Suranne Jones won a BAFTA, Bertie Carvel won the hate of the British public and Doctor Foster proved to be a surprising hit for the BBC. Series two starts where things left off but the tension is raised from the off and writer Mike Bartlett looks set to be revelling more than ever in the his creation’s bonkers nature . The first run always had an air of heightened reality and surreal edge. The decisions Gemma Foster (Jones) made felt not only questionable but just plain bizarre. That mixed with a distant feel in the direction made it an uneasy but essential watch and the pay off in the final two episodes made it all worthwhile. The truth came out, Simon (Carvel) had been cheating all along, rendered his wife unconscious in an attack and fled with a tail between his scurrying legs.
There’s no such build up this time and to a beautiful collection of sweeping shots we see letters being dispatched to the people of Parminster we’ve become accustomed to. Turns out Tom and mistress Kate are now married and returning to the area. The atmosphere is palpable as Gemma goes snooting around his empty new property (which was conveniently unlocked) and let’s just say he’s done rather well for himself. The house is a large cavern of minimal blandness and a swimming pool. That’s probably how the estate agent sold it. Cue the build up to their reunion as Tom footsteps it up the drive and they intently stare each other out through a window. At times the show looks like a horror movie without the relentless screams (yet). The camera gives the constant impression something unsettling is about to happen. Simon insists he’s paid for his mistakes, served time and is now clearly minted somehow despite all his previous money problems. In a subtle form of bullying that he’s is prone to, he points out that she still wears the same clothes, has the same car and hasn’t moved on.
There are many moments when you could scream at the telly “why are you doing that?!” but by definition drama is full of wrong and strange choices or there wouldn’t be any drama at all. In this enhanced world that Parminster spins in it’s easier to overlook them as now everything feels more safe in Bartlett’s hands. The means will be justified in the end. One such moment is when our favourite sinister Doc goes on a date with a patient (none of that try not to shag the people you’re treating business here) but decides to show up with said date to Simon and Kate’s welcome home party. She not welcome and the party looks set to kick off in a way nobody wants.
In a borderline creepy scene Gemma stalks around the bedroom sniffing lubricant and getting jealous of Kate’s expensive vibrator. We’ve all been there. Gemma and Simon square up and proving that men can multitask he declares his plan while having an erection. He wants her to flee from Parminster and wants his old life back with his old friends. It’s very oddly unsettling but tense as hell. It could be argued the pair could easily leave each other alone and get on with their own lives but they remain a toxic relationship even after the split. There’s love and hate in equal measure but more dangerously there’s raging jealousy and bitterness. Nobody will back down as he later states “There’s only one way I’m leaving now and that’s in a coffin”. It’s a declaration full of foreboding.
Are any of these characters actually likeable? The truth is no one carries themselves with much dignity, there’s no attempt to endear the Parminster residents to anyone within a mile radius of this mystical village of pent up emotions. They live in a self imposed (upper?) middle class selfish bubble and while most shows with characters so reactionary would suffer, Bartlett pulls of the miracle of making us care.
The sub horror feel returns as Gemma tries to track down her son Tom at the party and the quickened heartbeats turn out to be for nothing at she finds him safe. That’s until they get back home and in a drunken haze he shows anger and resentment towards his mother. Bartlett builds the expectations and delivers the hammer blow somewhere else. He goes for the head and kicks you in the balls. As such, at the close we get a reversal. Simon is now in his old house and leaves with Tom and a distressed mum flailing at the car. In a symbolic act of resurrection Gemma changes clothes, melts her wedding ring and the look of vengeance in her eyes is palpable. Hell hath no fury like a Doctor scorned.. 9/10
Doctor’s notes
- Ros wins award for worst friend of the year. After going behind Gemma’s back before she turns up at the party despite saying she wouldn’t. Boo to you. You are proper sketchy Ros.
- What power does Simon have over Tom? Is there blackmail going on?
- Will Kate come out the worse of the three for being in the middle of the mind games?
- Is there more to Simon’s plans that merely evicting his ex from town?
- With no husband and increasingly less friends (who all have connections to Simon) why does Gemma want to stay put? Principle? Pride?
- Do the swimming pool and drowning wedding ring hint at a potential death and cause of death?
DIGITAL OBSERVATIONS 
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