The Accident (a miniseries in four parts) is a contemporary drama which premiered on British television (Channel 4) in 2019.
The lives of the inhabitants of a (fictional) village in Wales are shattered by an industrial accident.
Here is some basic information about this drama:
** Director: Sandra Goldbacher
** Writer: Jack Thorne
** Run time: 4 x ca. 45 minutes = ca. 180 minutes
The cast includes the following:
The first group
** Sarah Lancashire as Polly Bevan – a hairdresser – Iwan’s wife
** Mark Lewis Jones as Iwan Bevan – a councilman – Polly’s husband
** Jade Croot as Leona Bevan – Polly and Iwan’s teenage daughter
The second group
** Sidse Babett Knudsen as Harriet Poulsen – a business woman
** Nabhaan Rizwan as Tim Das – Harriet’s assistant
** Adrian Scarborough as Philip Walters – a lawyer
The third group
** Joanna Scanlon as Angela Griffiths – Polly’s best friend - mother of a victim
** Genevieve Barr as Debbie Kethin – wife of a victim
** Eiry Thomas as Greta Collinson – mother of a victim
As stated above, the story is set in a village in Wales. The name of the fictional village is Glyngolau.
In the past, the economic foundation of the village was a coal mine. But the past is long gone. The mine was closed many years ago. These days, the village is struggling to get by. There are more people than there are jobs.
The villagers hope that salvation will come with a new industrial project called The Light. This project is supposed to create 1,000 new jobs and to create a better future for the village.
When the story begins, the construction of the building is not yet completed, but the villagers are holding a ceremony to welcome the new and hopefully better times.
Councilman Iwan (who is the driving force behind the project) gives a powerful speech before there is a village race around the building site.
But a small group of teenagers have their own plan. They want to enter the building site. The driving force is Leona whose father is councilman Iwan. Leona is a rebel. She wants to do something to annoy her father.
The teenagers scale the gate and enter the area. They draw graffiti on the walls, drink beer and smoke cigarettes. They are having a great time. But the accident will put a stop to this and change the lives of the villagers forever. The accident comes in two stages:
First, there is an explosion. A rescue team is sent into the building. But then, before they can rescue anyone, the whole building collapses. Everyone inside except one is killed. The sole survivor is Leona, who is now disabled. She cannot walk. She is confined to a wheelchair.
The villagers cannot understand how something like this could happen. They want to blame someone. Who is responsible? They want justice for the victims. Can they get it? When we are talking about blame, four factors can be identified:
# 1. The teenagers scaled the gate. They were trespassing. The teenagers are responsible for what happened. If they had not entered, they would still be alive.
# 2. The teenagers were not stopped and not kicked out by the company’s security. The company is responsible. The company can be blamed for having lax security.
# 3. Gas canisters were stored in the building. Perhaps they were stored illegally? In an unsafe way? If this is the case, the company is responsible for this.
# 4. Why did the building suddenly collapse? Perhaps it was constructed with steel of poor quality. Did the company use steel that was not strong enough in order to save money? If this is the case, the company is responsible.
These facts emerge in the beginning of the first episode. The remaining part of the drama focuses on the consequences of the accident and the discussion of these four factors.
Who is to blame and why?
Will anyone ever be held to account for the accident?
What we see in The Accident is fiction. But the story is inspired by several accidents which happened in the real world.
This fact is made explicit in a scene where the lawyer Philip Walters cites a long list of earlier accidents which are somewhat similar to what happened in the fictional village of Glyngolau.
His list includes the following cases:
** Aberfan (a huge landslide) in Wales which happened in 1966
** Grenfell Tower (a horrible fire) in London which happened in 2017
What do reviewers say about this drama?
Many reviews are negative:
** It was voted the most disappointing drama in 2019 by UK viewers.
** It was branded a “waste of time” by furious viewers after the series finale, according to The Metro.
** A review of the final episode in The Telegraph offers one of five stars, which corresponds to a rating of only 20 percent!
But not all reviews are negative.
There are some positive reviews as well:
** On IMDb it has a rating of 63 percent.
** On the Roger Ebert website, Brian Tallerico offers a positive review (70 per cent)
** A review in The Guardian offers four of five stars (80 percent)
** Rachel Cooke’s review in The New Statesman has the following headline: “Channel 4’s The Accident is shocking, unpredictable, nuanced drama.”
** On the website Old Ain’t Dead, Virginia DeBolt mentions the numerous negative comments, but she refuses to agree with them. She says: “I found it gripping, complex and nuanced.”
On Rotten Tomatoes, the professional critics and the general audience are far from each other:
93 percent = the critics
44 percent = the audience
While I tend to agree with the positive reviews, I cannot go all the way to the top.
Why not?
Because there are two elements which are hard to understand and even harder to accept:
The first element
Iwana and Polly have a strange marriage. In one scene Iwan hits Polly. It is horrible to watch, but what follows is even worse. Polly gives him a hug! How can Polly – who is an independent and powerful woman - stay married to a man who treats her in this way?
The second element
Tim is Harriet’s assistant. But he is more than that. They have a physical relationship. Why did the writer add this odd relationship? It is not necessary and not relevant for the plot.
Why do we have to see so many details from this odd relationship, which is a meaningless digression from the main story?
CONCLUSION
This drama is good, but not great. This is why I think it deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).
*****
A contemporary drama in four parts
(Channel 4)
(2019)
*****
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