Specialising in family law, Defoe is a family business synonymous with old-fashioned, quality representation. Built up over the years by mom (Deborah Findlay), her two eldest daughters Hannah and Nina are successful lawyers in their own right. Dad walked out 30 years ago when the youngest daughter, Rose, was just two years old.
But, as high-flying Hannah (a superbly nuanced performance from Nicola Walker) starts a new job headhunted by Noble & Hale and with Defoe struggling financially, dad is back. And the past, it turns out, is not quite what it seemed.
Created by Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady, Suffragette), The Split is a tight-knit family drama interweaving separate and connected narratives of the three sisters’ personal lives with the long office hours of high profile, costly divorce, pre-nup and child custody battles. As the cases tot up millions in settlement, Hannah is pulled in different directions. Professional loyalty balanced with concerns for the company she helped build: a family life of three kids with affable husband, barrister Nathan (Stephen Mangan): the reemergence of a father for the first time in 30 years: a reconnection at Noble & Hale with the sexy and available Christian (Barry Atsma), an old-flame.
A very English television drama (it’s the BBC at its best) in its realistic depiction of complicated personal relationships, The Split is intricate and engrossing with an outstanding cast and fine, fine script.
Rating: 84%
An Opinion or Two 