The Politician's Husband

Oscar Kennedy was his usual natural self & that natural air of comedy & tragedy that enthrals me.

As fan of David Tennant's and Emily Watson's work I couldn't pass on the opportunity to watch this miniseries. In a way it reminded me of Secret State, but it was less flamboyant while being a lot more visceral. This is the story of a successful politician who gambles on his way to power. He loses, allowing his wife, until then staying in his shadow, and his backstabbing friend to rise to the top of the political hierarchy. As a result he cannot stop plotting to get himself back to where he has fallen from, only losing everything else on the way up.

A nice cautionary tale, a criticism of the political system in Britain (and everywhere else, really) and brilliant acting. The problem with the story, though, was that one could not sympathize with any of the characters. David Tennant's interpretation of an obsessive politician is brilliant, but who can really identify with it other than the psychopaths that enter politics in the first place?

Bottom line: a good movie, but at one moment I couldn't wait for it to be over and the finale was not really something that inspired me.

"The Politician's Husband" is a 2013 miniseries out of England, starring David Tennant and Emily Watson.

I'm unclear if this is supposed to be a series or just a miniseries - certainly the ending indicated it's a miniseries.

Anyway, it's the story of Aiden Hoynes (David Tennant), a senior cabinet minister who shoots himself in the foot politically with a leadership bid, and his friend Bruce Babbish (Ed Stoppard), another higher-up, does not support him.

Hoynes' wife, Freya, has always stood in her husband's shadow and concentrated on the family, a severely autistic son and a daughter.

When Freya has a chance to become a cabinet minister, Aiden is all for it, believing that at the right opportunity, she can support his immigration bill, a stab in the back to the government.

After getting a taste of power, however, Freya goes on television, the perfect opportunity to say she agrees with her husband, and doesn't agree with him.

Very good drama about politics behind the scenes, with both Tennant and Watson giving excellent performances. I have to say in most instances, I don't think times have changed that much, and that the miniseries is realistic in that the husband would definitely mind being overshadowed by his wife in the same profession.

The rest of it is more the stuff of drama, and I did like it, as Aiden becomes more convinced that his wife has aligned with his now-enemy Bruce both politically and physically. What looked like a strong "fairytale" marriage starts to unravel, with Aiden exhibiting sexual violence toward Freya, and there are accusations of infidelity that hit the press.

I found Tennant especially good as the manipulative husband; in a way, it's a stronger part.

Highly recommended.

In a performance that sets the small screen blindingly ablaze, so powerful that she turns our screens into pulsating, living organisms, Emily Watson proves that she has now, along with the award winning master work Appropriate Adult, conquered television and made the medium her own, as she has with motion picture greatness. From the moment the camera focuses on her, this film comes alive and her presence stuns the audience with the superb work she does as the wife of a British politician with her own ambitions. She is nothing short of brilliant in the role and it is unfortunate that her magnificence as an actor tends to highlight David Tenant's inadequacies. He definitely puts in a tremendous effort to equal Watson and his hard work reveals too much of how difficult it is for him and how futile it is. Watson is a national treasure and a gift to stage, screen, and now television audiences worldwide. There is no one who can deny that and Tenant must realize he is in way over his head and his reach is beyond his grasp. Watson attempts to lift him up to her own level and she is most gracious in trying desperately not to overshadow him. She is a generous actor and she has succeeded in bringing out the best in others, as in the case of even Adam Sandler. However, here it simply doesn't work and what she faces is even beyond her genius. The weakness in this piece is not only on the shoulders of a weak co-star, but a less than stellar director, and an obvious script. However, what Ms. Watson does in her portrayal of a lovely woman coming into her own and letting her talent lead her to the top of a male dominated environment is tremendous and borders on the purely astonishing. Emily Watson demonstrates again that she is the greatest actor working in any medium and that has been the case since her stunning debut in 1997's Oscar nominated Breaking the Waves. Anyone who walked away from that searing performance without having their soul touched to the very core is absent a soul altogether. As the years pass, her career spotlights her growing excellence, her maturing beauty, and utter command of every role she takes on. Anyone who appreciates greatness and recognizes superb talent must see this film if only for Emily Watson's exemplary performance, another triumph of the finest actor ever to step before a camera.

8/12/2014 One can not help but be stunned by the uninformed voting of 28 people and the artistic appreciation of only two! Breathtaking!

The Politician's Husband is a very enjoyable three part mini series, which delves into the murky world of Westminster, the backstabbing and willingness to sell anyone out to get to the top, at the cost of anything and anyone.

The story is good, if I'm absolutely honest I think it started better then it finished, Part one promised a tale of revenge and seething jealousy, we got it for the most part, but I felt a little short changed in the concluding episode. Plenty going on, at times a little too much, it's almost as if they tried cramming in to many twists, au pairs, drowning children etc.

The acting was extraordinary, very much The BBC at is best, Emily Watson and David Tennant both fantastic, and worthy of their individual statuses as superb talents. A word also for Jack Shepherd, Ed Stoppard and Roger Allam, all excellent.

I applaud them for giving us a Political drama, a genre are starved of on British screens, it's a good story, with amazing performances, it just perhaps loses a little focus in the end. Worth a look though, 8/10