Knit to This
Knit to This: Alibi
Dear Ann,
Here’s a good one: Alibi. Three fantastic actors, two of them playing very much against characters for which they’re so well known as to be typecast. A fairly quotidian case of marital infidelity takes an unexpected turn that turns into a web of lies, followed by a roller coaster of lies being caught, followed by other lies. The story is told in three episodes, without leaving an opening for a second series with these characters, which is kind of refreshing. (NB: The trailer up top makes the story seem more darkly criminal than it is. A guy is dead and his business partner tries to cover it up, no biggie for us Masterpiece Mystery mavens, we’ve seen worse.)
The actors are Michael Kitchen of Foyle’s War; Phyllis Logan, Downton Abbey’s Mrs. Hughes; and Sophie Okonedo, whose face transmits emotions, realizations, and impulses at the speed of light. Okonedo plays Marcey Burgess, one of the most original characters ever written, and it’s hard to imagine anyone else playing her half so well. Marcey has hypersensitive emotional intelligence; she also doesn’t behave quite normally. Her unpredictability is what makes the whole unlikely story—which is sordid, funny, sad, and riveting—possible at all.
It’s not a mystery. It’s not a police procedural. It’s not a romantic comedy, despite what the PBS synopsis claims. It’s not a lot of things. It’s just a whopper of a story, well told. It made me feel better about people, oddly. Things are not what they seem. We all contain multitudes. Connections are possible if we are open to them.
Alibi is a British production currently streaming on PBS Passport, and hopefully can be found elsewhere!
Love,
Kay
I binge-watched it a couple of weeks ago via Acorn TV. Extremely entertaining!
The Alibi was great. 3 nights in a row, but way too engaging for the lace sock I was working!
We are currently watching The Old Man. Will add this to our list. Sounds perfect to knit dishcloths to. (where have they been all my life – like potato chips!)
Oh my gosh! Thank you! Sophie Okonedo is my favorite actress! Be sure to watch her in Dirty Pretty Things, The Secret Life of Bees, Hotel Rwanda, etc. she’s amazing!
Love Acorn and BRITBOX. Ready to dis Netflix!
Totally agree!
I looked on PBS Passport and it’s not listed.
Same here. Not on
Me too. Not on my PBS passport. On the upside, I found several other PBS shows I can watch!
I had to use the search feature and type in the title.
It’s on YouTube in 11 episodes.
Oh wow, can’t wait to watch this. Still need to thank you for recommending the Anika podcast, which got me through packing up my office for a move, i.e. finally facing down 20 years of procrastinating squirreling.
Thank you, I so appreciate the recommendations from like-minded (well, knitters who love good TV) kind folk! It is available through Passport on WGBH and I can’t wait to watch.
Apparently having passport for WTTW in Chicago does not provide the same offerings as GBH. But thanks for the YouTube tip.
I love the Brits ability to respect a story arc and not jump the shark.