I Watch TV: The Way

 

The Way

In Port Talbot in the near future the steelworks are a cause of tension. A man immolates himself on the street in protest after his son dies in an industrial accident. The red monk, a figure from legend reappears. The last remaining wall of the abbey stands in the steelworks; legends surround that, as does the pilot light that burns.

We see the community through the Driscoll family. Geoff Driscoll is a shop steward, haunted by the memories (and ghost) of his father, a miner who killed himself after the 1984 strike and dispute. He tries to balance the needs of workers and management, though his true passion is the history of the steelworks and the museum he’s in charge of.

He's estranged from his wife Dee, who becomes one of the leaders of the strikers, giving speeches when management close a part of the works – for refurbishment they say, but they refuse to promise no layoffs or closures. When the pilot light goes out and the abbey wall falls there’s a general strike and demonstrations on the streets.

This brings them into conflict with their daughter Thea, a police sergeant. Her husband is abroad working in Germany (lack of opportunity in Port Talbot) and she has a five year old son. This is on top of an already existing conflict when she arrested her brother Owen, mentally ill and occasional addict, in order to save him from some drug dealers. Owen has been hooking up with Anna, a Polish immigrant working in a nursing home.

The unrest spreads across Wales, leading to the Welsh border being closed and anti-Welsh feeling spreading across the UK. Owen, prominent in a riot, has footage enhanced to make him appear more of a leader, more violent. The family go on the run, becoming refugees.

This is where the story turns, with the UK turning violently insular, and people’s casual anti-Welsh prejudice becoming blatant. That’s the obvious point it’s making, but there’s more. There’s legends and magical realism (both Geoff and Owen have visions – Thea doesn’t for reasons that come out). But on top of this is surveillance, and it becomes clear the use of pseudo- surveillance footage that’s been part of the show since the start is not just a stylistic choice. If anything, the show is trying to pack too much into the three hours total running time!

Watch This: Excellent drama with much to say about Welshness and the fragility of civil society
Don’t Watch This: A dysfunctional family cause trouble, go on the run