I caught the first episode of the new British TV drama Breathless on Masterpiece Mystery! last night. I had seen the previews for it over and over again but I wasn't quite sure if I wanted to see it. I'm glad I did because it filled two desires I had for a replacement for the soon-to-be-ending Mad Men and a new British show that I could follow from the very beginning.
Breathless is basically Mad Men meets London. Instead of the ad men and women of Madison Avenue we get the doctors and nurses (and their patients and families) of a gynecological ward in a London hospital. Because they work in gynecology, sex inevitably becomes the main theme of the story. There are unhappy marriages, adultery, unwanted pregnancies, miscarriages and all sorts of issues that result from relationships and sex.
It's very easy to compare Breathless with Mad Men because a lot of the characters are so similar. The show stars Jack Davenport as the surgeon Otto Powell. He's the show's equivalent to Don Draper. He's charismatic, good at his job and admired by some and hated by others. His rival, up-and-coming surgeon Richard Truscott (Oliver Chris), is the epitome of Peter Campbell. He's privileged, sexist and lacks originality or talent. The new nurse Angela Wilson (Catherine Steadman) is the show's answer to Peggy Olson. And it couldn't be more obvious that Angela's sister and Richard's bride Jean (Zoe Boyle) is modeled after Mad Men's Joan, right down to the red hair, her sexy strut and her form fitting dresses.
Yes there are comparisons galore between Breathless and Mad Men but I think the main difference between the two will be how the main character Otto develops as a character. I think he won't be quite the anti-hero Don Draper was but we'll see. In the first episode we see that Otto has a big secret from his past, much like Draper had, and I'm wondering how the writers will work that into the plot of upcoming episodes.
The first episode started off a bit cheesy. It felt like the creators were trying to hard. But it got better as the show progressed and eventually I was hooked. I'm curious to see how Otto's relationship with nurse Angela develops. I love the themes of sex, relationships, class, intrigue and ethics come into play. The fashion and decor doesn't hurt either! The show is rather progressive and depicts the sexual revolution of the 1960s. If you shy away from stories which feature abortion or birth control pills, then this show isn't for you. And Mad Men wouldn't have been for you anyways.
The second episode is on tonight and I'm excited to watch it!
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