Mr Bates vs. The Post Office: Episode 3
April 27, 2024 12:49 PM - Season 1, Episode 3 - Subscribe
Alan and the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance take their fight to the top of the Post Office as CEO Paula Vennells offers them the chance to apply for compensation for their losses.
I am glad I watched this a second time because I missed the radio host mentioning Vennels’s being a priest in the Church as well as in charge of the Post Office and I was so confused by why she was preaching in that one scene. Being a priest makes everything about her even worse.
It’s just so infuriating. But the casting is great (as soon as I saw Angela’s actress, I knew she’d be evil) and I do hope we see Bob again. Sometimes that mustn’t grumble, chin up, carry on quality is just exhausting. I really am excited about this final ep coming up, despite knowing this is still happening.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:21 AM on April 28 [1 favorite]
It’s just so infuriating. But the casting is great (as soon as I saw Angela’s actress, I knew she’d be evil) and I do hope we see Bob again. Sometimes that mustn’t grumble, chin up, carry on quality is just exhausting. I really am excited about this final ep coming up, despite knowing this is still happening.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 10:21 AM on April 28 [1 favorite]
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Angela’s visit to the just-widowed Gina, where she tells her the post office will do right by her, and responds to her tears by murmuring “yes, very stressful” is just appalling. I have to remind myself that this is dramatized but that whole dynamic is so vile and familiar, I have no trouble believing it.
Took me a minute to recognize the actor playing James Arbuthnot (Alex Jennings) - also played the Duke of Windsor in The Crown. It was somewhat satisfying to see him calling out the PO, and Nadhim Zahawi (as himself, apparently) raking them over the coals.
The bit where Jo can’t help out at her grandchildren’s school because she has a fucking criminal record.
IMO the show is doing a good job of expressing that cost of injustice is (I’m going to struggle to express this for a bit) it’s not just the injustice itself - the baseless convictions, the money lost - though that of course is a massive harm - it’s all the insidious downstream effects. The impacts to relationships, reputation, mental health, physical health.
The fact that even the inadequate justice they did receive was only achievable because hundreds of victims further sacrifices their time and assets. Because the PO execs couldn’t commit to both its reputation and to honesty?
posted by bunderful at 4:03 PM on April 27 [1 favorite]