4 out of 5

Created by: Matthew Barry

I descend from my all-powerful, internet review throne to bless UK miniseries The Guest, for… learning. There are tropes we will recycle in our media for all time, baked into societal “norms” that keep expressing themselves via character / class dynamics, and even though we’ve made leaps and bounds in progress over the centuries in terms of expanding our understanding of the intricacies fueling those norms… the tropes keep popping up, in their simplified, trope-y ways. That doesn’t mean that use of those is always rote (or I hope not, otherwise I should be consuming significantly less media), as you can build around the tropes, or use them as a springboard; and great writing, great actors, and etc. can make something very standard shine in new ways.

But: we occasionally get those special productions that actually break open the tropes and explore them, even if only a little. This is such a rarity that it can function like a “twist” on its own; but it’s nice when it’s mapped to some solid storytelling as well. The Guest, a 4-part UK series written by Matthew Barry and directed by Ashley Way, is one such special production, and though it ultimately fits into standard drama territory and has its own share of illogics and plotholes, the way it continually doubles down on not using some “standard drama” tropes, brought to life by actress Eve Myles, marks it as well above your usual miniseries twisty-turny viewings. Bear that in mind when I run through the gist of the plot, as you’ll have hard most of it before.

Ria (Gabrielle Creevy) is not having the best time of things. Working as a house cleaner, she takes jobs where she can get them but is being undersold by her competition, has to deal with the everyday abuses of her clients, is illegally staying in a sublet – which also houses her layabout boyfriend, Lee (Siôn Daniel Young) – and is at a point where she can’t pay for food. An attempt to take some items out of the donation spot at a grocery store gets the attentions of Fran (Myles), a clearly well-to-do business owner who offers Ria a new cleaning gig. Skeptical, Ria agrees, and finds herself beckoned to Fran’s mansion, and paid pretty well for it.

A sisterly bond forms – we note that Fran does not get along with her own sister – and Ria gets the benefit of some clothing hand-me-downs, and is being asked to stay for drinks. They delve into the personal a bit; Ria is encouraged to break it off with Lee, get on the apps. Ria develops a bit of an obsession, taking a private video of Fran, and even mimicking her persona (and lifestyle) when successfully matched to a boy on the app. Fran isn’t so freely giving and loving, of course, subtracting her good will and treating Ria like the maid again whenever there’s any contention. But the bond is sealed – though not so sisterly this time – when Ria, in full “I’m Fran” mode, invites a date back to Fran’s mansion on an eve when Fran is away, and finds herself aggressively pursued and ultimately attacked by her date; Fran steps up to protect Ria big time. …Or does she?

‘The Guest’ goes in for Hand That Rocks the Cradle tensions, pushing the relationship (and secrets kept) between Ria and Fran, peeling back the Whys of What’s Really Going On throughout. And on the surface, it’s all pretty normal, in terms of character and gender tropes: Fran is rich and scheming; Ria is blue collar and innocent; she prioritizes some sexy fun times and faces consequences; while her means-well boyfriend, if not the coolest bloke on the block, is actually her true love…

…But none of this ends up being exactly that. Or rather, in part, it does – again, we’re ultimately following some familiar concepts here – but Barry’s script, from the first episode onwards, never over simplifies Fran, Ria, or even Lee, though he’s very much a side character. The manipulations, conscious and subconscious, that each pull on one another are bidirectional and varied, which is very real. Fran could be “crazy” in a lesser script; Ria a Mary Sue. The aforementioned episode ending bond would normally be a trump card Fran plays again and again, but it’s only brought up when she’s feeling defensive. In short, Barry detailed out a relationship between these women, and then built the story on top of it, instead of backfilling a concept with characters. Whether or not that was the writing reality, it’s the structure.

Director Ashley Way plays a hand in this as well, dipping in to visual thriller tropes as needed, but doesn’t overplay that hand. It leads to a subtle discomfort throughout, which is the same dynamic Barry explores – where we’re never really sure why someone else does what they do. That said, I’m not quite clear on Way’s handling of Ria’s character, or Creevy’s representation of her. I really appreciated Creevy’s kind of mumble-mouthed approach, and she adds a lot of calculation behind Ria’s eyes, but in a way that aligns with that uncertainty; that is – she’s not figuring it all out secretly, rather just trying to keep her thoughts on any given scenario clear. At the same time, the aspect of the story that requires Ria to just go along due to her role as both employee and friend – as a poor person working for a rich person – I don’t think that comes through strongly enough in the way scenes are directed, or in Creevy’s performance. This means that we have to roll our eyes at some decisions (or lack of decisions), and the somewhat sudden way things get pieced together in the final episode – the motivations for the former and ability to do the latter just aren’t there.

However, Myles brings it all in her performance. The subtleties are there. Within moments, you can hate her, and then understand why she’s doing what she does. That performance, plus Barry’s / Way’s picking apart of some standard characterizations, makes The Guest an accomplishment above and beyond being a pretty good thriller.