One TV series is a prickly, twisty drama about the contentious divorce of a power couple; the other is a downbeat comedy that follows the misadventures of a literary agent facing the pitfalls of her profession and the challenges of being a middle-aged single mother. Their differences aside, the HBO shows War and Youth share a few things in common: They feature seriously flawed people who can’t get out of their own way; they’re each set in contemporary London; and coincidentally, the same young actor plays the offspring of the protagonists in both projects.
‘War’
The phrase “relationship drama,” often used pejoratively to describe interpersonal static, may be a convenient catch-all for the miniseries War because it takes a relentless look at a broken marriage. But War’s main thrust is the divorce case between a super-wealthy tech entrepreneur and a movie star, which delves deep into the machinations of the law firms representing each party. So this is as much a legal thriller that spotlights the clash of rival lawyers as it is an examination of a well-heeled husband and wife in crisis.
The litigants seeking to end their union are public figures: Morgan Henderson, CEO of the multibillion-dollar social media site Zephyr, and his estranged wife, Carla Duval, a renowned actress whose earning power has been eclipsed over time by the financial growth of her husband’s business. The couple shares custody of Gabriel “Gabe” Duval, Carla’s 16-year-old son and Morgan’s stepson. Morgan and Carla had a pre-nup, but it didn’t account for the immense amount of money Zephyr generated since the wedding. And that brings the law offices of Cathcarts, the established firm representing Morgan, and Taylor & Byrne, the upstarts representing Carla, into the picture.
The competing lawyers have issues of their own, including long-standing personal grudges and financial considerations, and neither team has any compunction about resorting to dirty tricks. Some veteran character actors are on board, including Pip Torrens as the ruthless St. John Smallwood, head of strategy at Cathcarts, and Celia Imrie as the savvy Joy “Budgie” Budge, a barrister brought into the case by Taylor & Byrne on Carla’s side. Phoebe Fox and James McArdle play the married partners in charge of Taylor & Byrne; they have a child on the way and dwindling funds that will be entirely drained if they can’t get a good settlement for Carla. Among the notable younger cast members, Archie Renaux is novice lawyer Jonathan “Johnny” Warren, whose loyalties are divided by circumstance, and Emma Laird is Molly Giordano, an amiable associate at Taylor & Byrne.
But the most compelling characters, by virtue of their significance to the story and their status in the fictional world of War, are Morgan and Carla. Dominic West, known for his forceful performances in The Wire, The Hour, The Affair, The Crown, and other celebrated TV dramas, excels at playing handsome, powerful, and conflicted men. He’s ideal as Morgan. Sienna Miller, who moved from modeling to serious roles in movies such as Layer Cake, Alfie, and Foxcatcher, brings ambition and desperation to Carla. Any resemblance to the dicey, real-life relationship between the mega-rich Elon Musk and his ex-wife, actress Talulah Riley, is probably intentional. It’s a tribute to West and Miller that they convey the angst on the part of Morgan and Carla as they try to reconcile their long-standing love for one another and individually attempt to curry favor with feckless, privileged teen Gabe (Aran Murphy), adding some degree of vulnerability to what would otherwise be an unlikeable pair.
With riches and public image at stake and the outcome of the show’s legal showdown in doubt until the sixth and final episode, War is a winner. And it doesn’t stop there. George Kay (Netflix’s Lupin) created War as an anthology series about high-profile legal cases that pit high-powered attorneys against one another. A second season is in production, and if the quality of the current one is any indication, the follow-up will deserve more than a trial look when it’s on the docket.
War airs Thursdays on HBO and streams on HBO Max.
‘Youth’
The latest television offering from Irish actress, writer, and producer Sharon Horgan is titled Youth, which is more than a little sardonic. The series is a dark comedy about Alex, a divorced woman in her 50s who works at a London literary agency and is coping with the stresses of getting older. Under constant job pressure, Alex (Horgan) has to additionally attend to her responsibilities as a mother to her balky teenage son Ruairí (Aran Murphy, again) and a daughter to aging parents, as well as endure her ongoing annoyance with her ex-husband Lorcan (Owen McDonnell), a pretentious, egotistical actor with a shallow girlfriend and little desire to be present for the son he should be co-parenting. Alex is also driven by her desire for sex and romance, hot flashes be damned!
As Alex, Horgan is central to virtually every scene, supported in style by Rupert Friend as Patrick, an old boyfriend whose return to Alex’s life leaves her torn between longing and suspicion about his intentions, and Sharlene Whyte as Sam, her boss at the agency and her best friend. Alex and Sam also navigate balky clients and professional rivals, giving Youth much of its verve. Standouts in the supporting cast are Anne Reid as best-selling author Charlotte; Harriet Walter as Livonia, Charlotte’s brusque daughter; and especially Douglas Hodge as Malcolm, a disgruntled writer who used to be represented by Alex, has written a hot fantasy novel, and is now being coveted by rival agencies.
Youth isn’t as memorable as Horgan’s droll, sardonic series Bad Sisters or as flat-out funny as her sitcom Catastrophe. Nonetheless, it succeeds in its mission to give voice to working women of a certain age who are trying to balance career, family, and the pursuit of love. If Youth has a target demographic, it’s women. By the way, the show features cameos by those dashing U.K. actors James Norton and Damian Lewis as themselves, which will surely please their fans. Horgan clearly knows her audience.
Youth airs Sundays on HBO and streams on HBO Max.
