As this episode of Anatomy of a Scandal begins, Sophie Whitehouse (Sienna Miller) helps her son Finn (Sebastian Selwood) read a book. James (Rupert Friend) enters and listens to Finn finish his last sentence. They send Finn out of the room so they can discuss what Olivia said in private. James promises that the feeling isn’t mutual. Once Sophie apologizes for leaving early, James warns her that tomorrow will likely be worse. Maggie (Kudzai Sitima) asks Brian Taylor (Richard McCabe) whether Kate always stays this late on weekdays, but he says she doesn’t distinguish between days. Kate (Michelle Dockery) warns them that she can hear them before asking them to go home.

Maggie Googled James and wonders if they’ve seen the Libertine pictures of him with the Prime Minister. She questions whether there is anything there since those parties went to the extreme back then. Kate says that is how it was when they were at uni. The case is about the here and now. Maggie says Olivia (Naomi Scott) has been convincing so far, but Kate says the truth is always convincing. Next, Judge Luckhurst (Jonathan Coy) reminds Olivia that she is still under oath as the questions continue. Kate takes her back to October 12 when they attended the Home Affairs Select Committee together.

James was supposed to give evidence on the new immigration targets during that meeting. He was upset because a journalist wrote a piece about him that he thought was unfair. When he saw the people he was supposed to meet with, he turned around and said he can’t deal with this. Olivia followed him because she was doing her job. She claims he was vulnerable once since he was seeking reassurance. James asks whether she thinks he is arrogant. Olivia tells him that he is ruthless when he needs to be and sometimes cruel. When she said cruel again, James apologized. Olivia believes he was apologizing for the way he ended the affair.

She admits she told him that arrogance can sometimes be terribly attractive. Olivia believes it was a test. She wanted to know what he wanted and if he missed her. Once the lift arrived, Olivia asks him where he was going, but he didn’t answer. She got into the lift with him since his body language made it clear that he wanted her to. After they got into the lift, they collided and started kissing. Kate asks whether she was still attracted to him. Olivia explains they had been involved for five months and you don’t just turn off your feelings. She describes the kiss as passionate. Olivia was happy about it because she thought the relationship might resume.

Sophie doesn’t like seeing Chris Clarke (Joshua McGuire) enter and stand behind her as the testimony continues. Olivia says James went after her breast. He pulled her left breast out of her bra and bit it quite savagely. She took a photo of the bruise it left above her nipple. When Olivia says they are teeth marks in the photo, Angela Regan (Josette Simon) makes it clear that the defense does not agree. Olivia says they are because he bit her before she begins describing the lift. When she was pushed up against the wall, she yelped in shock and tried to push him away. She told him not here because things changed when he got forceful.

James had started doing things he had never done before like pulling her clothes off and biting her. She didn’t know what was going on, but she was scared. The lift goes several places and can be a shortcut to the committee room corridor. Olivia was worried because anyone could’ve called the lift and caught them. They had to be back to the meeting in minutes so Olivia didn’t want him to be late. He wasn’t listening because it seemed like he was possessed. Olivia was terrified as she complains about the mental aspect of the assault. Then, she tries to explain what happened after she told him not here.

Kate shows her a picture of her underwear after they’d been ripped by James. She was consenting and saying yes when they were kissing. By the point that he ripped her panties, she was saying no. Olivia begins getting emotional as she says he put two fingers inside of her. He lifted her against the wall and shoved it inside of her even though she didn’t want it. Olivia believes she was clear that she didn’t want it since she was trying to push him away. James whispered telling her not to be such a prick tease. He didn’t wait for a response and just kept going. The judge suspects this might be a good time to adjourn for the day.

Later, Angela joins Kate for a drink. She tells Kate that the case should’ve never been brought forward because the evidence is as thin as a wafer. Kate claims she doesn’t care how high profile he is since another woman has been raped and deserves her day in court. Angela wonders if it ever wears her down. Kate jokes she is aging in reverse. The following day, Sophie learns that Angela is champing at the bit to have a go at Olivia. A radio broadcast reveals that members of Tom Southern’s own party have discussed pursuing a vote of no confidence in his leadership. Sophie asks James whether this is happening because of him, but he doesn’t think that is possible.

Tom (Geoffrey Streatfeild) curses at Chris and asks whether Frisk is responsible since he is unctuous and talks too much. He bashes Chris for not knowing earlier. Clarke suggests Tom should publicly distance himself from James Whitehouse. The last thing he needs right now is a posh sex offender as a best friend. Tom reveals he was raised to stand by a mate when he is down, but he will do what needs to be done when it comes to it. Then, we return to the courtroom where Angela begins questioning Olivia. She admits she was in a sexual relationship with James and that she was still in love with him when they collided in the lift.

On the date in question, they had been split up and that made her feel distressed. Although she was still distressed a week later, she was determined to be professional. Olivia denies that she was angry about it. Angela brings up what Olivia said about arrogance sometimes being terribly attractive. Despite the fact that things had ended, she wanted to see whether he still had feelings for her. Olivia agrees she followed James’s lead into the lift while he held the door open for her. Angela gets her to admit that she went into the lift willingly. She wonders whether Olivia knew James was trying to take her somewhere private. Olivia confesses she was hoping he was taking her somewhere private.

Angela makes her say they were kissing passionately before they argue over James wrenching her blouse open. After Olivia says the blouse remained unharmed, Angela jokes she’d like to know the brand. Angela mentions the love bite and says it is common for such bites to bruise although Olivia says it hurt. When James had his mouth on her breast, Olivia said not here. Angela wants her to confirm that she didn’t say stop. Olivia claims she said not here, but it meant no not here. While she didn’t say the word no, she was trying to push him off. Angela asks if her primary concern was being seen by someone. Olivia makes it clear that was her concern at that moment.

Angela suggests this wasn’t the first time they had sex in the House of Commons, but Olivia doesn’t think that is relevant. After she is reprimanded by the judge, Angela asks Olivia to think back a fortnight of the incident when she met Mr. Whitehouse in his office just after 9 PM. She was due to go to a friend’s leaving party. Her colleague, Kitty Ledger, was waiting for her in the Red Lion. Angela suspects Olivia was late to meet Kitty because she was having sex with James in his office. Olivia confesses she performed oral on him before they had full intercourse on his desk. Two days before that, she met James in a BBC studio at 9 PM and had sex with him. The judge forces her to answer the question. She does so with a nod.

Angela gets Olivia to say someone could’ve walked in on them during both encounters. However. She denies it was a pattern of reckless sex in the workplace. Olivia claims the first two times were consensual, but they’re talking about something very different now. She begrudgingly agrees that they had sex on two occasions within weeks of the incident in the lift. Angela asks whether the underwear was thin and easy to rip or ripped beforehand, but Olivia claims it was brand-new. Olivia says she didn’t want it and she told him she didn’t want it. She is reminded that she never said no. After that, Olivia is asked to check her statement and confirm it is the statement she made to the police on October 29.

Angela tells her this is very important because nobody wants to put words in her mouth or take any away from her. Olivia is asked about saying, “he shoved himself inside me even though I told him not here”. She says that was her statement to police, but she never used the word no. Angela alleges she didn’t say no because she didn’t want him to stop. Olivia insists it wasn’t like that. Before the incident, it was dangerous and exciting. Angela suggests there was no journey from yes to no because Olivia only said yes to Mr. Whitehouse. She says the journey was stationary from yes to yes. There is a moment of silence as Angela sits down and James nods to his wife above him. He looks at Kate before James returns home and plays Monopoly with his kids.

Finn and Emily (Amelie Bea Smith) catch him cheating by keeping cards in his wallet. After dinner, James tells his wife he has never been so exhausted from sitting. They talk about Sophie’s PTA meetings and the fact that she hasn’t attended them in months. Chris Clarke storms in moments later to say there is another one. An administrator from Oxford went to the police and claimed a girl told her that James assaulted her when he was at the university. The girl decided not to pursue it, but the administrator came forward thinking it might be relevant. Chris admits they haven’t found the girl since she moved abroad or something. James insists they haven’t been able to locate her because there is no such person.

Chris claims her name is Holly Berry. Sophie recognizes the name as her first-year tutorial partner, but James doesn’t remember her. Chris intends to tell Tom that he should publicly cut ties with him. Once Chris storms out, James takes a moment to himself. Sophie breaks a class. Krystyna (Violet Verigo) offers to help her, but Sophie asks for privacy for once. James calls Tom to say they had a pretty good day. He insists the thing Chris was talking about never happened. He asks Tom about the no-confidence motion and whether Frisk is poisoning the well. Tom confesses it is must bigger than Frisk as he blames James. They’re out for blood and Chris says they’re demanding he makes a statement saying he is deeply concerned.

They want him to remove the Whip from an accused rapist, but James argues that he can’t. Tom asks whether that is a threat. James says it is just a statement and fact since he didn’t do anything wrong. Tom says he has the Commons to answer to and this latest thing has become a tipping point. James tells Tom not to make him say it. When Tom asks what, James reminds him that he owes him. James says he didn’t do what he was accused of, but Tom did what he was not accused of. James believes he saved Tom’s life. After the call, we see a flashback of James attending a party with the Libertines. He learns that Tom is on the roof so he decides to go check on him.

He finds Tom smoking smack with another boy. James gently slaps him while telling him he isn’t going to leave him here because he isn’t a junkie. James takes him out of the building where the throws up a few times. As they leave, the boy on the roof sees them and yells “Omerta of the Libertines”. James suggests he thinks he can fly. Tom begins yelling at him that he can do it so he should believe in himself. The boy crashes to the ground as James begins encouraging Tom to run. Tom wonders if they should’ve called an ambulance for Alec, but James doesn’t think he could’ve survived that. Tom realizes he gave Alec the drugs and told him to jump. James urges him to say they weren’t there, didn’t see it happen, and know nothing about it.

Tom says he owes James forever. Once James walks away, he realizes he still has the drugs he took from Tom. He throws them away as an ambulance passes by. In the present, Sophie asks James what the heck is going on. She wants to know whether he raped Holly, but James insists he can’t remember her. While he can’t rule out the possibility that he was with her, he can rule out the possibility of assaulting her. Sophie begins worrying that this is never going to end and that there will be more women. James claims someone is lying about this. Sophie questions whether she is looking at him.

 

Anatomy Of A Scandal Review

This episode of Anatomy of a Scandal had many interesting scenes with the courtroom action being the most exciting and revealing. The acting has been pretty good from all the main characters although some of them make me cringe. I suspect this could get very interesting as it continues and we learn more about James, Tom, and the things that happened in the past.

The camera moves are over the top though. It was almost sickening when the camera was spinning around for a minute or two. The flashbacks could be handled better as well. Still, the series is interesting and possibly hard-hitting for those with similar experiences. The episode scores a 7 out of 10. Recaps of Anatomy of a Scandal can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support us here.