Click here to read the full article.
From “Hijack” and “Lupin” creator George Kay, HBO and Sky Television’s “War” is a thrilling legal drama highlighting a bitter, high-profile divorce. Though the couple at the center of the story are tech billionaire
Morgan Henderson (Dominic West) and A-list actress Carla Duval (Sienna Miller), their rapidly collapsing marriage anchors “War,” which looks well beyond the emotional turmoil of a love that’s ending. Instead, by juxtaposing the opposing counsels, audiences get a peek inside the ruthless minds and tactics of the lawyers surrounding Morgan and Carla. Thoroughly captivating — with Kay’s signature twists dispersed throughout — “War” depicts the lengths people are willing to go to achieve victory and what it might cost to get there. The eight-episode first season of “War” opens in present-day London, where Morgan is thrilled to be receiving the Pioneer of the Year Award at a prestigious ceremony. As he basks in praise and gives a heartfelt acceptance speech, he also spots a stunning young woman, Flora (Rose Williams), in the crowd. By the end of the night, the very married entrepreneur has Flora in his bed. In Paris, Morgan’s wife Carla is doing press for her latest film. Exhausted by the distance in her marriage and suspicious about Morgan’s loyalty, she has called in her lawyers, Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox) and Nick Taylor (James McArdle), law partners and a married couple who run Taylor & Byrne, to begin gearing up to serve Morgan divorce papers. Unfortunately, because of Carla’s celebrity status, photos from the meeting make the tabloids, prompting Morgan to touch base with his own representation, Beatrice “Queen Bea” Ubos (Nina Sosanya) and St. John Smallwood (Pip Torrens) at Cathcarts & Sons. Elsewhere in London, a driven young lawyer, Johnny Warren (Archie Renaux) joins Taylor & Byrne, where he tries to become an invaluable asset to Serena, Nick and Carla. Desperate to reinvent himself after a major career blunder in New York City, Johnny starts working angles to stand out. What begins as a straightforward dissolution of a decade-long marriage becomes a hostile takedown exposing both Carla and Morgan’s deepest vulnerabilities. The chaos even thrusts Carla’s 16-year-old son Gabriel (Aran Murphy, a doppelgänger of his father, Cillian) into the spotlight. “War” unpacks Morgan and Carla’s mutual backstabbing and lies, along with the lengths the lawyers will go to ensure their respective clients come out on top. Yet “War” soars because it goes beyond the obvious. The series thrives because it offers glimmers of humanity sliced between moments of sabotage and betrayal. Miller and West are highly believable as two people who once shared a deep affection for each other. Hints of this reverence shine through even during some of their worst moments. This is especially poignant in the former couple’s interactions with Gabriel. Moreover, contrasting Carla and Morgan against Serena and Nick’s own marriage showcases a different partnership, one held together by love and determination but just as vulnerable as any other, if not for the parties within it working daily to fortify the union.
From beautifully strategized crisis PR campaigns to the distinctiveness of U.K. courtrooms, the show presents the impossible choices any decent family law attorney must make, which often go directly against what most people perceive as good and righteous. As Johnny discovers at the end of Episode 6, “The Simple Act of Paying Attention,” one small mishap or turn of phrase can cause one’s destruction. Watching the inner workings of two different London law firms and all that goes into dismantling a hyper-visible relationship, particularly when the court of public opinion is at play, also makes the series distinct. There will be more of this in “War” Season 2, which will star Marisa Tomei and Kelly Macdonald and focus on the lawyers from Cathcarts & Sons and Taylor & Byrne going head to head once again on an explosive defamation case.
As with the rest of Kay’s dramas, “War” builds tension brilliantly and unfolds into something far more intricate than it first appears. Dividing assets and closing a chapter becomes less about fairness and more about ambition and greed. After all, divorce is never just between two parties. When it’s all said and done, everyone it touches wants a piece of the action.
“War” debuts Oct. 1 on HBO, with the remaining episodes airing weekly on Thursdays.
