Review: The Secret

Posted by Anura Samara, 7 July 2016

“The Secret” has been an absolutely compelling TV series.

Set in Ireland, it’s the true story of a man who killed his own wife and his lover’s husband, convinced the police that it was suicide and then went on to live happily ever after – well, almost.

James Nesbitt plays the real-life Colin Howell, a devout member of his local church and successful dentist. But under this respectable persona is someone who is a control freak and also deeply insecure about his faith. And the two collide.

The show does a good job of putting this all on display. With each transgression, Howell discovers forgiveness from his family and his church which he twists into the excuse for his next transgression. And they escalate in terms of both severity and number. So by the end we have a man who not only admits to killing two people, but has abused numerous female patients and lost money in dubious investments. But in the end, it’s his controlling nature which is chilling – the ability to maintain the public façade, while controlling the women in his life with threats and religion (and it is the women – he has a harder time with the men).

For me, the show is about how we can be blinded to the true nature of the people around us and how forgiveness can end up normalising bad behaviour.

As expected, Nesbitt (with hair!) is totally convincing – he shows the ability to turn on and off the charming church-going man with a family and the manipulative criminal at will. And his portrayal of Howell’s manic descent as his world unravels is fantastic too. Genevieve O’Reilly demonstrates versatility in her role as Hazel Buchanan, his lover and partner in crime – I’ve previously seen her play an Australian in Glitch and an American in Spooks.

This is a great mini-series and it’s made even better by knowing that it’s based on a true story within the memory of the people affected by it. Does that make it a bad thing, to trade on the misery of living people? That’s a valid argument against it – the show is certainly completely sympathetic to the two innocent victims and their families, completely unsympathetic to Howells but the status of Buchanan is less clear. A coerced accomplice who is as much a victim? Or a willing accomplice who is the architect of her own downfall?

Categories: Shows

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