TV review: The Poison Tree
Fifteen minutes passed in the blink of an eye and I still had little clue as to what last night's drama premiere was about.
At the point in the programme when I wrote these first few words, apart from some well framed photography - and only a hint of plot – I was feeling rather agitated.
It wasn't until half an hour in that it became clear which elements of The Poison Tree were set now and which took place 12 years ago.
Underneath all the posturing and hippy ethics, some great actors appeared to do their best with a tissue-thin plot. Very much style over substance I am afraid.
Centred around Karen Clarke, played by the uber talented MyAnna Buring, it told of her relationship with Rex (Matthew Goode) and his sister Biba (Ophelia Lovibond). If only the story had been half as quirky as its two leading ladies' real names.
Karen's daughter, Alice, is simply annoying and appears to have been written-in purely as a plot device. In fact, none of the characters are developed enough for the audience to care about.
An advertisement during a commercial break for Doors Open, starring Stephen Fry – which is to be shown on Boxing Day – held my interest more than 50 minutes of introduction in a one hour show.
Everything that needed to be said was thrown at the screen in the last 10 minutes of the first episode of this two-part story.
We got to see the criminally underused talents of Ralph Brown as photographer Max Capel, the embittered father of Rex and Biba, as he attempts to evict the spoilt brats from the hippy commune they have created at one of his houses.
His accidental death and the subsequent gunning down of Biba's 'gangster' boyfriend Lenny are not the fault of Rex, but it is he who emerged from prison at the beginning of the programme having served time at Her Majesty's pleasure for double murder.
And then a mysterious stalker – who has plagued Karen since the release of her husband – finally reveals his identity to the troubled mother.
The low-life is none other than the former cellmate of Rex who, over many years of sharing tales of woe, is in no doubt of his innocence.
His demand is simple – £10,000 or he will make sure that everyone knows about the man who has served a spell in prison for two murders.
He also lets Karen know that he believes Rex was a fall guy and that he is happy to spill the beans on that too.
The clips during the closing credits allude to the second episode being of an entirely different tone. For anyone willing to stick with this, I certainly hope that is the case. But I offer this one suggestion, the mud flats near the couple's coastal hideaway are mentioned far too often not to play a part in the final chapter.
What's the betting someone bad will meet a grizzly – and soggy – end in the natural trap? You'll have to let me know. Unfortunately too little was said too late to hold my interest for this over-egged slice of psychological drama, so I doubt I'll be tuning in. Maybe I'll risk the last 10 minutes?
Paul Naylor
