This six-part series for British television is a major achievement, primarily because of the sensitive writing by Charlie Martin and three script collaborators, and a spectacular performance by Genevieve O'Reilly as the central character. Her performance is so astounding that it ranks beside that of Peter Egan in John le Carre's 'A Perfect Spy' (1987) as one of the great acting achievements in a central role of British television history. The story stretches the limits of credulity, and may not even be medically possible, but it concerns an eighteen year-old girl being found in a coma beside a young man who is dead. Nobody knows what really happened, although we find out six hours later. The girl remains in a coma for 18 years and wakes up with a body age of 36 and a mind and emotions which are still 18. O'Reilly, as this 'child-woman', is so convincing, that the integrity and honesty of her portrayal raise this television series to the level of a true work of art. There is magnificent ensemble playing from a cast of characters including her parents and all her old school friends, with their complex and interweaving stories being just as fascinating as the dilemma of the main character. The series is extremely well directed by David Blair, with one exception: he cannot keep his camera off of men in their underwear, and lingers lovingly over their ugly hairy chests in a way which is frankly perverse. One does not have to wonder too much about why he did this, but it is the one major flaw in this otherwise excellent series and is an indulgence which the producer should have forbidden if he had been doing his job properly. Two of the actors also have their faces covered for months on end with ridiculous stubble which never becomes a beard and always remains the same length, looking like rough waste scrubland in the French maquis. In the scenes where these fellows are kissing girls, any heterosexual knows that women's soft cheeks are easily rubbed raw by such hirsute forms of torture, something of which the director seems unaware, so perhaps somebody should take him aside and tell him a few things about girls. There are so many excellent performances in this series that one is at a loss to name them all, and besides, I am not sure of how to match all the performers' names to character names, as in the series they so rarely address one another by name. Certainly Anna Wilson-Jones is truly spectacular in her portrayal of a driven and tormented alcoholic, Olivia Colman is equally sensational as an introverted wife who communicates by looks and facial expressions, Robert Pugh is astonishing as the father of the girl, ably supported by a brooding and morose Geraldine James (both of them being old pros who can play anything, no matter how intense, with the greatest of ease). There are aspects of some of the characters and parts of the story which are unnecessarily vulgar. For instance, it is not really necessary for Anna Wilson-Jones to say she could sit on a photocopy machine and make copies of her private parts ('fanny' in British English, though 'fanny' means something different in America). The writers should be warned that gritty reality does not always have to be portrayed with lack of basic restraints in order to be convincing. There are, after all, some canons of taste which might be followed from time to time, even by young writers who want to be seen to be 'at the cutting edge', as the silly current expression goes. I wish the cutting edge of the editor had removed some of these less tasteful elements of the series. Just because something may be happening out there does not mean that it all has to be shown and all has to be said. I do hope that subtlety will be re-discovered one day. But meanwhile, in between the sweating hairy chests and rude remarks, we have here a major drama series struggling to get out, and succeeding. So, congratulations, and I only wish I had been able to match the actors with all the character names, in order to call attention to more sterling performances. It really is hard to believe that ITV actually paid to make such a worthwhile series, as no one I know has watched that channel for years. I got this on DVD, which is the best way to watch it.
