Paula (2017) User Reviews

So close but fell apart at the seams

[GrandoFernando · 6/10 · 8 June 2017]

This looked like it would be something special with twists and turns in abundance but it flat-lined in grand style. Even though the source of evil seemed obvious and the past was about to be explained. It just didn't happen and became more and more ridiculous. I understand that TV audiences are not all fortunate enough to apply logic and notice obvious faults in relation to how events are depicted and how they would happen in the real world. The holes in this grew larger than the potholes down the end of my road and fact became fiction in virtually every scene. I would list them but there were too many. Potential turned into farcical and suspense turned into the damn right ridiculous. Did they change writers and directors half way through? In the end I had to keep checking that there was only 3 episodes as there was only 5 minutes left and the end made the whole series look like a broken pencil, no point. So much potential ruined. Better luck next time.

Good characters, but steadily loses sense

[paul2001sw-1 · 6/10 · 28 June 2017]

The best thing about this Irish-set drama are its strong characters, notably the heroine, a confident but normal young woman whose life is undermined after making an unfortunate sexual acquaintance. It's relative weakness is its plot, which fails to operate on the principle that "less is more"; instead, the menacing premise set up in the first episode is not so much built upon, but almost discarded in favour of new, unnecessary elements, and the ultimate conclusion doesn't ring true. It's a shame, as the cast all do a good job; with a little more restraint, this could have been really good.

Sure freak me out

[aishaparveenyusuf · 7/10 · 22 June 2017]

The drama is good with dark and horror factor to it. I think I enjoyed it is I watch all 3 episodes in one sitting. Just there are unanswered questions but I hope there be a season 2 if not then I mark down the score. The actors were amazing and made the drama good to watch. The drama have some sort of mystery you wouldn't want to know because it pretty scaring at times. This drama isn't label as a horror but a dark drama and I often thing what make a good horror show is less is more.

Between 6-7

[Headturner1 · 6/10 · 14 February 2020]

OK. I watch mostly all UK series. The writing was bad and things aren't explained etc but I still couldn't look away. I was cracking up at parts. I thought it was pretty entertaining. The ending would have made this whole series better if she had been more involved with James than we were shown/ knew and she made him do it all. I mean she seemed to dislike the teacher, her brother so it would not have been far fetched and according to her she doesn't have " proper " feelings and they could have showed flash backs to piece it together. But any ways I still found it entertaining.

Paula's Loft.

[morrison-dylan-fan · 6/10 · 7 July 2017]

Whilst catching up with the excellent Canadian Noir TV series Cardinal,I wondered if there were any other similar shows on. Finding the Brit Noir mini-series One of Us to be an interesting show,I was intrigued to find another Brit Noir mini-series,which led to me meeting Paula.

The plot:

Working as a teacher on a low wage,Paula tries to find a way to rid her loft of rats on the cheap. Hiring indie handyman James,Paula gives James a tip by sleeping with him. Thinking their relationship is more than a one-off,James comes round as Paula ends an affair with a fellow teacher. Grabbing a paper with the staff details,James decides to teach Paula a lesson.

View on the series:

Shot in Dublin,director Alex Holmes rubs the shows mix of tough Noir Drama and glossy Erotic Thriller with dry browns and blues opening the paranoia in Paula's mind, whilst slick whip-pans and jagged edits spin a slick Thriller mood. Running for three hours,writer Conor McPherson has the chance to weave the stylish Erotic Thriller with the psychological depth of Noir. Setting Paula (played a bit too shouty by Denise Gough) off to have sex with any guy that gets in her view, McPherson sadly misses the chance to mix the genres,as wonderfully pulp dialogue is pulled down by dull characters whose bitterness blinds any feeling of mystery,and leads to the twist ending being place where the macabre opportunity is taken,as Paula takes James down to the loft.

I don't think so

[cordenw · 1/10 · 24 March 2018]

Haula Paula on a trawler and dump her out at sea

Like most people said , it starts out with a lot of promise.... and then it springs leaks on every pixel on the screen.

How do they get away with crap like this ?

You'd need a couple of rolls of scotch tape to join the scenes together, and unless I'm losing my mind (which is quite possible after this debacle) there was no one looking after the store after episode one!

This was like the tail of a kite when the wind drops , just all over the place with no idea as to what direction it's going to flap in.

I, who have no experience whatsoever in scriptwriting, could have turned out a better product than this unfathomable piece of garbage.

If it's ever announced that there'll be a season 2 I'll call the military, no sense in calling the Garda as they appear to be completely useless.

Put a 100 mile exclusion zone around every TV studio and don't let ANY of this crew past the gate!

Who's the real bad guy?

[gearedqualitygrowth · 8/10 · 24 March 2019]

SPOILERS! After Paula sleeps with the hot handyman, she says, "I never do this. For all I know, you could be a psycho." And he replies, "You could be a psycho." And that pretty much poignantly sums it up. At first, I thought this had some really big plot holes but then I wondered whether this ambiguity was on purpose to lead us down the wrong path. You're told up front the handyman (James) is the bad guy, and he does become a jealous, stalkery killer with a trashy home life and messed up childhood. What you learn as time goes on is that Paula (sociopath) is more "psycho" than James (psychopath) is. At least we know why he's screwed up, leading us to have at least some sympathy for him; we never know what has made her so and it makes her the real bad guy.

For example: we see James kill Phillip when he fights back while being blackmailed and can assume James didn't go there to kill him (he didn't even bring a weapon, he just uses an errant brick at the scene). James is blamed for the fire that maimed Paula's brother but we never see him do it. Could Paula have done it and used James as a convenient patsy? Her brother was an exhausting source of stress and she did kill him later (looks like a mercy killing, or was she finishing the job?). Maybe not, but something to consider once you have the hindsight of the ending. Also, when James tries to attack her in a restaurant bathroom and she empties a magazine at him at close range and doesn't hit him once, could this be on purpose so she can trap him on her terms later? She shoots up drugs at one point and you're like, why would she do this? Then you later wonder if it's because she's testing how much she needed to knock James out, showing how calculating she is.

My theory could be wrong but to me, it actually is a more enjoyable story this way than to sit there questioning all the plot holes the straight way. One thing is for sure, every scene with Tom Hughes is pure candy. I'm pretty sure it's illegal in most places for one man to be so gorgeous. That aside, his performance was raw and vulnerable and you felt more sorry for him in the end than her.

Promising start descends to farce

[peterrichboy · 4/10 · 9 June 2017]

The last 12 months have been terrific for crime dramas on the BBC, so it was inevitable that a turkey had to come along eventually. Half way through the opening episode I thought there was the potential of another Fall also set in Northern Ireland, by the end it was a bad episode of Tales Of The Unexpected. It's fair to say the lead character Paula played by the blameless Denise Gough is not girlfriend material. After two episodes she has slept with a married work colleague, a psychopathic DIY man and a police detective. In episode three she takes heroine for no apparent reason, adopts a stray dog, kills her brother, get pregnant and to top things off buries DIY man in her cellar complete with air tube to torture him and presumably give him a slow painful death. At least this rubbish was only three episodes long.

It's loses the plot

[jcfcever-20202 · 8/10 · 11 August 2020]

Paula starts off as semi believable and ends as if another writer was brought in to co write the final episode. I also suspect that is what probably happened.

Everything seems to be building up to James and Paula being brother and sister....and that was likely the original ending. A lot of the loose ends would have been tied up, minus the how she sneaked a box with a person in it under the floor of the cellar.

My theory is the ending was changed because someone thought they could get another series out of it.....but misjudged how it would be received. I found it watchable and well acted, if a bit more than a tad daft. The lesson here is tie up the 1st series unless you have the 2nd in the bag

Edgy thriller plunges over the edge

[xxharrison · 4/10 · 5 June 2017]

To begin with, this was good edgy stuff. There were some inconsistencies in Paula's character but then that can be true of life too. The slow moving first episode came, rather abruptly, to a climax. Then everything fell apart. At the start of episode two, I genuinely felt I must have missed at least half an episode. The characters had gone completely over the top, shouting, screaming and acting hysterically. It's all completely inexplicable. At least Paula is acting more consistently. She just goes to bed with whoever happens to walk through her hall door. Then she starts shooting wildly in a bathroom in an empty city restaurant at Christmas! Why is it Christmas all of a sudden? Or is it just that the production had too much to drink and thought it was Christmas?

Muddled script

[rchrdcorteel1 · 1/10 · 28 August 2019]

The characters created for this series are the most cringe worth group created in a very, very long time. Normally you can find one sympathetic character in a show, but in this case everyone is totally dislikable. The other major problem is the inconsistent unfolding of the plot due to very poor script writing: one major event in the first episode just simply dies/disappears in the second and third episode; given the seriousness of this event this is an extraordinary problem for consistency in the program - in fact, I literally yelled "That's ridiculous!" at my tv screen midway through the second episode. I did watch all three episodes, but regret doing so. This show really gives credence to the need for a zero star rating.

Suspenseful and satisfying

[KathleenK22 · 8/10 · 4 July 2017]

This one is a good mini series. Characters are well developed especially Paula. Characters are complex and flawed individuals even the police. The atmosphere is created through competent acting, facial expression and generally taking time to allow the audience to feel the emotion and intensity of the story. The English are the masters of subtlety and understatement which I prefer to the often American brashness and spelling every bit of the plot out for you. Things are not black and white they are more complicated than that. We are formed by our experiences especially the early ones and that is made clear in this three part series. I liked the ending because it is appropriate for this production.

I wouldn't waste your time on this

[jaycunninghamster · 2/10 · 8 June 2017]

What a let down.. The 1st 2 episodes had some potential even if there were holes in the plot all over the place.. So many unanswered questions and random plot lines that don't make sense.. I was really disappointed after watching this. If you haven't already watched it I'd advise you to steer clear.. It's terrible..

Brilliant thriller mini-series from BBC

[efaldk-349-274444 · 9/10 · 23 August 2017]

Everything is falling apart in Paula's life. She is having an affair with a married teacher colleague, and now her headmaster has found out about it. Her younger brother is having serious problems (drugs, alcohol?) and is living in a garage. Moreover she has discovered rats in her basement, and when she hires a handyman to take care of the problem, he turns out to be a psychopath. No wonder Paula has to swallow a lot of pills to avoid a breakdown.

This is the outline of the brilliant thriller TV-series "Paula" from BBC, which is a movement away from "tedious realism" towards an embracement of the supernatural and elements from old horror movies such as haunting ghosts, rats in basement of your house, and children locked up in a cupboard. It's all really a bit over the top, but I love it. The acting is very convincing. Paula i played by one of the upcoming actresses in British film, Denise Gough and the sexy but dangerous handy man, which Paula hires to fix the basement of her house, is played by Tom Hughes.

Far-fetched miniseries

[DavidYZ · 4/10 · 1 July 2017]

This is a BBC miniseries that was shown in three one-hour episodes. It was filmed in Belfast but is set in Dublin. It is about Paula, who is a teacher at a boys' high school. She is single, lives alone and is having a part-time affair with a married colleague, Philip.

She has a one-night stand with James, a man whom she hires to rid her basement of rats - he lives with his two partners and the children he has with them. He wants a relationship with her, but she doesn't want any more to do with him. James tries to blackmail Philip, which results in a fight that leaves Philip dead. James goes missing. A fight between James' two partners results in one binding the other up and locking her in their cupboard. A police detective, Mac, investigates. He starts an affair with Paula and and rescues the woman in the cupboard. James attacks Paula in the toilets of a restaurant. Mac rescues Paula, but then James stabs Mac.

The makers of this miniseries made a mistake in having a plain, dowdy, unlikeable protagonist. Its difficult to believe that men would be crazy about someone as unappealing as her. It's also very difficult for the viewer to like or care about her.

Paula finds out she's pregnant, but we don't know who the father is.

Paula drugs and kidnaps James, then buries him alive in a wooden box - with a tube for air. It ends without us knowing what might happen after then.

Heading for a fall

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 12 June 2017]

Paula is a bizarre and at times a hysterical psycho-sexual drama with an over the top ending. It might not make sense but is strangely watchable.

Paula is an ordinary, mildly attractive chemistry teacher who has a relationship with a smooth talking handyman James. She reminds James of someone from the past and he becomes obsessed with her and starts to stalk her.

In fact so unhinged is James that he hits Paula's lover, another teacher with a brick and kills him, torches Paula's brother's garage with her brother still inside giving him very severe burns and he has locked up a woman, the mother of his children, gagged and bound in a cupboard in his present lover's home.

It is left to maverick detective 'Mac' to pursue James and in the course of his investigations, he also falls for Paula.

The series in effect should had concluded at the end of the second episode when James gave himself up to the police. The writer thought that someone as disturbed as James should have his just desserts and Paula should be the one to prepare it.

An excellent, tense mini series.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 25 September 2017]

Paula is a Secondary School teacher with rats in her basement, one day a chance meeting with the handsome handyman James causes her life to spiral out of control, James is not a man to be messed around, and causes havoc for the troubled Paula.

It starts off quite well and has what some may call a dubious ending, but as a whole it's brilliant, the second episode in particular is loaded with tension, featuring some really nasty moments.

Denise Gough shows just how good an actress she is as Paula, but it's the performance of Tom Hughes that impresses the most, proving he's not just a pretty face. He is excellent as the unhinged James, his rages are expertly performed.

Give it a chance and ignore the naysayers, this is very very good. 9/10

Pathetic.

[kevswallow · 1/10 · 20 June 2017]

Started with a bit of promise but rapidly came off the rails. The main character was a nymphomaniac chemistry teacher with a drug infested brother who lives in a garage & is torched by a handyman who she has employed to get rid of a rat in her cellar. Now that is the easy bit, from here on it goes beyond any logic & reality into a series of disjointed scenes that made little sense. 3 hours of my life wasted.

A grim tale, which some will find shocking, and more or less well-done

[jrarichards · 8/10 · 13 July 2019]

Faced with what is presented as a British-Irish psychological thriller, those investing their time in these three 60-minute episodes in the experienced hands of Director Alex ("Line of Duty") Holmes will most likely go in with a couple of possible expectations and with a view otherwise that almost anything vaguely criminal and troubling (but probably also quite familiar) might happen under the banner genre-description of "thriller".

And in my view that would be just the way to start off with "Paula" (as opposed to, say, spoling things by reading this review!) Certainly if you want to be shaken out of the above convictions...

For if you do approach the series in the above way, you're going to find yourself conforming with years of TV-watching experience by starting from the off to shape our titular chemistry-teaching character Paula (played very well by Denise Gough) into the typical hero of these kinds of series. By the end of episode 1 that will still look quite a reasonable proposition, and your conventional mind will still be working hard on a task that is actually an uphill "square peg" kind of struggle.

And by the end of episode three, you will realise that that mind of yours never really stood a chance because - while we can indeed appreciate Paula's suffering, troubles, loneliness and humdrum existence regularly punctuated by unpleasant things - we CANNOT sympathise with her as this is not a person(ality) that can ever evoke sympathy.

Unless you're a VERY resilient and flexible person, the convention-defying approach that denotes is going to leave you wrong-footed and a little breathless, and THAT is either an unnerving thing, or a sign of the education, treat and new "entertainment" experience that "Paula" has to offer.

If you're like me, you'll end up finding this mostly refreshing and even impressive.

If you're still casting around desperately for heroes (and let's face it we all do or want to do that), the closest you get is Owen McDonnell as detective "Mac", whom Irish viewers will apparently feel is sort of reprising his Garda role, while Brits and others may be none the wiser. "Mac" certainly suffers a bit, but is a bit incompetent and a bit unkind to the truly-nice bit-part partner of his who dotes on him. And when Paula does her usual thing of (briefly) wanting every man she comes across sexually, he by no means says no...

Tom Hughes as pretty boy/thug James Moorcroft (whom Paula has also bedded ... just the once) of course plays a monumental part here, but he is pretty much straightforwardly the bad-guy, even if he has his bad childhood and other unpleasant things to somewhat account for what he gets up to.

These are the main parts of significance here, and if you are getting the impression that all is a bit dour, glum and gloomy, well you'll be right. Soaring GDP as it may have, Ireland still has its pockets of squalor and poverty, and we see several of them here, even if Belfast mostly stands in for Dublin!

Psychological thrillers with gloomy settings are something many of us get a kick from, even if they are nothing new. But where Paula innnovates is with its plot of murderous "obvious" violent male psychopath meets ostensibly-normal but actually strange-as-anything female psychopath, and in this context Paula has the chance to see her psychopathy "blossom", in a revenge-related plot strand that may be quite hard for most viewers to take, and is certainly one of the most chillingly innovative since Edgar Allen Poe...

Grim, scary, perhaps shocking, "Paula" is mainly innovative in the above way, and does not have too much else to offer. But for me that is enough, and I believe the same may go for other potential viewers who are not too sensitive...

Mess

[mosquitobite · 3/10 · 7 December 2018]

Just about life driving people psycho. Nothing new or interesting not sure why it was made really.

Piece of Art

[skylight-203-375607 · 10/10 · 3 June 2017]

As a crime/thriller/mystery addict that I am, there's nothing more thrilling than watching a new great show! This is the TV at it's best: brilliant choice of actors, directing is a spot on, well thought- through script, no pathetic overdoing of characters, everything runs smoothly, keeping you interested and involved. Can't remember when was the last time that I actually yelled at the screen 'NOO!Don't kill him! NOOOO!!!' ;)

I was pleasantly surprised with the first episode but still on guard where it would take us... Now, after the second one I'm hooked, I'm all in, love it, every single bit of it! It broke my heart realizing it's only a three part series, but I do understand the reasons behind it, making it longer would possibly ruin the show. It was a good choice imho.

Actors are perfect in their roles, I believe them 100% in everything they say and do. Gorgeous Tom Huges, whom I watched in 'Realive' just recently- didn't even recognize him in this role, handsome devil... I hope he'll get many more main, diverse roles that will allow him to shine through, he deserves it. Denise Gough should give lessons to Kristen Stewart and few others how to pull out the messed up yet likable character, no overacting or biting her nails to depict her escapism, she just IS and we are with her; from living the uneventful life as a teacher, apparently grounded and somewhat emotionless, into cursing her poor 'love' choices, to feeling the panic rising, standing in the eye of the storm with her. From thinking of her being an odd choice for this role I switched into applauding to whomever chose her cause I can't imagine anyone else playing this role any better.

Can't wait to see the final episode, especially after the second one ended with a total surprise for me, 'What now?!?' is all I can say, hoping with all my heart the finale won't let us down...

Great cast, good plot

[elsajonesb · 8/10 · 27 March 2023]

The show's pacing is excellent, with each episode slowly building the tension. The acting is also superb, with Denise Gough delivering a powerful performance as Paula, and Tom Hughes did a fantastic job as usual, bringing a creepy and unpredictable energy to his role.

What sets "Paula" apart from other similar stories is its exploration of power dynamics, manipulation, and psychological abuse.

The cinematography and direction also deserve praise, with each shot carefully crafted to enhance the mood and atmosphere of the show. The use of lighting and shadow, in particular, is effective in creating a sense of foreboding and unease.

Overall, "Paula" is a thought-provoking and harrowing exploration of the darker aspects of human relationships, and is definitely worth a watch for those who enjoy psychological thrillers, although personally i didnt like the end and i felt more sad about James than Paula.

TV spoiled by adverts

[imdb-92083 · 8/10 · 1 April 2024]

We meet Paula, a blonde bombshell - our version of Monroe. Princess Di, similarly hassled by the media before tragedy.

She had style, sex appeal, peroxide blonde in dresses. From The Tube to Big Breakfast, iconic and flirty. Live 8, Boomtown Rats, INXS, she was there for it all. She lived her life like a rockstar, who knew about Terrence Trent D'Arby?

I lived through the era, religiously watched The Tube etc. The Big Breakfast was a strangely refreshing start to the day, Paula on the bed with strangers.

INXS is a different matter after Hutchincese auto asphyxiation. Thankfully Geldoff has not gone down the same route.

A sad story of celebrity and fame. Her kid - Peaches similar.