Jenna-Louise Coleman. Picture from Unreality T.V.
Originally published by L.S. Media. April 8th 2012.
L.S Media Rating ***
Cast: Stephen Campbell-Moore, Jenna-Louise Coleman, Celia Imrie, Toby Jones, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Lyndsey Marshal, Stephen Waddington, Sophie Winkleman, James Wilby, Lee Ross, Linus Roache, Geraldine Somerville, Dragos Bucar.
With the final episode of Titanic looming and drawing ever closer to the fateful moment where the death knells of the “unsinkable” ship will forever be remembered, the third episode looks primarily at three of the couples thrown together on board and shows the some of the back story that led them to the moment when the Titanic began to sink.
The episode opens with the after effects of the Siege of Sydney Street, a moment in time that’s as infamous as any other in London’s history. Peter Lubov, portrayed with some menace but also with too much of the love sick puppy about him, by Dragos Bucar is seen evading the police and a young Winston Churchill at the siege only to turn up a few months later at the port side of Southampton Dock and ready to make eyes at the wife of the head electrician.
It’s normally a moment of fascinating conjecture to see what may have happened to one of Latvia’s famous anti-heroes, however, tempting it may be to slide into the story the possible romance of a fugitive of the law into the storyline of the ill-fated ship, sometimes putting a man, real or not, (there is much speculation that Peter Lubov or Peter Piaktow simply was fictitious) into the tale maybe a step too far, especially when used as blatant plot device to drive a wedge between Mary and Jim Maloney.
Where Dragos Bucar unfortunately fails to deliver a commanding performance, due to the part being written as plot device by the normally outstanding Julian Fellows, Irish head electrician Jim Maloney, played by the excellent Peter McDonald, stands head and shoulders above most of the male cast apart from the unflappable Linus Roache, Stephen Waddington, Lee Ross and the irreplaceable Toby Jones. The anger and charming naivety he displays when he catches his wife kissing the Latvian murderer is palpable and decently acted.
Where some critics may have had an issue with the “downstairs” part of the voyage, the passengers bound for America in steerage, this episode shows that Titanic really was a ship that encompassed all and in the touching moments on screen between Annie Desmond, played with effortless charm by Jenna-Louise Coleman and her Italian friend Sandrini and the un-requited love between the servants Barnes and Watson was a joy to behold.
Although not as impressive as the opening episode, just how many times does an audience need to see the iceberg being hit, Titanic still ranks highly as television drama by I.T.V. and Julian Fellows.
Ian D. Hall