The Williams Brothers strike again, this time as producers rather than writers. However the first episode of this psychodrama had a well worn feel about it.
Cambridge University lecturer Leah Dale (Katherine Kelly) is good at her job which is about to be made permanent. She is trying for a baby with her husband Adam and she lives in a nice house with a cat.
It is all about to go wrong when she accuses her Sociology student Rose Vaughan (Molly Windsor) for cheating. Her essay was just too good. Rose does not bring the notes she used for her essay so Leah fails her. Rose does not take this lying down. The cat mysteriously dies soon enough.
It is a battle of wits between Leah and Rose. The early scenes shows up Rose as someone who can get nasty even if her father is a wealthy patron of the university. Meanwhile Leah has issues in her private life, which includes masturbating in the toilets as she fantasises about her boss.
There is a flash forward element to this drama, as we see both Leah and Rose sitting across each other separated by glass. It looks like someone ends up in prison.
The first episode has a soap opera element to it. Rose is too easily painted as someone who can easily turn psychotic. It also has clunky writing. When Rose turns up unannounced at Leah's house in the pouring rain. Her husband invites her in and gives her a large whisky. Not the kind of appropriate behaviour to someone you wife has had a run in with.