As the episode begins, Hannah (Nicola Walker) goes to work and thinks about her argument with Nathan (Stephen Mangan). Ruth (Deborah Findlay) enters the room and asks Hannah about Christie (Barry Atsma) sleeping with a client. Ruth goes on and on about Christie messing up and being caught on film. Hannah pleads with her to drop it for the day and be a mother. Hannah tells her mother about Nathan leaving home. Seconds later, Zander (Chukwudi Iwuji) enters the room and chats about the upcoming Hansen trial. Meanwhile, Rose (Fiona Button) and Nathan walk down the road and we find out that Nathan has been staying with her and James (Rudi Dharmalingam).
After that, Rose returns home and wakes up James. She is worried that their relationship is going to fall apart too but James wants to say they’ll be fine. James learns that Rose has found a job as a nanny. Fi Hansen (Donna Air) steps out of her house while trying to rush the kids to school. She speaks with Richie (Ben Bailey Smith) on the phone and complains since he was supposed to pick up the kids. We see that Richie has spent the night with another kid. She complains about Richie bugging her home before we jump back to Hannah who is in a meeting. They chat with Christie about his decision and Fi’s case. Hannah thinks they need to find other women willing to speak about against Richie but they’ve not been able to find anyone.
Chloe (Amaka Okafor) takes the case paperwork to Nathan and tells she has made a few changes. He gets angry about that but changes his mind. He apologizes before telling Chloe that he has left home. She offers him a place to stay. Hannah goes to Melanie (Anna Chancellor) so they can chat about the video recording. Hannah says she is going to petition the judge to get all of the video recordings. Hannah leaves a few minutes later and again thinks about her fight with Nathan. She returns to the office and finds Rex Pope there. He speaks with her about the pregnancy before Nina (Annabel Scholey) enters. Rex speaks with Nina about her pregnancy. She is positive that the baby is his.
He is interested in getting a DNA test and having dinner with Nina so they can discuss things a bit more. Nina realizes his show has tanked and he is having trouble with his woman. Fi meets with Hannah and Ruth. Fi says Hannah doesn’t know what she is going through. Ruth gets involved and calms Fi down. She promises that Richie is not going to win because Fi is a good mother. Hannah wants to find women to go on record but Fi thinks that will be hard because of the NDA. Hannah finds out that Ali is going to leave her job so she tracks her down. She believes Ali leaked the tape and she encourages her to stand up to Richie. Ali doesn’t agree to do so but Hannah tries to convince her to change her mind.
Hannah leaves and believes she sees Nathan on the street but it isn’t him. After that, Nina calls Rose at work and tells her about Rex returning. Nina says she would like to go back before all of this stuff happened. The call ends when Zander walks by. Nina speaks with him and put in a good word for Tyler (Damien Molony). Next, Zander speaks with Christie and pleads with him not to make him fire him. He says that Hannah means something to the firm but Christie doesn’t. When the conversation ends, Zander notices a superhero outfit hanging on the wall. Zander pulls Tyler from a meeting and asks him about their superhero bachelor. Tyler wants to make sure that Zander still wants to go through with the party.
Christie goes to Hannah so he can tell her that she is going to be leaving. She tells Christie that he was much better in bed and she told Nathan the same. She talks about her marriage while Christie listens to everything she has to say. He hopes to see her at the bachelor party. He leaves and Hannah tries to call Nathan but he doesn’t answer. He gets a message on his computer about Zander and Tyler’s party. Hannah returns home and Liv (Elizabeth Roberts) helps her pick out clothes. She also gives her encouragement for the party before Rose arrives. Liv tells her mother that they don’t need a babysitter but Hannah isn’t going to change her mind. Hannah calls Nathan and leaves a message while walking to the party.
Meanwhile, Rex and Nina chat about the baby, Sarah, and other things. Nina realizes that she doesn’t want to be with Rex so she pays the bill and leaves in a hurry. Zander arrives at the party with Tyler and reveals they’re married. Ruth tells Hannah that Nathan isn’t there as soon as she arrives before Christie speaks with her. He says he is pleased she is there before he is asked to give a speech. Tyler chats with Nina for a few seconds. Then, Christie turns his attention to Hannah again. He thinks Nathan’s absence means he has left her. She tries to convince herself and Christie that Nathan is her everything. Tyler finds Nina trying to leave. He thanks her for speaking with Zander for him. Then, he kisses her, stops, and she kisses him back.
Nathan drinks and spends the night alone. He notices the missed call from Hannah but doesn’t bother with it. Hannah returns home and wakes up Rose who fell asleep on the couch. Rose tells her sister that she threw away the test results since she likes what she has right now. Hannah recalls some of the happier times she spent with Nathan and the kids. In the morning, Christie goes to Melanie and she asks how much it is going to take to keep him around. Oscar asks Ruth why she has packed all of her books and she says she is moving. She says she is throwing caution to the wind and that is why he got to spend the night. Melanie calls Richie and tells him he has backed himself into a corner and they’ll need to use their brains to get out of it.
Fi watches a news report about Richie being accused of sexual harassment in the workplace. It is revealed that six more women have come forward to speak out against him. The kids return home so she turns off the television. Hannah leaves Nathan a message saying she won’t let him leave her. She just wants to be a family. After that, Fi arrives and meets with Ruth and Hannah. They sit down with Richie and Melanie with a bunch of tabloids with negative stories about Richie. Hannah wants the kids to live with Fi and they can agree on the days that Richie gets the kids. Melanie agrees with that until the media storm blows over while Richie claims they’re all lies. Fi agrees not to make any statements to the press but she will cooperate with any criminal proceedings.
Richie curses at them before he leaves. Fi thanks Hannah before she leaves. Melanie doesn’t take it too hard. Meanwhile, Liv prepares for something at school. Nathan and Hannah sit in a vehicle together outside. Hannah wonders how they should do this. Nathan says they’ll wave and smile before telling them after. They go into the school together and listen to Liv during the performance. After it ends, they go out to dinner together. Hannah begins crying before Nathan tells the kids that they want to talk to them. Their son thinks it is a divorce but Hannah says it isn’t. Nathan says they’ll always be family and Hannah agrees with that. The following day, Hannah hangs out with her sister and mother. Nathan returns home and packs his belongings.
Nina gets an ultrasound and finds out that she is going to have a girl. Hannah returns home with her family and finds Nathan’s keys and ring on a shelf. She begins sobbing so Ruth tries to comfort her. The kids return home seconds later. Vinnie goes outside and tells his mother that the rabbit has returned. Hannah tries to compose herself before the episode ends.
The Split Review
I am not sure what to think about The Split now. If we’re to believe that “the split” is the show’s end game, I think this will be the last episode. The couple has split and Nathan has shown no intention of getting back together. Still, there are plenty of stories to tell and I think they’ll try to carry it on. We can find out more about Rose and James, Nina’s baby, Christie and Hannah, and so much more. There is still a lot the writers can do with the show so there is a good chance it’ll come back for another season.
Should it? I am not sure honestly. I thought the season started out very well with the first three episodes. Then, I think the last three were mediocre. I am afraid that we’re going to get bored of seeing the same old bickering and fighting over and over again. When will viewers say enough is enough? At some point, we’re going to see like children stuck in the middle of a bad marriage and that will make the show tough to tolerate. Some of that already happened this season.
While the show was still one of the best things I’ve watched in a few months, it seems to have lost some of its charm from the previous season. I’ll also say that the Fi and Richie case ended a bit too easy. Hannah speaks with Ali one day and six women have come forward the next day. I am not sure why they bothered dragging out the case so long only to end it in a flash. This episode scores a 7 out of 10. Previous recaps of The Split are available on Reel Mockery.
Jay Skelton is a fan of all television shows and movies. He tries his best to keep up with the latest foreign television shows and movies. Jay loves skinny dipping in the dark too.
I totally agree. Quite a lackluster ending. Fi and Richie’s divorce, Hannah and Nathan’s breakup, Christie’s joy at the breakup thinking Hannah would now be his, Hannah mixed messages to poor Christie, Tyler and Nina, (what is that all about; tho it was easy to see they were attracted to each other) left me wondering where the writers went for the last 3 episodes.
Agree. I hate to see it since the first season was so good. Second wasn’t bad but it felt like a letdown compared to the first. Finale was over before it started. Thanks for the comment. 🙂
Seeing the characters from Season 1 continue to extract themselves from lies and break more promises was quite the ride.
Affairs are messy. I believe people are capable of both ambivalence and lunacy in matters of the heart. The fact that Hannah see-saws back and forth the between Nathan and Christie, (showing up at Christie’s door the moment her home-life is a train-wreck, promising him the world, then is jolted back to Nathan when she thinks about her children) is entirely plausible. But she seems a bit greedy, a bit needy, a bit of a jerk. Talk about mixed messages. It is infuriating! Make your mind up woman, stop toying with Christie.
I think the series would have been 30% shorter if the director had removed all the interruptions. Time and again, people barge into private conversations or the phone rings just before someone was about to blurt out a truth, or a message pops up inconveniently on the iphone screen. These devices are distracting and break the flow. They do not build suspense. And for God’s sake, Hannah, stop using your phone so much!
Because there are so many interruptions, we have to wait ages for the next DEEP TRUTH to come out, and when it does, it is blurted out in lightening speed, in a hysterical manner. Very jarring.
The real star of the show are the exquisitely appointed offices of NHD. Committing social suicide is so much easier when you can retreat to your carpeted, view-to-die for digs to curl up in the fetal position. And how many furtive looks across the glass atrium can we squeeze into one day? For Christie and Hannah, about 20, it seems. Still, the slow-mo power stride out of the lifts is one of my favourite shots.
Where the production excels is during parties, the weddings, and the office get-togethers. The camera work is tight and the dialogue is natural. The cast seem genuinely affectionate to each other and the family dynamics are quite touching at times. I love that something always blows up at these events…it moves the story along.
One thing that grates, though is the “my hurt is worse than your hurt” game Nathan and Hannah play. Her: “You screwed around, you hurt me”. Him “Yeah, I did, but YOU then screwed around with my friend” etc. Layer upon layer it builds, until it finally culminates in the GREATEST BETRAYAL OF ALL: the pre-nuptial bang with Christie. Oooo… that trumps everything. Now Nathan is REALLY mad. But Hannah just wants to forget it all, and try to ‘fix it’. You do want to shake her sometimes.
As an actress, people are commenting on Nicola’s odd mannerisms, and it’s true, she risks becoming a caricature of herself. The constant mumbling, pausing, and repeating phrases over and over is wearying. Just finish a sentence, for Pete’s sake. Then there is the fidgeting and stroking of her desk, pen or paper as if she has a twitch. It is not acting, it is distracting and affected. I like her best when she is negotiating at the table: strong, focussed and unwavering.
To sum up, no one writes and speaks dialogue like the British do. What I like most about this series is the soft sentiments spoken by Deborah Findley (Ruth). She delivers words like raindrops: pure and clean, even when they are dripping with malice.
An actor is hired to bring words to life and Deborah is pure theatre, saying her lines with great diction and conviction, all with a jaunty nod of head. I especially liked the scene she shared with Maggie. Two legendary dames of law, adversaries who have seen it all. They are still standing and able to laugh about it. Sugary words, laced with a slight sting.
Season 3….I wonder if that toe-rag music producer will reappear to make life hell for all in his slimy way? Hmmm.
Interesting takes on the series. I am not sure I have looked at it that deeply but now that you’ve brought my attention to these things, I think you’re right on many subjects. I agree that the back and forth between Hannah and Nathan got a bit too much this season.
British dialogue is indeed a big part of what makes their television shows so great. Most of their shows feel authentic and even more so when compared to American, Canadian, or even Australian shows.
I am eager to see what they’ll do with the 3rd season. Lots of stories left to tell. I am already hooked on the characters now so I’ll have to stick around and find out what happens. Thanks for commenting. 🙂
Such a great series., Do feel for Christie
Love Hannah, Nathan looks & plays the lawyer so well, Rose is a gem, Nina is great as the acid tongued sister..
Love Christie, Zander, James & actually the whole cast is superb…
escapism at its best💕
Agree, agree, and agree. The cast and characters drive the show right now. So dynamic and realistic. Feels like they feed off one another.
Very grateful to read the synopsis as our recording cut off well before the end.
I have enjoyed the series but feel things are unresolved.
To me Mangan and Walker are the stand outs.
What is Tyler’s real deal. Is he a scam artist trying to bilk Zander out of his money and not actually gay?
I really can’t say yet, but it seems that or he swings both ways. Will be interesting to see how they handle this in future episodes.