The Slap

This series is dark and the characters not particularly likable, but they are never one dimensional. Every time you thought you thoroughly hated a character, they would reveal some other aspect of themselves that would make you like them a little. The multi-layering of the stories and the characters make this compelling viewing. There will be people you know that share some of their characteristics- maybe even yourself. It is not an exploration of happy families, but an exploration of our flaws. I haven't read any of Tsiolkas' books, but have been inspired to do so. I even loved watching the opening titles every week and am sad the series is over.

I can't find anything to criticise about this series. The acting, production, continuity and so forth are excellent. It's amazing that of the 6 previous reviews 4 were 9 or 10 stars and 2 were 1 star, and scathing to say the least - and yet all the reviewers are Australian, so it's not a cultural divide issue. Perhaps it just boils down to taste. For mine, explorations of human frailty and the inexplicable nature of relationships, when done as well as The Slap, make for fascinating literature and film. There are no really good guys and, other than Harry, no particularly bad guys. These people are ordinary. Also of interest to me was the inside look into Greek-Australian culture. Persumably this was authentically representative, given that several of the actors are Greek Australians and any major inaccuracies would have been weeded out.

Oustanding in the acting department is Melissa George, whose success in the US is not surprising if this is the class and quality of her acting outside the soap opera arena. She was utterly convincing as the somewhat flaky, "alternative" mother of Hugo - the slappee. I was also impressed by the acting of the various children in the series - they were all very natural and normal. (Quite often poor child actors can spoil an otherwise good production.) It was also good to see old favourite Lex Marinos again.

I'd highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys well-produced thought-provoking drama. I'd be surprised if every the naysayers did not ask themselves or discuss with others questions about the rights and wrongs of not only the slap, but its repercussions. Perhaps I am overly biased towards Australian productions - I regularly find merit in things that get universal scorn - so take that into account.

Some time ago I wrote a critical piece about Australian TV dramas and received a fair amount of flak from my Aussie readers for so doing. Well rightly or wrongly, I stuck to my guns, but I am now delighted to report that the Aussies have totally redeemed themselves by making a programme which I can honestly say is one of the finest pieces of TV Drama I have seen.

'The Slap' is an 8 part Aussie mini-series based on the best-selling book of the same name, by Christos Tsiolkas. If you haven't seen it yet and you like your drama to be gritty, thought provoking, edgy and sometimes so realistic it is painful to watch, then go no further than 'The Slap'. It follows the lives of several characters who attend an otherwise innocuous 40th birthday party when one of the guests controversially slaps a four-year old who is misbehaving. The resulting court proceedings blows apart lifelong friendships and family relationships and the ensuing story covers virtually the whole gamut of present day social controversies; including rape, infidelity, substance abuse, domestic violence, alcoholism, breast-feeding, cultural ethnicity, interracial marriage and so on. I am sure my Aussie readers would be familiar with some, if not all, of the actors in this piece, but they were all new to me, and I have to say that the entire ensemble cast – including the kids – acted their socks off, without exception.

I will be picky and offer one criticism. I hated the intermittent comments made by a hidden, unknown, ghostly, (ghastly?) narrator. The lines narrated were undoubtedly taken from the novel, where 'omniscient narration' can be an acceptable literary device; but in a piece of TV visual drama, it is simply a lazy, old-fashioned cop-out. Everything told to us by this 'mystery' narrator, could just have easily been acted out by the players.

But I am being picky – good on yer Oz – I take my hat off to you, for a brilliant piece of relevant, 21st-century drama.

The unfulfilled lives of a number of people are brought into focus at a seemingly happy suburban get-together by the single slap of a child.

All is not as it seems as each of the protagonists lives is then laid bare in subsequent episodes of this excoriating, first-class Australian drama.Perhaps the slap is merely a catalyst for the truth to unfold. Maybe the slap needed to happen for these people to get on with their lives without the baggage of the past. Make up your own mind.

It's easy to see something of yourself in these lives and maybe that is why a couple of reviewers here have played the 'unlikeable characters' card to dismiss this adaptation. Also, I believe the female characters are strong and their friendships quite solid in spite of certain cracks appearing under pressure. If this is misogynistic writing it has eluded me. The men fare less well.

If you prefer sugary Disney-like characters going through the motions in mind-numbing scenarios, then The Slap is not for you.9/10

A long time since I originally saw it but I've never forgotten it. Fabulous character development and story twists and turns. Australian tv dramas just get better and better. Intricate and rewarding. I'd watch it again for sure.