Anatomy of a Scandal

Incisive, enraging and boasting an excellent ensemble, this timely drama may be made for binge-viewing but it offers plenty of food for thought.

If you’re someone who doesn’t mind substandard dialogue or visual gimmicks — and be warned, most episodes end with cheesy effects that make you think you’ve switched to a disaster flick — and you just want a decent page-turner that you don’t feel compelled to binge in one night, this fits the bill.

An old-fashioned courtroom miniseries with a somewhat more modern backdrop of sexual politics, "Anatomy of a Scandal" is a crisply told, nicely binge-able mystery that doesn't overstay its welcome. Adapted from a novel, the material certainly doesn't break any ground but proves watchable enough for its various twists, some admittedly more strained than others.

“Anatomy of a Scandal” is a considerable upgrade [from "The Undoing"]. Don’t get me wrong, it’s garbage, but it’s high-end garbage and eminently binge-able. ... I would have liked more of an emphasis on how Kate builds her case, but the show isn’t particularly interested in the nuts and bolts of it all. It’s not a courtroom thriller.

If you were hoping that this six-part thriller, based on Sarah Vaughan’s bestseller, was going to be the sort of handsome, gripping but semi-brainless fluff you could gobble up over a couple of cool spring evenings, then fear not – it very much is. ....There’s plenty to irk you if you came here for serious drama.

Despite the genuinely good cast, the easily bingeable formula, and enough breadcrumbs laid out to make it seem like it’s going somewhere interesting, the show ultimately just… exists.

What's missing in this Anatomy lesson is its soul. [25 Apr - 8 May 2022, p.5]

In its pursuit of big drama located inside an even bigger picture, Anatomy of a Scandal sacrifices intimacy and nuance. Its choices pay off in the sense that the series is never boring — it’s watchable through and through, if partly because it’s short enough that it’s easy to stick around just to see how it ends. But they also stop the series from going anywhere truly thoughtful, let alone daring or provocative.

Dockery and Friend are pros, playing parts well within their respective comfort zones; lesser-known actors like Kudzai Sitima (as Kate’s protégé) and Kathryn Wilder (as Olivia’s confidant) make strong showings in smaller roles. The fault for Anatomy’s broadness—and certainly for the silliest twist this side of Netflix’s even messier marital thriller Behind Her Eyes—lies mostly with writing that tweaks characters to fit the plot, rather than the other way around.

Out of all the thriller fare that Kelley has adapted for the small screen to date, the whole of Anatomy of a Scandal is disappointingly much less compelling than the sum of its parts.

The thing that’s frustrating about Anatomy of a Scandal is that it’s ostensibly about serious issues like sexual violence, entitlement, and grey areas of the law, but it’s actually just a stupidly breezy thriller.

Despite risible dialogue and a disturbing swing toward cheap theatrics, this weak but watchable legal thriller still puts a human face on the MeToo movement thanks to committed, compelling performances from Sienna Miller and Michelle Dockery.

With all its squabbles, over-the-top drama, and borderline cheesy filmmaking choices, “Anatomy of a Scandal” most resembles a soap opera you’d watch in order to have something on in the background. But the ultra-serious subject matter make it an impossible mindless watch. The final viewing experience is infuriating, frustrating, and ultimately unfulfilling.

If this confluence of saucy potboiler Apple Tree Yard and the Oxbridge oafs of The Riot Club sounds naff, that’s because it is. And the writing doesn’t help.

On the one hand, it is a twisty thriller that knows it is silly and hams that up. On the other, it attempts a serious exploration of consent and power, which sits uneasily with all the fireworks, and barely begins to unravel the knots it makes for itself.

["Anatomy of a Scandal"] takes big swings, few of which connect. Despite able performers and potent themes, the show is so addicted to chaos that it squanders its chance to say anything substantive.

One of the few above-average elements of the series is Miller’s performance. ... At multiple turns the writing in “Anatomy” introduces the idea of sexual dynamics as complex as the Gordian knot, but instead of addressing them with maturity, empathy, and intelligence, the writers simply slice through the knot, leaving them dangling in the wind. Dockery does her best to elevate the material.

There's a strong chance this soapy, clichéd first chapter will also be its last.