About halfway through the first episode of HBO‘s slick new legal drama War, I realized why I was vibing so hard with the series debuting next Thursday, October 1.
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I → realize → series
War — which is marketing itself as a seedy divorce drama starring Dominic West and Sienna Miller — feels like a spin-off of The Good Wife set in the same universe as HBO’s cult hit Industry.
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which → market → Industry
It’s a juicy yarn, full of shocking twists, addictive drama, and incendiary performances.
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It → ’ → twists
Created by Lupin and Hijack mastermind George Kay, War follows two rival London law firms representing opposite sides in a heated legal throw down.
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War → create → down
The ice cold attorneys at Cathcarts & Sons enjoy being part of a long legacy of high brown shakedowns.
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attorneys → enjoy → shakedowns
Their offices resemble the austere marble halls of an Oxford library or nobleman’s mausoleum.
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offices → resemble → library
Across town, a couple of these lawyers’ most promising proteges, Nicholas Taylor (James McArdle) and Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox), have launched their own outfit, staffed with young and hungry upstarts in a sleekly modern glass and metal Canary Wharf office.
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couple → launch → office
Cathcarts’ top dogs St. John Smallwood (Pip Torrens) and Beatrice “Queen Bea” Ubosi (Nina Sosanya) are determined to protect the pre-nup of social media mogul Morgan Henderson (Dominic West), while his movie star wife Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) wants Taylor & Byrne to force her cheating spouse to give her half of the billion dollar business he launched after they wed.
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they → protect → business
Aspiring attorney Johnny Warren (Archie Renaux) is desperate to enter this world of bespoke suits and backstabbing.
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Warren → aspire → suits
We watch as he uses his daily lunch hour to suit up and sweet talk the stone faced partners of London’s elite law firms, only to have to return to his shift waiting tables once more.
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he → watch → tables
Adding to Johnny’s sense of desperation is the fact that his girlfriend Bella (Honor Swinton Byrne) is from the upper crust, and embarrassed that her hot, but lower class, boyfriend doesn’t have the connections her snobby childhood pals do.
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pals → add → connections
When the chance to work at one of these firms drops in his lap, he’s eager to do whatever it takes to secure that spot.
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it → work → spot
One of my favorite things about War is how it can’t stop subverting our expectations.
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it → stop → expectations
Classic tropes like the honey trap or married colleagues are given a much-needed refresh.
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tropes → marry → refresh
Rather than present Morgan and Carla as morally bankrupt narcissists gleefully tearing into each other, War gives both characters moments of striking self-awareness and regret.
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War → tear → awareness
The ads for War pitch the series as a bitter battle between Morgan and Carla, but the greater war is between the lawyers at Cathcarts and Taylor & Byrne.
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war → pitch → Cathcarts
(HBO and British broadcast partner Sky have already ordered a second season of War; Season 2, currently in production, casts Marisa Tomei and Kelly Macdonald as rivals in a defamation case represented by the two opposing firms.
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Season → order → firms
War’s cast is stacked with a who’s who of British talent, with rising talents like Emma Laird sharing the stage with beloved TV stars like Nick Mohammed.
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talents → stack → Mohammed
Dominic West and Sienna Miller are both excellent in roles that toy with their public image; him, a dashing rake, her, a fabulous actress.
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that → toy → image
However, at times, they’re just ever so slightly outshone by the actors playing their respective attorneys.
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they → outshine → attorneys
Pip Torrens, best known for playing Queen Elizabeth II’s steadfast advisor Tommy Lascelles in The Crown, makes St. John vicious, yet delicious.
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John → know → Crown
He’s a dragon in human form, hoarding information instead of gold and firing soul-crushing barbs with ease.
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He → ’ → ease
Phoebe Fox likewise shines as the ambitious Serena Byrne; her hunger for success is only matched by her constant need to grab the nearest bit junk food to satiate her pregnancy cravings.
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hunger → shin → cravings
(Kay actually wrote Fox’s own real life pregnancy into the series and watching Serena’s belly grow alongside the stakes for winning the case is fascinating to behold.)
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belly → write → case
War is one of those rare shows that’s built to be fun for grownups.
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that → build → grownups
The drama unfolds at a brisk pace, with some of the best surprises arriving as soon as Episode 1.
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some → unfold → Episode
The show’s style is sublime: everything on screen feels luxurious and divine, while the characters are all drawn as complex, grounded people.
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characters → feel → people
It shares the excellent execution of legal dramas set in the Kings’ Good Wife universe along with the same expensive, yet seedy, London setting as Industry.
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It → share → Industry
HBO’s War is heaven: an absolute blast of a TV show.
War premieres on Thursday, October 1 on HBO and HBO Max.
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War → premier → HBO
The Aporia
