As the finale of A Very British Scandal begins, Margaret Campbell (Claire Foy) returns home and learns from Dora (Olwen May) that Ian is waiting for her in the drawing room. She complains about his disappearing acts while he says she is beautiful. Margaret admits she loves him and wants their marriage to work. He wants a few particular assurances that are ridiculous really. He kisses her before revealing he knows it was her. He further clarifies that he knew she forged those letters because Louise swore on their kids’ lives. Margaret quickly defends herself and denies the allegations. Ian wants her to go to court and agree to an injunction forbidding her from ever talking about his sons of their mother again. Marg continues denying it and insists this is one of the worst things he has ever done to her. She wants him to leave. Ian places the desk key down on the desk and says she’ll agree to it because he has proof.

Once Ian leaves, Margaret looks through the desk to find out what he took with him. Almost everything in the locked desk drawer is missing. She gets anxious and remembers her fall down the shaft. She immediately screams for Dora before the intro begins. After the intro, she sits down with Charles Jauncey (Richard Goulding) who confirms a hearing date has been set. He admits it goes against their recommendation to submit to the injunction because it would be an admission of liability. She says the Duke requires her to do this so she is going to do it regardless of what he says. Later, Dora gives her the newspaper while she takes a bath. Dora knows she isn’t going to like it because the headline reveals she has been banned from Inveraray Castle. She goes out there to meet Ian who says she has been banned from the castle and its ground. He says she won’t breach the law if she says in the rest of the world. Margaret gets angry and reminds him he broke the law when he broke into her house and stole her private property.

Ian quickly denies that saying he has every right to enter their shared domicile as her husband. When she says she has every right to enter the bloody castle she paid for, Ian says otherwise. If she is worried about her private items, she can give a description of them to the police officer nearby. She says they had a deal and she has children. She asks what he wants before Ian replies that he wants peace, quiet, and time to think. Then, she questions when she is going to get her things back. Ian begins walking away while saying they’ll discuss that when he is ready. Before he leaves, he assures her everything is locked away from prying eyes so she won’t have to worry about that. He says it will stay that way at least for the time being. Ian meets with his barrister to show him Margaret’s provocative photographs. He promises he is not the man in the pictures because he wouldn’t show them to him otherwise. Ian believes it’ll be an easy divorce on grounds of multiple adulteries, but George Emslie (Oliver Chris) isn’t sure about that.

Ian insists it is enough and describes the V as being Marg’s sign or her bare-forked animal legs open for her legion of lovers. Since the evidence isn’t recent and Ian stayed with her, the court could determine that he condoned her behavior. Emslie says they’ll need evidence proving Margaret is still at it so her newest diary would likely suffice. In the middle of the night, Ian and Jeanne Campbell (Albertine Kotting McMillan) break into Margaret’s house and steal her diary. Despite being awake, there is nothing she can do to stop them. Margaret appears terrified at first, but she chases them outside and tries to stop their vehicle from leaving. Ian and Jeanne escape with the diary. In the courtroom, Emslie tells Judge Wheatley (Jonathan Aris) about the Ian wanting to divorce his wife on the grounds of multiple adulteries. The Duke knows it is unusual for a man to bring such a case, but Emslie says their evidence is unequivocal and utterly damning.

Margaret visits her father George (Richard McCabe) and his wife Jane (Katherine Manners). They complain about the reporters harassing them because of her ongoing divorce. Marg insists Ian is lying and trying to turn everyone against her. She says Judge Wheatley is a member of Clan Campbell and he is partly responsible for her being banned from Inveraray Castle. She isn’t sure why that is allowed or why nobody has written about the connection. She insists she could say things about Ian, but she hasn’t. George admits he is too old for this so they plead for her to warn them what is coming. When she says he has nothing, George says he got collateral for her to ensure she isn’t left empty-handed if anything happens. It is a deed of gift from Ian to her and includes many valuable items. Before George excuses himself, he tells his daughter she has a right to remove her possessions from the castle. With George gone, Jane blames everything on Margaret.

Margaret doesn’t like that, but Jane says no one else is making any messes. Marg accuses her of being on Ian’s side. As George tries to climb the stairs, he pats his mouth with a napkin and stains it with blood. In court, Margaret is given a day to get her possessions from Inveraray Castle. She waits outside the castle until dawn before waking up her assistants and telling them to go. Once she enters the castle, Ian greets her and jokes that she is Satan. She has an ax and begins destroying doors and other objects throughout the castle. Ian cries for mercy as she bashes down the door in front of her. She comes back to reality and begins telling her assistant what belongs to her. She tells Dora to get her clothes and kick Ian if he tries to stop her. She explains a van will be coming to pick up the items later before instructing Jauncey to keep up with her. Ian continues cracking jokes about Marg and her laborers while Margaret creates a massive list of items that belong to her.

She wants the dog bed, ashtray, portrait, and more. Later, she sits outside and has lunch. She walks around the grounds one last time. Later, she tells Jauncey to give her a minute to sit in the castle since she’ll never get to do it again. Before they leave, Malcolm Kerr (Don Gallagher) arrives and informs Margaret that there is a problem. Ian took out a personal loan on the items before he got the loan from her father. Since it happened before that and while Ian was with his previous wife, the items will not belong to Margaret after all. Margaret leaves empty-handed. Later, Charles Jauncey tells the media he has been instructed by Margaret to file her counter-petition against the Duke for divorce on the grounds of adultery. They want to know who the Duke was with. They keep asking until Margaret blurts out that it was her stepmother. Ian learns about it in the newspaper later and puts his cigarette out on Margaret’s face. Jane chases down George as he moves in with Margaret.

She denies everything although Marg tells her George doesn’t need her anymore. Jane believes Margaret would say anything to get George to himself, but Marg says she knows what she did. Margaret tells Jauncey that she has a witness to the adultery. However, they’re abroad right now and difficult to reach. She is told Ian has listed Peter Combe (Timothy Renouf) as one of the men she was sleeping with. She quickly denies that and says she only dines with men. When she is asked about the man in the Polaroid photographs, she wants to make sure the things in court can’t be reported by the newspapers. She is told the details and individual testimonies cannot be reported by the British press. They’ll usually report the judgment although that is very dry and not fodder for the front pages. Margaret is adamant that she’ll divorce Ian and not the other way around. She wonders whether this could go her way since he stole her private property and shouldn’t be allowed to use that against her.

When they mention the man in the photos again, Margaret claims the man is her husband. She is told he’ll have to be examined to prove he is not the man. She seems genuinely thrilled that the examination will be terrible for him. George collapses and falls down the stairs, but he says it is nothing. Dr. Ivor Griffiths (Miles Jupp) gives his condolences to Margaret and promises to come check on him again later. Before long, George dies and Margaret wears black to her father’s funeral. Marg gets into a vehicle with Maureen Guinness (Julia Davis) who doesn’t like the way her trial is impacting the group. She urges Margaret to stop the ridiculous charade with Ian. Maureen says she could weep because of the show Marg is making of herself but says she doesn’t care either. She complains it is hurting their class since their secrets should stay behind closed doors.

Maureen accuses her of dragging them down to the level of the shopgirls and grocers. Margaret says they might deserve to be brought down. She instructs Margaret to give Ian what he wants because her life will be a wasteland if she refuses. Margaret tells her about her 40-foot fall down the lift shaft and how they said she would not survive or walk again, but she overcome the odds. She didn’t die and walked again so she isn’t going to let Maureen tell her what to do. Then, Margaret learns that everyone knows about the pictures of her performing fellatio on a man. She is warned that they’ll close ranks because it could hurt them. When Maureen leaves, Peter gets in the vehicle and asks Margaret if she wants to get drunk. She quickly agrees to party with him. At the club, Margaret asks Peter whether he knows about the photograph. He says she knows how the rumor mill works and reveals people are betting on who it is. When she says she isn’t telling him, he reminds her he isn’t asking and she should know him better than that.

She admits she got on her knees and enjoyed it. She argues that moment is on trial although Peter says it isn’t a trial. Margaret says it is a trial and she has to be sorry because the court doesn’t like women who aren’t sorry. Since Ian is pretending to be a good, noble husband, she can pretend to be good and nice. They laugh when Margaret tries to put on a remorseful face and Peter says it is going to need some work. He asks whether they still love one another, but there is no answer. Once they leave, Margaret thanks Peter for being her friend. Someone in a vehicle nearby snaps pictures of them. Next, Ian goes to the doctor to get his pubic hair examined to prove he is not the man in the photograph. He isn’t happy when Margaret’s barristers enter and say they’re obliged to be there. Dr. William Tulloch (Simon Thorp) tells Ian to release the beast. Ian confesses this is why he calls her Satan and wants to tear her to shreds. Ian is told his evidence is flimsy at best and spiteful at worst.

Another man hopes the law will be far kinder to Margaret than he has been. He is also told that his wife is in pain. After the examination, Ian decides to call Margaret to give his condolences for the loss of her father. They go out to dinner together. He tells her she has looked better and he believes they should have a civil conversation. He says it has been fun, but he thinks it is time for this to end. Margaret suggests Ian died in the prisoner of war camp and this is just the corpse he drags around because he feels nothing at all. Ian thinks about it for a second and admits he feels nothing. He confesses the battle between them makes his blood bang and it is the closest he has felt to being alive. She complains that Ian cheated her father, but he says George wanted her to be a Duchess. She got what she wanted. Margaret accuses Ian of only wanting her money and lining up another woman with money. When she claims this is what it is all about, Ian says maybe. Still, he says the public will only remember her innumerable infidelities.

He asks about the man in the photograph because he’d like to buy him a drink. Margaret insists he was never faithful to her either. She accuses him of having an affair with Jane although he says she can’t prove it. Ian says his case can be heard by a judge and stuff she’d prefer to be private will become legal record. Otherwise, she can pay him 250,000 pounds, pay his debts, pay his lawyers, and agree to be divorced for adultery. She realizes he wants to shame her into submission and he doesn’t deny it. Although he says it’ll be over, she doesn’t believe it because there will always be something else and something else. She suggests he’ll hold it over her forever. Ian doesn’t say whether this is true and only says it is a risk she’ll have to take.

Margaret tells him she’ll see him in court before she gets up and leaves. It is 1963 and we see Argyll V. Argyll on the screen as people walk around the courthouse. Inside, Margaret can’t believe they’re going before Judge Wheatley again. She is told she has bigger problems including the picture of her with Peter Combe, but she insists there is nothing between them and Peter will swear to it. She is encouraged to drop the counterclaim since they have no evidence that he had an affair with Jane. As the trial begins, Dr. Tulloch takes the stand to discuss the Polaroid photograph. He explains he studied the pubic hair and he doesn’t think Ian Campbell is the name in the photo with Margaret. When Peter testifies, he says he is friends with the Duchess and they go to dinner, walk their dogs together, and go to the cinema. He claims he makes her laugh and she has needed that during her marriage. He confesses that they are in the photograph hugging, but says they’ve never once been adulterous.

It isn’t even a remote possibility and it was only a friendly embrace. After a break, the Judge learns that the Duke suffers from a condition that requires him to sit during his testimony. He speaks to court and says Margaret went out in London without him frequently. She often returned after midnight while saying she was with friends. He wasn’t happy with that because many of her friends were men. He eventually moved out to Claridge’s and found the diaries and other evidence of Margaret having an affair. In particular, he found a list of men’s names, dates, and the letter V. He believes the letter V confirms intercourse occurred because it was next to his name in the early years of their marriage when they were happy. He is asked about having intercourse with Margaret when he was married to his previous wife. He claims he did so to get a divorce so the barrister accuses him of being practiced in calculation when it comes to obtaining a divorce.

Margaret’s barrister asks him about getting back with Margaret in Paris after he moved out to the Claridge’s. It is alleged that he condoned what he suspected, but Ian says his wife is very persuasive. He jokes he sometimes had to lock himself in the castle’s library to get sleep and she’d batter on the door. He is accused of accepting all of that when Margaret paid for his scheme to salvage a shipwreck from Tobermory Bay and the restoration of Inveraray Castle. He suggests Ian only started to care about her lifestyle when her money began to dry up. He denies it and denies being angry and attacking Margaret when she wouldn’t give him money. He is asked about terrorizing Margaret with his daughter when he held her down in bed and stole her diary. He doesn’t believe she was terrorized. When asked about drinking to excess, Ian claims he drinks the usual amount. The barrister argues he drinks enough to impact his behavior, judgment, state of mind, and cause his wife stress even when she did everything to care for and support him. Ian blurts out his wife is unfaithful and he drinks the usual amount.

Outside, the newspapers talk about the Duchess preparing to take the stand while Margaret is harassed and called names. Once she takes the stand, she explains her diaries are records of her social engagements. As for the letter V, it symbolizes people who’ve sent flowers and things like that. The love letters are from before her marriage. She claims many women keep such letters because they can be comforting when people are unhappy. She wanted to be happy and tried to make Ian happy, but he was volatile and neglectful. As a result, she was very lonely. When asked about the photograph and the man being her husband, she says she thought it must be Ian since he kept material of that nature. She claims it was his fetish before asking to see the photo. When she looks at it, she says it is so faded it is impossible for her to determine who the woman is.

Despite Ian’s claims that she has been unfaithful with over 80 men, Margaret denies being unfaithful. Her barrister asks if she can have a chair since she has been standing for hours, the judge refuses. She reminds the court her husband was allowed to sit, but that doesn’t help her case either. Emslie takes over and reads one of the love letters. He can’t imagine how violent upsurges could be comforting. Again, Margaret says the letter was sent to her before she married the Duke. The testimony moves to Peter Combe and the photo of him leaving her house in the early morning hours. Her barrister reminds the judge that Combe has already testified about this, but Wheatley allows the questions. Margaret says they played music, talked, and she embraced him because he is her good friend. She is asked about V again and she says it is a record of her social engagements. The attorney claims V is for intercourse and Margaret likes to keep trophies from her conquests.

He continues pushing until Margaret says it has nothing to do with that and is private. When asked whether she knows the difference between the truth and a lie, Margaret says yes and she has heard Ian laugh in this court. She argues her husband doesn’t care about infidelities or affairs and only cares about destroying her. He only wants her ruination despite the fact that she only tried to help him. She is accused of lying throughout their marriage including lying about Louise and his boys not being his. Then, she is called a liar for saying Ian was having an affair with her stepmother. Emslie goes on to call out more of her lies before asking whether the woman in the photograph is her after all. She admits it is her. The testimony ends shortly after that. During his ruling, the judge calls Margaret a highly-sexed woman who had ceased to be satisfied with normal relations and had started to indulge in disgusting sexual activities to gratify a debased sexual appetite.

He mentions the photograph, admits the man cannot be identified, and says they were engaging in a gross form of sexual relationship. The judge says there is enough in her admissions and the proven facts to show she was a completely promiscuous woman whose sexual appetite could only be satisfied with a number of men. He goes on to describe her actions as wholly immoral. He finds that the Duchess has committed adultery with several men including those in the photograph. He grants Ian a divorce on the grounds of her adultery with Peter Combe. The Duke is responsible for 1/8th of the expense and the Duchess will pay the rest. In written text, we learn that Wheatley’s judgment took three hours and ten minutes to deliver. The next day, the intimate details of the case made headlines around the world. It was the first time a woman was publicly shamed by the UK mass media. Just five weeks after the divorce, Ian married an American heiress.

As for Margaret, the Polaroid picture would follow her for the rest of her life. She never revealed the identity of the man in the picture of the meaning of V in her diaries. 27 years later, Margaret is interviewed and questioned whether Ian married her for love or money. She doesn’t know. She knew she loved him and wanted to save Inveraray, but she doesn’t know what he felt.

 

A Very British Scandal Review

While the story wasn’t as shocking as A Very English Scandal, both were well done and entertaining. Back then, it was likely a much bigger deal since these actions wouldn’t be considered so shocking today. Times were much different back then and people, especially women, were expected to follow more strict moral rules while being faithful to their husbands. When The Fappening happened in late August of 2014, it had little impact and many people didn’t bat an eyelash besides perverts using the celebrity photos for their own pleasure.

In fact, I theorize many out here in the real world expect far worse from modern celebrities, political leaders, and elites. A Very English Scandal couldn’t transport viewers back in time or revert back to the moral standards of the 60s so viewers must use some common sense and imagination to grasp the impact of Margaret and Ian’s divorce and the photographs. When coupling this with the fact that Margaret was the primary receiver of the media’s scorn, it feels the show is spotlighting the media’s biases or failures back then.

Truthfully, the series showcased the problems of both characters equally, yet it was Margaret who became the public’s enemy. Was this the primary purpose of the show? The ending scenes made it seem that the media’s treatment of Margaret was some source of motivation for the writers. Both were equally to blame for the scandal and ensuing chaos and neither was innocent. Regardless, A Very British Scandal is a stylish retelling of the events leading up to the divorce.

Claire Foy and Paul Bettany brought their characters to life and proved to be a dynamic duo. Both were incredibly flawed so viewers shouldn’t expect this to be a redemption moment for Ian or Margaret. Was Margaret supposed to be a sympathetic character as some suggest? Unless the writer wanted to change history, Margaret shouldn’t have been a totally sympathetic character because that would be unrealistic. To suggest otherwise is a bit silly really. Despite her flaws and scandalous behavior, the criticism against her was likely a bit overblown in hindsight.

While not perfect and a bit longwinded at times, it is still a worthwhile affair. It isn’t a masterpiece and I would’ve loved to learn more about Margaret and Ian before the marriage and after the divorce. It is an interesting, three-hour retelling of the events that showcase the flaws of Margaret and Ian as well as their marriage which was destined to fail before it began. The finale scores a 7 out of 10. All recaps of A Very British Scandal can be found on Reel Mockery here.