Finale. Written post. A Spoken + Spelled post for the concluding episode of the miniseries which, depending on your perspectives on closure, stuck the landing.
Getting in a comment under the wire. I wasn't completely sold on the show in the first half, but ep 3 and 4 were a lot stronger and pulled things together. I just think we maybe didn't have to have so many disparate threads to tie together at the end. I would have preferred cutting one of the threads out - like Jane's or David's - which weren't really essential to solving the murder. The explicit political commentary was pretty heavy-handed.
I'm very glad Sandrine confronted her boss's wife and used the word "rapist" as that's how that coerced sex scene felt to me, like rape. I'm not sure if I liked her final scene as it felt so cliché, like you just knew she was gonna shoot herself when she started writing the letter. I kind of hoped it would end differently once Kip gets to speak with her but alas...
I did love the visuals and cinematography - the Tate scene was incredible. Lots of other really interesting shots in the final episode, like the double vision when Sandrine's mom is on the phone.
I really just wanted more of Carey Mulligan outsmarting everyone and being exasperated with all the hypocrisy. She's wonderful.
Last Southeast England travel update: most of the drama moved to back to Pimlico/Westminster which made sense with the governmental angle towards the end. Carey meeting with smarmy MI5 ginger man at Tate Britain seemed appropriate. And leafy Surrey, with its large houses with large backyards you can stay up all night spying on a family without being noticed (she was wearing camouflage!)
The Bell Inn, where the unfortunate room decoration update occurred, is yet another place I’ve been for a wedding a few years ago.
My two favourite scenes in the whole 4 hours were sly two handers with Carey’s character turning the tables, using leverage and punting on a hunch against the bad government agents. Who justified their embedding for stopping terrorists getting in by boat. Because we all know that’s how they get in. ???
Very good final. Thank you, Tim, again for the recommendation. I doubt I ever would have found the show otherwise.
The scene between Sandrine and the major's wife was well written and played. It's interesting how the wife was able to keep up such a cool reaction to Sandrine's allegations, then turned so forcefully on the major. I suspect she was not that surprised by Sandrine's story. My one critique is it did play out a little too much like a #MeToo era script, complete with an "I believe her, 100%" line. The biggest weakness of the show overall was the speechifying.
Between the Vicar, David, Sandrine, and Kip, you have interesting choices on work, and how it changes you. Sandrine was of course defined by her job, which contributed to her undoing. David decided not to put up with a role that was forcing him into ridiculous 5 am dressing downs and votes that he did not believe in. That freed him up to pursue the relationship with the news anchor. The Vicar decided to choose her work over love. Her work was less "important" than David, in the sense that it was not as prestigious, but more important in the sense that she felt like she was actually accomplishing things and doing "good." Kip seemed most successful at doing a job that she found meaningful, while ignoring its rules and working the system to allow her to accomplish good deeds, at least for some of the people her job brings her in contact with. It's curious that we don't see more of her personal life. I think the otherwise extraneous detail about the high jump career explains some of this. Here's someone who operated at the highest level in the public eye, and saw it all came crashing down (so to speak). I think that sort of experience helps put things in perspective and help you prioritize.
Thanks again to Tim and all the commenters. My experience watching the show was enhanced by the ability to watch and think along with everyone.
I enjoyed the series. It was definitely a bit short. Perhaps six episodes would allow them to flesh out the storylines just a bit? Definitely agree that some of the character arcs seemed a bit superfluous; on the one hand, it showed everyone with any connection to the major storyline, but on the other, the connections seemed a bit circular.
As far as the ending, I can appreciate the concept of not everything needing to be tied into a neat bow, because things rarely do in life. That being said, sometimes it is nice to see the "bad guys" get caught or get their comeuppance in some way. In life, the a$$holes get away with it more often than not. Do I really need my entertainment to always be more like real life? Seeing these people get caught can be a bit cathartic, unlike the rest of life. ;-)
Over all I loved this show, and I really like the four episode mini-miniseries format. There was enough to keep everything moving, but not so much that it ever bloated. Also, I am huge believer when it comes to ANY form of entertainment (movies, music, books, stand up, what ever)that I'd much rather want MORE when its over than feel like it got too long and drawn out...
My final thoughts:
- Once again lots of stair ways, hall ways, walkways and tunnels...
(But particularly a lot of stairways in this one)
- I love that right after Officer Kip dunks all over the MI5 douche there's wide shot with a naked statue next to Agent Spence. That statue wasn't even half as "de-pantsed" as that agent...lol
- Props to Sandrine for severely diminishing Major Rapist's capacity for gaslighting...
- As officer Kip was moving up to Sandrine's room all I could think was that if we don't get a proper interaction between these two, I'll be trashing this travesty on Goodman's substack!!!
- What an interaction!!! Officer Kip: "I saw a chance to put something right". The absolute perfect response right before her next response which was well, less than perfect...
- Our last set of vertical lines were unfortunately on the walls as a result of Sandrine's final act...
- I really never understood the point of the sub plot involving Karen "Mother of the year" Mars...
- I loved the symmetry of ending on the P.O.V. shot of the pizza oven just as the whole thing began...
Disclaimer: I haven't commented on the previous episodes so I may be covering old ground here, apologies!
Throughout Collateral, I kept thinking of another four-episode series, The Long Call, which also centers around a murder, but is much more of a procedural. What generic or style elements make the Long Call a procedural and Collateral a drama? The pedigree (David Hare vs. based on a mystery novel by Ann Cleeves)? A favored POV, in that TLC focuses more on the detectives where Collateral includes quite a lot of its non-Met characters? The inclusion of capital-P Politics in the person of David Mars? Certainly The Long Call wraps up things in a more clear-cut way, probably down to that mystery-novel background -- it's an audience expectation.
I really enjoyed Collateral, especially the connections between the various women characters; those scenes between Glaspie and Fatima and between Sandrine and Phoebe Dyson were dynamite. And the lunch between Sandrine and her mother was just devastating.
I clearly remember thinking at the end of episode 3 "Oh, so Laurie is dead, Sandrine is going to be killed pretty shortly, Fatima & Mona will get deported, and Haley will leave Glaspie out to dry. The women are the collateral damage." Given that Glaspie was able to maneuver Spence into granting citizenship to Fatima and Mona, and Haley had to back off, I'm glad I was only half-right.
What a great show! The finale felt like a 2 hr film, in a good way.
The scene with Sandrine and Tim's wife was so fantastic. The dialogue between these two women and the way they were simultaneously pitted against-yet-for-each other was way more realistic than any reality show girl fight 😅
I love how much pregnancy played in this: two wildly different situations, yet both suffering(or nearly suffering - Kip works around the rules) personally or professionally from being in this 'state'.
There weren't any loose ends I cared to know more about. The writing did a good job of keeping us from wondering too much about lines they dropped or didn't explain. I wish they would have done that for a few more storylines - David Mars & his custody arrangement, and the insufferably righteous vicar 🙄
This show offers us a variety of powerful and dynamic female roles, and for me that was the best part of this mini-series!
...left with a lingering girl crush on Carey Mulligan ...
Really enjoyed the series. Carey Mulligan really carried it for me. I was curious about the comment that Sandrine was xenophobic. I didn’t see that it any of the episodes, to me it felt much more like she was acting from a place of trauma due to her experiences in the war. I felt like her suicide letter underscored that. That was a very poignant and heartbreaking scene both from her perspective and Carey Mulligan character. Enjoyed the show overall, thanks for the rec!
What do we want from crime drama/mysteries? It's nice to get some resolution, which doesn't necessarily mean catching all the bad guys ... Peter escaping was fine, I'm just glad his place in the story was understood by all concerned by the time the series ended. It helps to care about the protagonist ... Carey Mulligan did a lot to engage us ... but that's not always necessary (I'm thinking old school here, but Hammett's Continental Op comes to mind ... we know nothing about him, he is defined solely by how good he is at his job). Mysteries also allow for stories that cross class boundaries. Kip was working class, in the course of solving the case she enters into the lives of people both lower and higher than her on the class scale. Thanks for picking this, Tim!
Very good show, slightly anticlimactic ending. Thoughts:
1. Carey Mulligan had so many great scenes in this episode! Her discussion with MI5 jerk was notable. Interesting film location. And of course that final scene with Sandrine. That moment when Kip realized she made an error in inferring the man wasn’t a terrorist leading to Sandrine’s suicide! I like that the show went there, showing our main character making a big mistake.
2. I like that they showed the main bad guy getting away. That felt realistic even if it might dissatisfy viewers.
3. The scene when Sandrine confronted the Major’s wife was outstanding. What I noticed was how the wife kept her cool by giving eye contact.
4. I can’t say I loved either the MP’s subplot nor the vicar’s. I guess the point of the MP was to give some sound bites on immigration in Great Britain. The vicar plot seemed one too many. I guess the point of both characters was they were superfluously connected to witnesses but to me it overall didn’t work.
5. Small quibble: the police never would have called Sandrine’s mother with news of her death. They would have come in person. Maybe not enough time or the budget to do it. Boy was that family snowed by Peter Westbourne!
Overall an excellent crime drama but not perfect.
Good point, Tim, on Sandrine’s letter being exposition. (By the way I never knew what sexposition meant so thanks for the explanation!). I was wondering what you thought about her possible xenophobia and how this episode didn’t deal with it.
Getting in a comment under the wire. I wasn't completely sold on the show in the first half, but ep 3 and 4 were a lot stronger and pulled things together. I just think we maybe didn't have to have so many disparate threads to tie together at the end. I would have preferred cutting one of the threads out - like Jane's or David's - which weren't really essential to solving the murder. The explicit political commentary was pretty heavy-handed.
I'm very glad Sandrine confronted her boss's wife and used the word "rapist" as that's how that coerced sex scene felt to me, like rape. I'm not sure if I liked her final scene as it felt so cliché, like you just knew she was gonna shoot herself when she started writing the letter. I kind of hoped it would end differently once Kip gets to speak with her but alas...
I did love the visuals and cinematography - the Tate scene was incredible. Lots of other really interesting shots in the final episode, like the double vision when Sandrine's mom is on the phone.
I really just wanted more of Carey Mulligan outsmarting everyone and being exasperated with all the hypocrisy. She's wonderful.
Last Southeast England travel update: most of the drama moved to back to Pimlico/Westminster which made sense with the governmental angle towards the end. Carey meeting with smarmy MI5 ginger man at Tate Britain seemed appropriate. And leafy Surrey, with its large houses with large backyards you can stay up all night spying on a family without being noticed (she was wearing camouflage!)
The Bell Inn, where the unfortunate room decoration update occurred, is yet another place I’ve been for a wedding a few years ago.
My two favourite scenes in the whole 4 hours were sly two handers with Carey’s character turning the tables, using leverage and punting on a hunch against the bad government agents. Who justified their embedding for stopping terrorists getting in by boat. Because we all know that’s how they get in. ???
Very good final. Thank you, Tim, again for the recommendation. I doubt I ever would have found the show otherwise.
The scene between Sandrine and the major's wife was well written and played. It's interesting how the wife was able to keep up such a cool reaction to Sandrine's allegations, then turned so forcefully on the major. I suspect she was not that surprised by Sandrine's story. My one critique is it did play out a little too much like a #MeToo era script, complete with an "I believe her, 100%" line. The biggest weakness of the show overall was the speechifying.
Between the Vicar, David, Sandrine, and Kip, you have interesting choices on work, and how it changes you. Sandrine was of course defined by her job, which contributed to her undoing. David decided not to put up with a role that was forcing him into ridiculous 5 am dressing downs and votes that he did not believe in. That freed him up to pursue the relationship with the news anchor. The Vicar decided to choose her work over love. Her work was less "important" than David, in the sense that it was not as prestigious, but more important in the sense that she felt like she was actually accomplishing things and doing "good." Kip seemed most successful at doing a job that she found meaningful, while ignoring its rules and working the system to allow her to accomplish good deeds, at least for some of the people her job brings her in contact with. It's curious that we don't see more of her personal life. I think the otherwise extraneous detail about the high jump career explains some of this. Here's someone who operated at the highest level in the public eye, and saw it all came crashing down (so to speak). I think that sort of experience helps put things in perspective and help you prioritize.
Thanks again to Tim and all the commenters. My experience watching the show was enhanced by the ability to watch and think along with everyone.
I enjoyed the series. It was definitely a bit short. Perhaps six episodes would allow them to flesh out the storylines just a bit? Definitely agree that some of the character arcs seemed a bit superfluous; on the one hand, it showed everyone with any connection to the major storyline, but on the other, the connections seemed a bit circular.
As far as the ending, I can appreciate the concept of not everything needing to be tied into a neat bow, because things rarely do in life. That being said, sometimes it is nice to see the "bad guys" get caught or get their comeuppance in some way. In life, the a$$holes get away with it more often than not. Do I really need my entertainment to always be more like real life? Seeing these people get caught can be a bit cathartic, unlike the rest of life. ;-)
Over all I loved this show, and I really like the four episode mini-miniseries format. There was enough to keep everything moving, but not so much that it ever bloated. Also, I am huge believer when it comes to ANY form of entertainment (movies, music, books, stand up, what ever)that I'd much rather want MORE when its over than feel like it got too long and drawn out...
My final thoughts:
- Once again lots of stair ways, hall ways, walkways and tunnels...
(But particularly a lot of stairways in this one)
- I love that right after Officer Kip dunks all over the MI5 douche there's wide shot with a naked statue next to Agent Spence. That statue wasn't even half as "de-pantsed" as that agent...lol
- Props to Sandrine for severely diminishing Major Rapist's capacity for gaslighting...
- As officer Kip was moving up to Sandrine's room all I could think was that if we don't get a proper interaction between these two, I'll be trashing this travesty on Goodman's substack!!!
- What an interaction!!! Officer Kip: "I saw a chance to put something right". The absolute perfect response right before her next response which was well, less than perfect...
- Our last set of vertical lines were unfortunately on the walls as a result of Sandrine's final act...
- I really never understood the point of the sub plot involving Karen "Mother of the year" Mars...
- I loved the symmetry of ending on the P.O.V. shot of the pizza oven just as the whole thing began...
Disclaimer: I haven't commented on the previous episodes so I may be covering old ground here, apologies!
Throughout Collateral, I kept thinking of another four-episode series, The Long Call, which also centers around a murder, but is much more of a procedural. What generic or style elements make the Long Call a procedural and Collateral a drama? The pedigree (David Hare vs. based on a mystery novel by Ann Cleeves)? A favored POV, in that TLC focuses more on the detectives where Collateral includes quite a lot of its non-Met characters? The inclusion of capital-P Politics in the person of David Mars? Certainly The Long Call wraps up things in a more clear-cut way, probably down to that mystery-novel background -- it's an audience expectation.
I really enjoyed Collateral, especially the connections between the various women characters; those scenes between Glaspie and Fatima and between Sandrine and Phoebe Dyson were dynamite. And the lunch between Sandrine and her mother was just devastating.
I clearly remember thinking at the end of episode 3 "Oh, so Laurie is dead, Sandrine is going to be killed pretty shortly, Fatima & Mona will get deported, and Haley will leave Glaspie out to dry. The women are the collateral damage." Given that Glaspie was able to maneuver Spence into granting citizenship to Fatima and Mona, and Haley had to back off, I'm glad I was only half-right.
What a great show! The finale felt like a 2 hr film, in a good way.
The scene with Sandrine and Tim's wife was so fantastic. The dialogue between these two women and the way they were simultaneously pitted against-yet-for-each other was way more realistic than any reality show girl fight 😅
I love how much pregnancy played in this: two wildly different situations, yet both suffering(or nearly suffering - Kip works around the rules) personally or professionally from being in this 'state'.
There weren't any loose ends I cared to know more about. The writing did a good job of keeping us from wondering too much about lines they dropped or didn't explain. I wish they would have done that for a few more storylines - David Mars & his custody arrangement, and the insufferably righteous vicar 🙄
This show offers us a variety of powerful and dynamic female roles, and for me that was the best part of this mini-series!
...left with a lingering girl crush on Carey Mulligan ...
Really enjoyed the series. Carey Mulligan really carried it for me. I was curious about the comment that Sandrine was xenophobic. I didn’t see that it any of the episodes, to me it felt much more like she was acting from a place of trauma due to her experiences in the war. I felt like her suicide letter underscored that. That was a very poignant and heartbreaking scene both from her perspective and Carey Mulligan character. Enjoyed the show overall, thanks for the rec!
What do we want from crime drama/mysteries? It's nice to get some resolution, which doesn't necessarily mean catching all the bad guys ... Peter escaping was fine, I'm just glad his place in the story was understood by all concerned by the time the series ended. It helps to care about the protagonist ... Carey Mulligan did a lot to engage us ... but that's not always necessary (I'm thinking old school here, but Hammett's Continental Op comes to mind ... we know nothing about him, he is defined solely by how good he is at his job). Mysteries also allow for stories that cross class boundaries. Kip was working class, in the course of solving the case she enters into the lives of people both lower and higher than her on the class scale. Thanks for picking this, Tim!
Very good show, slightly anticlimactic ending. Thoughts:
1. Carey Mulligan had so many great scenes in this episode! Her discussion with MI5 jerk was notable. Interesting film location. And of course that final scene with Sandrine. That moment when Kip realized she made an error in inferring the man wasn’t a terrorist leading to Sandrine’s suicide! I like that the show went there, showing our main character making a big mistake.
2. I like that they showed the main bad guy getting away. That felt realistic even if it might dissatisfy viewers.
3. The scene when Sandrine confronted the Major’s wife was outstanding. What I noticed was how the wife kept her cool by giving eye contact.
4. I can’t say I loved either the MP’s subplot nor the vicar’s. I guess the point of the MP was to give some sound bites on immigration in Great Britain. The vicar plot seemed one too many. I guess the point of both characters was they were superfluously connected to witnesses but to me it overall didn’t work.
5. Small quibble: the police never would have called Sandrine’s mother with news of her death. They would have come in person. Maybe not enough time or the budget to do it. Boy was that family snowed by Peter Westbourne!
Overall an excellent crime drama but not perfect.
Good point, Tim, on Sandrine’s letter being exposition. (By the way I never knew what sexposition meant so thanks for the explanation!). I was wondering what you thought about her possible xenophobia and how this episode didn’t deal with it.