I've been so busy this week enjoying the sunshine and working that I have had literally no time to watch TV, which is so strange for me! But tonight I made the effort to sit down and watch the first episode of a British drama that I've been excited to see for over a week. Run is a compelling 4 part drama documenting modern life and the unseen dramas in Britain. Starring a multitude of famous faces, including Olivia Colman and Jaime Winstone, the drama promises to be gritty and captivating.
The main reason I was so excited to watch this drama was because it starred Olivia Colman; her talent is infallible, she really is brilliant in any role she is cast in. And in Run she doesn't disappoint.
Episode One aired on Monday night, and portrayed the life of Carol (Colman), a single mother desperately trying to hold her family together after a crime that her sons were involved in leads to the death of a stranger. The episode focuses on the struggle Carol faces as she is torn between saving her family or doing the right thing.
The violence portrayed within the first 10 minutes of the episode really is horrifying and difficult to watch, yet the fact that this kind of violence is commonplace in today's society is unavoidable. As well as the gruesome, bloody, murder of a foreign stranger, the offscreen domestic violence also hits home the tragic nature of life today.
It is clear that Carol is trying her best to get by, which is why we seem to dismiss the fact she steals from her workplace to make some extra money. Behind the theft of iPhones to pay for a flat screen TV is the sentiment that all she wants is to sit in the same room with her sons and eat tea together. But even that isn't enough to tempt her sons to keep her company for a while.
Desperate to escape the loneliness of the flat, Carol organises her night out with a work colleague. But her fun is tainted before she has even left the house when she discovers blood on her son's clothes whilst sorting out the washing. Choosing to ignore the evidence in front of her, she goes to the pub and seems to forget all about it, until the end of the night. Walking past the crime scene, her friend remarks that an unknown man was beaten to death there last night. Colman is phenomenal in this scene in portraying the horror and realisation of a mother to a murderer, whilst also having to contain it so her friend doesn't suspect anything. It truly is heartbreaking to see her already fleeting hopes of a happy family crash around her, and then for her to carry on as if nothing has happened the day after.
Unfortunately, Carol isn't able to remain in ignorant bliss for long, as the police soon come knocking at her door. After her turbulent argument, Carol wakes up to both her sons gone. She soon discovers them at their father's, but, with his uncontrollable temperament, that doesn't last very long and they are soon back home with their mother. Despite the horror of what her son's have done, things at home seem to have improved, as they cook a meal for their mother. But, their happiness doesn't last long, as police storm into their house and take them away to the sound of their mother's tears. Carol is left in the empty flat and we feel her despair as the future looks bleak for her family.
You can catch up on all the episodes of Run here.
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