DVD Review: ‘Last Tango in Halifax’

Article first published as DVD Review: ‘Last Tango in Halifax’ on Blogcritics.

The BBC recently released Last Tango in Halifax, a thoroughly charming drama, mostly based on a true story. The series recently aired in the U.S on PBS.
This two-disc set includes the six episodes that make up the initial series run. A second series has already filmed and is coming soon. After viewing these first six installments, that’s good news indeed.

Last Tango in Halifax is not your typical modern television program. It has no crimes to investigate, no medical mysteries to solve, no aliens, no disasters, and no chase scenes. Wait, strike that last one. It is, however, remarkable for being a simple love story between two people in their 70s, an age group far under-served on TV. And it’s incredibly sweet.

As the story begins, Alan Buttershaw (Derek Jacobi, The King’s Speech) is living with his widowed daughter, Gillian (Nicola Walker, MI-5), and her teenage son, Raff (Josh Bolt, Nowhere Boy). Lonely and missing his departed wife, Alan decides to play around on Facebook, searching for his old classmates. Celia Dawson (Anne Reid, Upstairs Downstairs), the woman Alan once harbored a huge crush on is not only one of the few left alive, but also currently without a spouse. The two begin an electronic pen pal relationship, which soon evolves into much, much more.

Celia is also residing with her daughter, Caroline (Sarah Lancanshire, Lark Rise to Candleford), who has been going through marital strife with husband John (Tony Gardner, Lead Balloon). John is a cheater and Caroline may be a lesbian, considering a romance with a co-worker named Kate (Nina Sosanya, Silk). Which doesn’t make their two sons feel very good.

It’s into this chaos that Celia and Alan’s relationship unfolds. They are bonded instantly, while their families have to deal not only with the a clan of new people in their lives, but their own messy issues. There is a lot of authenticity and heart in Last Tango in Halifax, but there is also some darkness and a few doses of reality in the subplots, which helps keep the tale grounded as more than a fairy tale.

The back story of this couple-that-almost-wasn’t is fun and full of foibles. What one doesn’t realize at first is that the past will have lasting implications, though they won’t pop up until late in the run. There are not serious consequences, at least not that we’ve seen yet, but there’s an emotional wallop that feels both natural and unexpected, and if anything, is downplayed more than it should be after it emerges.

I like both the way the characters are so relatable, as well as the departure from the usual formula. There really isn’t anything else like this series currently airing, and this production is very well done, with some superb acting, especially from the pair at the center. I wish more networks would take chances and show us another side of human nature that is so often ignored on the small screen.

The only thing that feels a little staged is the rift that comes between Alan and Celia at the end of the season. They get along so perfectly up til then, and when it happens, it’s swift and major. I have a hard time believing either would think about taking a drastic step apart when they’ve been so happy with one another, even considering the very reasonable thing that comes between them. But the resolution sort of saves things, and without giving too much away, at least there’s material left over for a second season.

This DVD set has no special features whatsoever. After looking over the Wikipedia page on the series, that feels extra surprising, considering the very interesting origins of the show. I really wish there had at least been some interviews and discussions about this, and feel a little let down that there’s not. But it is a solid batch of episodes that can stand on their own, so as much as I might yearn for more, I can’t fault what is present.

Last Tango in Halifax is available now.

Hopefully This Isn't the LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX

Article first published as Hopefully This Isn't the LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX on TheTVKing.

PBS is airing a BBC drama series currently called Last Tango in Halifax. It has no crimes to investigate, no medical mysteries to solve, no aliens, no disasters, and no chase scenes. Wait, strike that last one. It is, however, remarkable for being a simple love story between two people in their 70s, an age group under served on television today. And it's incredibly sweet.

Alan Buttershaw (Derek Jacobi, The King's Speech) is living with his widowed daughter, Gillian (Nicola Walker, MI-5), and her teenage son, Raff (Josh Bolt, Nowhere Boy), to help them out. Lonely and missing his own departed wife, he decides to search Facebook to look up his old classmates. Alan discovers that his long-ago crush, Celia Dawson (Anne Reid, Upstairs Downstairs), is not only one of the few left alive, but also currently without a spouse. The two begin an electronic pen pal relationship.

It's very touching to see how their communication plays out, Alan afraid to ask Celia to meet up in person, and she hesitant to accept. It's not because she doesn't like him, but rather, both feel snubbed because of a miscommunication decades ago, with Alan's late wife likely to blame. Once they do see each other face to face, though, the years melt away, and they can finally pursue the romance they both always wondered about, but never thought would happen, he still that nervous boy, and she that eager girl.

It's hard to get into Alan's mindset at first. He loved his wife very much, yet still held a torch for Celia. Can one man love two people at once? What would have happened if Celia had come onto him earlier, perhaps while he was still married? Yet, because of the type of man Alan is, this doesn't seem to matter, and to those it does, they will probably assume he would have stayed faithful. It doesn't take long at all to get behind the coupling, something that brings these two joy so late in life they thought it wouldn't happen for them.

See, Celia never had the love Alan did. She disliked her husband, and so her feelings for Alan never lessened. She plays coy at first, not wanting to admit her pain or regrets, but Alan is easy for her to talk to, and it comes out. Alan is the man she has always wanted to be with, and now it's happened.

Yet, Last Tango in Hallifax is not just two old people sitting around and talking. In the first episode, which aired this week in the U.S., they engage in some pretty fun shenanigans that threaten Alan's weak heart. Get your minds out of the gutter, it's not what you're thinking. And it's not what you expect to see from a couple of this age. The show doesn't ignore their advanced years, but rather, presents wholly developed portraits of people not defined by their age. In this, it feel fresh and brilliant.

Of course, things will not be easy for Alan and Celia. Their daughters take an instant dislike of one another, as Gillian insults Celia's uptight daughter, Caroline (Sarah Lancashire, Lark Rise to Candleford). But that's something they have five more episodes to work out (in the first season alone; it has been renewed in Britain), so we can look forward to amusing rivalry.

Last Tango in Halifax does give the younger players their own plots. Caroline has to deal with a cheating husband (Tony Gardner, Lead Balloon) who wants to come home to her and their sons, though Caroline is more interested in colleague Kate (Nina Sosanya, Silk). And Gillian must reassure her son's fears that she might have killed her husband, a suspicion raised by Raff's uncle Robbie (Dean Andrews, Ashes to Ashes). But while I don't complain about serving the entire cast much, each scene that did not involve Alan and Celia made me want more of them.

I think it's just heartwarming to see Celia and Alan find each other after all these years. Their relationship is so much better and simpler than their childrens'. One has to wonder if earned wisdom doesn't allow Alan and Celia to rise above the way they likely were in earlier years, too. It gives us all hope that no matter how life plays out, there's always a chance to end it happily.

Last Tango in Halifax airs on PBS. Check your local PBS listings for showtimes.

What dark thoughts dwell Inside Men

BBC America presents the four part series INSIDE MEN. This limited run show tells the story of a robbery, with a concentration on the motivations and actions of three men who work on the inside.

For those who enjoy The Killing, Luther, or other intelligent crime dramas, but worry about the ending being drawn out or left unsolved, fear not. INSIDE MEN is only designed as a four part run, and no more will be made. The length of roughly two feature films, this design allows for a deeper exploration of characters than most movies, but is still short enough to satisfy the very impatient.

As the story begins in September, John (Steven Mackintosh, Luther) is held at gunpoint in the secure money depot he is manager of by a bunch of masked men. John leads the robbers to the loot, with security guard Chris (Ashley Walters, Outcasts) getting shot along the way. It seems like the villains get want they want, and poor John and Chris are left behind with the rest of the staff, most locked in the vault.

But that's not the entire story. As the first episode progresses, viewers flash back to January. Chris falls for a young woman named Dita (Leila Mimmack, Married Single Other) who swipes a bill from the facility, costing her the job. Chris and Dita begin running a con on another company, but Dita can only manage to keep the job for a little while, not long enough to solve their money problems or ambition.

Meanwhile, a money mover for the company named Marcus (Warren Brown, Luther) owes some people some dough. He helps Chris fence a few articles of clothing, and when that runs dry, comes up with a plan to fleece cash from their employer. It sounds like an achievable feat to Chris, and the two begin their plot.

Also running through the episode are scenes of John after the attack, presumably being moved with his wife (Nicola Walker, MI-5) and daughter to safety. John seems haunted by the events of the crime, and would not like to stick around town, especially considering that the bad guys know where he lives, having held his family hostage as the thievery went down.

I will not spoil the twist ending of the first hour, for those viewers who have not seen it yet. Suffice it to say, John, Chris, and Marcus are connected in many ways, and will soon be learning not only what the others are capable of, but how far they themselves are willing to go. Will the perpetrators be brought to justice? Or will they get away? Is that even important, in the end? INSIDE MEN is a character study piece, with relatable, realistic people in a situation that many have thought about, but few have dared to act on.

INSIDE MEN is intense and gripping. The acting, much of the cast veterans of the gritty British drama scene, are amazing, really selling the parts, but avoiding overacting. The story is interestingly plotted, and though it jumps around in time a bit, is relatively simply to follow. The pacing is good, too, unspooling the mystery slowly enough to dwell on pieces of it, rather than rushing it along, but fast enough to build excitement and tension. In short, INSIDE MEN will probably be another great entry into the genre.

It's a shame that INSIDE MEN only made four episodes, and does not intend to make more. After only a single hour, there is definitely enough draw to really hook viewers and make them fans. It's already clear that four installments will not be enough. And yet, it must be respected that the writer wants to tell a complete story. Maybe another cast could be put together for another series, in a kind of anthology?

INSIDE MEN airs Wednesdays at 10 PM ET on BBC America.