Written by Mickey Down And Konrad Kay And Joseph Charlton
Directed by Mickey Down And Konrad Kay And Michelle Savill And Luke Snellin
Whitney (to Henry): "Everybody wants you. You're worth everything. Everybody wants you."
I started this show as the fourth season was making the rounds on HBO and BBC respectively and managed to catch up with the current season as it was heading into it's final three episodes. I really have become a convert in such a short space of time.
With Pierpoint no more and the sexiness that was Harry Lawtey's Robert Spearing absent, it was really a case of Yasmin and Harper being the last two standing. Both women were in separate places at the start of the season and were further pulled apart by the end of the season.
In fact both women really went in very different directions. With Yasmin, her marriage to Henry really did both her and Henry no favours. In fact I was rooting for them to divorce and was more than happy when the finale granted my wish. However where Yasmin ended up, post divorce just showed how far she's fallen as a person.
Yasmin and Henry getting into bed with Tender and it's CFO Whitney Halberstram (Max Minghella) certainly compromised their morality. There's a Talented Mr. Ripley vibe between Henry and Whitney that nearly crossed into some homoerotic tension. As a villain, Whitney's brilliant to watch and there's something delightful in seeing Henry getting the better of him by the finale.
As for Harper, this season might have been her at her least scheming and most sympathetic. She's largely working with Sweetpea and newcomer, Kwabena Bannerman (Toheeb Jimoh) and even formed a partnership with Eric before things went spectacularly bad for the latter. Was that a permanent exit for the character? I'm not so sure.
For this season, Harper was on the right side. She knew something was up with Tender and actively made the right moves in order to try and expose Whitney. She even tried to pull Yasmin back from the dark path the latter was heading towards. I don't think I've ever been more Team Harper than I was with this season.
- Episode titles were PayPal of Bukkake, The Commander and the Grey Lady, Habseligkeiten, 1000 Yoots, 1 Marilyn, Eyes Without A Face, Dear Henry, Points Of Emphasis and Both, And.
- Lot of new characters this season including escort Hayley Clay (Kiernan Shipka), journalist James Dycker (Charlie Heaton), Labour Minister Jennifer Bevan (Amy James-Kelly). Those three got a lot of screen time. Claire Forlani and Kal Penn also popped up this season.
- Rishi really went off the deep end in his grief and addiction, which led to a mid season exit for the character.
- Henry turned forty in the second episode, had visions of his dead father (Jack Farthing) and admitted that he's slept with men in boarding school.
- HBO and BBC confirmed that the fifth season will be it's last one.
- Chronology: Mostly set in 2025 and 2026 and mainly in London though the fifth episode was set in Ghana.
I really have gotten into this show in such a short space of time and this fourth season made for some captivating television. The dynamics between Henry/Whitney and Harper/Yasmin were the best thing and there's timely commentary on various issues to boot. Honestly, this show has gotten better every season. I can't wait to see how it'll end.
Rating: 9 out of 10
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