The universal interest in the BBC period drama "Downton Abbey" opened up much interest in the ensemble cast, many veterans of the British stage and screen, but their names outside of one grand dame unknown to us Yanks. For me, seeing their other work has become a hobby, and in the case of Penelope Wilton surprising that I had seen her in several films years before the series. This TV drama, just a few years before the series, shows her range, and she's fascinating.
As a lonely older unmarried woman who makes a living house sitting, Wilton gets what because of her age will be her last assignment, and ends up in a situation beyond her control, taking care of the abused single pregnant Sinead Matthews. She's run off from the abusive father and taken up with the kind hearted, concerned Daniel Mays, who happens to be a petty thief. Wilton allows them to stay at the country estate with her, becomes attached and helps them deal with a tragic turn of events. But the chances of them getting caught become greater and greater, especially when Mays starts to sell off the artwork.
A complicated situation, a serious bunch of deceptive lies and a limited period of time, this doesn't give the characters any chance of a happy ending, but getting to know these people does give them sympathy, even though Mays deals with the possibility of exposure rather violently. Not exactly the easiest of dramas to get into as the fraud gets more intense and threatening, but it's certainly a very unique situation that has very dark turns. Wilton is quite commanding, playing a very misguided woman whose years of social exclusion have manipulated the way she thinks. This is a very difficult one to pick up, but once you get hooked, you're not going to want to let go.
As a lonely older unmarried woman who makes a living house sitting, Wilton gets what because of her age will be her last assignment, and ends up in a situation beyond her control, taking care of the abused single pregnant Sinead Matthews. She's run off from the abusive father and taken up with the kind hearted, concerned Daniel Mays, who happens to be a petty thief. Wilton allows them to stay at the country estate with her, becomes attached and helps them deal with a tragic turn of events. But the chances of them getting caught become greater and greater, especially when Mays starts to sell off the artwork.
A complicated situation, a serious bunch of deceptive lies and a limited period of time, this doesn't give the characters any chance of a happy ending, but getting to know these people does give them sympathy, even though Mays deals with the possibility of exposure rather violently. Not exactly the easiest of dramas to get into as the fraud gets more intense and threatening, but it's certainly a very unique situation that has very dark turns. Wilton is quite commanding, playing a very misguided woman whose years of social exclusion have manipulated the way she thinks. This is a very difficult one to pick up, but once you get hooked, you're not going to want to let go.