Mistresses

Posted on January 15, 2008
Filed Under DRAMA

This was the second episode of the new drama series from the BBC called “Mistresses”. It follows the story of four 30/40-something female friends who are having or had affairs. It aims to give an alternative view of what it is like to be a mistress and the thought processes and reasons for doing so. It is almost like a British version of the popular “Sex in the City” series.

Katie is a Doctor who had an affair with a married man who died when she was with him. She treats the man’s family and knows them well. Sam Grey is her lover’s son and one of her patients. He has become obsessed with finding his father’s “other woman”. He has a piece of paper with the woman’s handwriting on and during the programme was convinced that Katie was the woman. He tried to trick her into signing his book (to compare the handwriting) and she managed to convince him that she was not the woman. Sam kissed her and asked her out. After deliberating on it all day, Katie turned up for dinner but left quickly.

Siobhan is one part of a married couple who have been trying for some time to have a baby. However even when she is dressed in sexy underwear, all her husband, Hari thought of was baby making. They decided that Hari would provide a sperm sample to see if there were concerns about fertility. Siobhan had slept with a work colleague and was racked with guilt and wondering whether to tell her husband. However her friend convinced her not too. Unfortunately, the test results showed that Hari had very little live sperm and it was unlikely that that Siobhan would get pregnant by him. After being shunned by Hari on a rare afternoon off from work, Siobhan returned to work and resumed the affair with Dominic.

Trudi’s husband had died not too long again as a result of the 9/11 bombings and she was still struggling to come to terms with that and look after her children. She received a million pounds as compensation and met Richard – the father of a girl who attended her daughter’s school. Her friends were suspicious that he appeared on the scene when she received the money. After a disastrous first date, they arranged to go out again but his baby sitter fell ill. Trudi cooked them both a meal at Richard’s house.

Jessica had sworn never to get married but had been helping to organise the civil partnership of two female clients. She had been having an affair with her married work colleague but had become intrigued by lesbianism. One of her female clients made a pass at her.

Mistresses is an interesting programme which portrays the guilt, despair and joy of being “the other woman”.