasure, said in a (promotional?) interview for The Accident that he was trying to shine a light on how the working class are trampled all over after a big accident, in the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy. That incident, however, is one of a number of instances (most notably, the Hillsborough tragedy) that are referenced in this four part production. However, it pales in comparison to TV and NT, examples of what the guy is capable of producing when he puts his mind to it.

The setup has potential, and it's reliably well acted by TV stalwart Lancashire, and Croot as her hormonal daughter, with strong support from Lewis as the husband/father figure. However, none of the unfortunate kids feel developed or fleshed out enough to really get under their skin, or care about them in the way that you're supposed to. There's just not enough of an emotional impact to it all, despite the heavy subject matter, and any connection to Grenfell fails to translate that much.

While Thorne hasn't made a complete hash of it (as many have said!), he has sold himself and his (evident!) talents quite short. ***

I really thought this was good! I had a bit of trouble understanding and had to turn on the subtitles, but I watched it straight through. Sorry to see such low ratings.

I...really can't wrap my head around the bad reviews. Sure it's not anything groundbreaking, but I've seen some bad movies and shows, and this miniseries definitely comes out on the more positive side. I can't speak for the accents considering I'm from a completely different hemisphere, but I found the acting good enough. My favorite character was probably Angela. Anyway, it's 4 episodes, just see for yourself.

Glyngolau, Wales is like any company town when the company leaves. It no longer can depend on the coal mine or the steel plant, because those jobs have moved overseas. The population is thrilled when a Japanese company begins to build a new factory that promises 1,000 new jobs. The joy turns to agony when the building collapses on a group of teenagers and the building site manager.

Sarah Lancashire anchors an ensemble cast as Polly, the woman whose daughter Leona is the sole survivor of the accident. Polly knows something isn't right about the accident but she isn't sure she wants to know what it is. Her husband Iwan is the head of the council who brought the business to Glyngolau.

So begins a story that is part mystery, part soap opera and part exposition on the way rabid greed takes advantage of financial desperation. It may be set in Wales, but it could be about Altoona or Gadsden or Cleveland,

The countryside of Wales is beautiful (and I wish we had seen more of it). The performances are sensitive and restrained, which may not please viewers who want scene chewing. The pacing may be too slow for some, but I liked the leisurely way the director "showed" rather than "told" us what was happening inside the characters.

I watched episode 1 of 'The Accident' last night, Jack Thorne's a brilliant writer and the cast is wonderful but it was so harrowing. The story is based around a small and poor village and its residents. A new building collapses on some youngsters who have broken in to graffiti the place. It's about the fall out as some kids are dead and some have life changing injuries. It's about who is to blame and about relationships crumbling. The most shocking bit for me was the brief but incredibly powerful scene of domestic violence played out brilliantly and convincingly by Sarah Lancashire and Mark Lewis, it came out of nowhere and I found it deeply distressing to witness. Not sure yet, about the rest of it, I might choose to watch something a tad more uplifting! #theaccident