User Reviews

The Driscoll family are forced to leave Port Talbot, and forced to leave Wales itself, after they find themselves heavily caught up in protesting a potential shutdown of The Port Talbot steel works.

A very poignant drama for this point in time, the works is indeed the very heart of Port Talbot, and right now where its very future is in jeopardy, it's relevant.

Episode one was very straightforward and easy to follow, episodes Two and Three however are very much off the wall. It won't be everyone's cup of tea, and I understand why some people have disliked it, I however, really enjoyed it.

As I watched, it put me very much in mind of a sketch The worm that turned, in which men Did all made to wear dresses, ruled over by women, and try to escape into Wales. It really is that zany.

The acting is tremendous, and there are some big names, Aneurin Bernard, Luke Evans and Sheen himself, but I'd argue it's Mali Harris and Steffan Rhodri that steal it.

I honestly think this is one of those shows that will garner further appreciation years down the line. One of those I'd like to think that's ahead of its time.

7/10.

There have been some great Welsh dramas on tv in recent years such as Hinterland, Keeping Faith, Hidden, The Accident and Bang but this isn't a scratch on any of them.

With some of the top actors from Welsh tv in a prime time slot, I thought it would hold much promise but it soon began to lose the plot (or maybe it was just me!).

I am sure some of the incidental music was taken from Tales Of The Unexpected but this was far from what I expected!

It felt a bit like 1984 at times (or maybe that was just due to the reference of the miners strike!) but, like that film, it didn't deliver.

I endured the whole series mainly because I loved Mali Harries in Hinterland, and apart from a underwhelming role in the first series of Keeping Faith, this has been her biggest role since and such a let down.

Disappointingly giving it a generous 5.

I've only seen the 1st episode and honestly don't know if I liked it or not. The only thing I'm sure of is that any Welsh actor who didn't get a role in this should fire their agent!

It would be easy to dismiss this as a Michael Sheen vanity project and 'jobs for the boyos' (and girlos) but it's much more than that. In a world where our evenings are usually filled with crime dramas written by people who think having a female lead is 'edgy' and 'innovative' (where have they been the the last 10 years?) this is a welcome change.

So will I watch the remaining episodes? I'm not sure, I suspect all the surprise, magic and innovation was in episode 1. But if you are looking for something different: This is it!

This was a really odd piece of TV. It was almost impossible to pigeon hole and I think that's its major problem - there was too much going on and it mixed too many genres.

There was magical realism, sci-fi touches, documentary realism, theatrical dialogue and monologues - all roughly connected by some heavy-handed politicking.

There was a big lack of attention to credible characters and storyline and I'll be surprised if many people will see it through to the end - its just too messy a beast and one with very little pay-off.

At the end of the day a clunky experimental drama with a political agenda that will appeal to a minority and quickly disappear from memory.

I kinda get the creative intentions of 'The Way' (essentially 'Torchwood: Children of Earth' / a serialised adaptation of 'Children of Men' set in Wales from a different team / production studio) but personally, I think Michael Sheen at the helm of the project is kinda what's continuously snagging for me (inhibiting the fruition of something intellectually nourishing - something it could've easily been), throughout - which is why (I've said it before & I'll vehemently say it again to stoically reiterate what I firmly believe) actors should just humbly stick to doing what they're great at (in front of the camera) & leave filmmaking to the experienced professionals (behind it - for good reason).

The basic fact is we can't be brilliant at everything (literally none of us, as talented as we may be in certain respective fields) & that's perfectly okay to admit. Jodie Foster, Zack Snyder, Simon Kinberg, Michael Sheen etc. (a growing list of undoubtedly skilled individuals who - for some reason - convince themselves they're additionally capable of doing everyone else's jobs, as well as their own) would therefore greatly benefit from putting aside their egos & having the humility to accept their brazen limitations. Let this be another shining example of that.

No, I'm being harsh (or am I?). On the one hand, I really appreciate what he's ambitiously attempting to artistically do (for a first time director, genuinely ain't too bad at all - granted, not exactly a ringing endorsement, I know - though the best I'm willing to honestly offer) & it's a refreshingly quirky approach that gives the series a sense of individualism / authenticity; using the somewhat retro (arguably even hyper-surrealistic), yet unmistakably distinctive style of something classic like "Threads" (capturing, maybe simultaneously heightening the existential anxiety people experienced in the 1980s - a palpable, dated cynicism & unease regarding our potential future that permeated media we consumed then, both in music, TV & film), re-contextualising the foreboding nihilism of the past (protest pieces, voicing general discontentment) for modern audiences to reflect a more relevant paranoia (than nuclear Armageddon) to communicate meaningful messages in the present as a social / political commentary (we could all currently relate to on an intimate / emotional level)... But on the other hand, although he's got some undeniably great ideas (in truth, far too many for a mere 3 hours), none of them really come together cohesively to form anything particularly satisfying to watch. We're merely viewing a disjointed collection of loosely connected plot threads, devoid of depth. Furthermore, the stakes continuously remain frustratingly absent (characters seldom have obstacles to overcome; everything just happens, the journey moves on to the next location; most conflict's borne from needless bickering) & again, I feel like a more seasoned director would be able to translate this assortment of plausibly fascinating thoughts (or a careful selection of the best on offer amongst a pile he enthusiastically created) to the screen in perhaps a superior, nuanced manner, doing justice to what's being depicted via a visual medium. Simply lacks the focus I'd usually associate from the mind of James Graham (which is odd) & although every writer is obviously fallible (they're only human; even our greatest authors have strewn together something less than what they're known to be capable of, from time to time), the half-baked, heavy-handedness of the execution of his concepts in this latest tale does merit particular acknowledgement, since it's so blatantly uncharacteristic to miss as much as he has. Consequently, I'm prompted to question why - or if it's caused by someone else's involvement.

The first episode's promising & relatively decent (theoretically, might have been better as a stand-alone 90 minute TV feature; one & done)... But by the 2nd & 3rd, the narrative sort of unfortunately crumbles, losing momentum (any direction whatsoever, in truth - meandering aimlessly) before burning itself out completely. Doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be or say by the dénouement; perchance an impassioned, grounded analysis of a broken, centralised political system (London neglecting rural Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish communities in areas with different histories / cultures) - responsible for the disenfranchisement of an entire, younger, local population living across nations, meant to be united - (in which case, where is the exploration in to the lives of the organ grinders making these calls, not the monkeys?) & subsequently, what it would arguably take to uproot the oppressive institution via an act of revolution (could it even be done, in principle?)... Or a heartfelt portrayal of unresolved grief & the destructiveness of inherited, intergenerational trauma (visualised in an abstract, expressionistic fashion - jarringly conflicting with reality trying to be tonally emulated for dramatic effect) etc. Thematically, these are two extraordinarily different directions to advance one's trajectory in. Plus, the random Darth Vader subplot / twist adding nothing of value... There's too much going on, in spite of the few gorgeously contemplative moments interspersed across the dragged-out run-time.

Is it meant to be a spoof? It doesn't even work as that. Whirlpool of ideas but goes nowhere. Love Michael Sheen, dystopias, political thrillers, series with symbolism and which make you think but this was awful. Only thing that gives it any plus points is acting of Steffan Rhodri and Mali Harries which is commendable considering some of the lines they have to deliver. There are so many cliches and stereotypes shoehorned in. No explanation for how a minor riot suddenly leads to army, police and some mysterious armed security company being deployed en masse, or why a police state soon follows. Avoid.

It's no surprise that a series like this has gotten negative reviews, in the case of the English newspapers it's more of a compliment, and as for the average audience, well the intellectual bar is pretty low, so unless Michael Sheen is willing to do a puppets version for dummies, I think it's just the nature taking its course. There are two things that amazed me instead, namely realizing how many people consider the scenario of this story completely unrealistic, despite everything that happens in the world every day, economic crises, wars, pandemics, terrorisms, natural disasters and so on, and that a white Western man has managed to convey so well the sense of absolute precariousness and fragility of our normality, the absurdity and madness of events that can change your life at any moment, without paternalism, without frills. Maybe it's his good Welsh blood, maybe his work in the humanitarian field, but this says a lot about Sheen's artistic and human sensitivity. I liked also the tragicomic touch, and this kind of surreal irony that blinks at you. The scene with the masks and the crazy penguin and giant hotdog will always remain in my heart.

Super-recommended.

I think perhaps people are hating on this show because they don't "get it".

It reminded me a little bit of "then you run" which also got bad reviews because viewers seemed to be expecting something realistic and sensical.

This show similarly is at times, dramatic and nonsensical in an almost comedic way. However, you wouldn't have to look far abroad from Wales to see places where simar circumstances to this premise have played out.

My point is - viewers in the UK who leave negative reviews believe so strongly they are safe from this type of upheaval or civil war that they are calling it dystopian.

Meanwhile, the Met has been using facial recognition on live security feeds in Greater London since 2020, have trialed and may continue to use Clearview AI (an extremely flawed AI policing system) and overseeing all online traffic through GCHQ.

Dystopian? I don't think so.

Writing is fantastic, especially in late episodes 2 and 3. I recommend a watch to anyone that enjoys analogous and meta-level dark comedy.

There are so many things to appreciate in this series, the direction, the actors' performance, the photography, the way in which it conveys the emotions of an entire social class through the fragmented experience of different people, this sort of magical realism that pervades everything, a little sardonic and mocking, but there is one thing that I found truly unique, because it spoke to me directly, and it's hard to explain, especially in a language it's not yours. There is a special light in the place where you grew up, it's something you realize especially when you go to live somewhere else and then you return, or even the moment you realize that your adopted country has become your home. It is not "light" in the strict sense of the term, it is as if a real place reverberates inside you like a sensation, a familiar but also indefinable sensation, an absolutely personal mix of memories, emotions, everyday life, stories, interactions with people...Well Michael Sheen managed to put all this on film. Port Talbot isn't my home, I was never there, but for a moment it felt like I had come home, and honestly, to me that's more than skill and talent as director, it's almost witchcraft!

A very strange drama.. I started watching the first episode and almost gave up as it made no sense, was full of plot holes, inconsistencies, impossibilities, non sequiturs etc. But then i persevered as it became car crash tv... i had to watch just to see how it would pan out.

I can see from the other reviews that it is marmite tv. People either love it or hate it. For those that love it there is an element of "emperors new clothes". There was some good acting, some poor overacting. Loved Sheen's cameo. The whole thing seemed to be a dramatic equivalent to Sheen's speech to the Welsh football team from a couple of years ago (check it on you tube).

Worth watching - you might like it. If you forget about the logic of the plot and appreciate the visuals it is interesting... the equivalent of eating magic mushrooms.

What are you doing carrying an ancient 10 kilogram sword around when you're on the run if you're not going to ever actually use it? For dramatic symbolism of course!

How does a simple industrial dispute at a Welsh steelworks run by Chinese investors become a national revolution? Against the English! I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm sure a lot of Welsh people wouldn't mind sticking one on the English, but NONE OF THAT MADE ANY SENSE! The steel works was ticking along, admittedly under foreign ownership, and yes there are big questions that we really should be asking about the future of industry in Wales and elsewhere in the UK, but a safety mishap and a dispute over the extent that a company guarantees employment in the medium to long-term do not, I'm afraid, a massive revolution make!

So, belief suspended, a family, with a far-too-big sword for company are made refugees in the UK. This is, of course an interesting idea and point of view that, I really felt, was not followed through. It felt like the writer was wondering "should I really go all out and use this refugee situation to portray the plight of refugees in the real world, or would that be too unbelievable?" We are left with an insulting refugee-lite portrayal of how losing your homeland really feels.

By the end, I would have been happy to have been bashed around the head by the sword for it to have had some actual purpose.

This had potential. Incredible cast who've all done better.

But here asked to work miracles with a script dashed off for an election year.

The story it aspires to is done better by 'The Day after Tomorrow' and 'The Way we live now.' Same themes but 'the way' can never achieve the escape velocity needed to do the same.

Does Michael Sheen really believe such anti Welsh sentiment is just under the surface of every English person? Why are all the English all portrayed as truly awful people? Some of whom find out about the chaos next door when their swingers party can't get porn but only a Carry On film.

Seriously, what the hell was even that supposed to be?

The welshfinder?

This is pantomime.

Once BBC drama was powerful acting. Work which stands the test of time.

And this US movie trope of 'every body must have huge emotional outbursts and arguments must have everyone shouting incoherently at once.' These scenes do not convey emotion. They convey cringe.

It probably is there to appeal to a US market?

And how on earth did Adam Curtis debase himself with this absurdity?

The best characters. The MP and the Chinese steel plant owner. They are given the dignity of being filmed walking away.

It is a banal, syrupy sentimental piece of proud propagandon refuse that leaves every TV program made to glorify Putin in shame. But on top of that - wait for it - this does not even have a coherent story, however boring or trite. It starts many threads and never even tries, nevermind succeeds, to finish them. Also it has a relatively flashy lead in to play on sunk cost fallacy and force you to watch it to the end.

Don't. It does not even end with anything. All it does is play into hot topics such as refugee boats - it checks the box of mention/portrayal of a hot issue, and then what? Then nothing. It goes nowhere.

Intrigued by a couple of negative reviews from the English tabloids, (whatever the critics of the English tabloids don't like, deserves immediate attention) and by Michael Sheen as director, I'm very happy to have followed my instinct because it's been a really long time since I saw something. So special, so different. I honestly didn't expect anything less from Sheen on an artistic level, you can see his sure hand and expert eye, also helped in the undertaking by Graham and Curtis, of course. The fact that many people don't understand it and therefore despise it is an inevitable disgrace of our society and since, as someone said, they didn't make a puppet version, I fear it's inevitable. I find the "political" criticism of a certain faction incredibly ridiculous, although again not unexpected: in the series no specific parties are named, and it is evidently a different reality from ours, more technological and militarised, and yet they immediately took it personally when an oppressive and unscrupulous government is described as violating the privacy, civil liberties and human rights of its citizens, relying on an army of mercenaries! Political nonsense aside, this series really refreshes the neurons. By the way, I don't know if we have Sheen, Graham, or both to thank for this, but the ending was surprisingly hopeful for the young people, in a not patronizing way.

Besides the pleasure of annoying conservatives and right-wingers simply by liking it, the desire to visit Wales and hear his language and his fantastic accent is another pleasant side effect.

Love letter to 80s-style socially relevant sci-fi realism, especially Alan Moore and John Carpenter (the score and camera choices are Carpenter all over) and it's delightfully WEIRD. The fact that two of the main characters have unreliable grasps on reality let's them couch certain scenes in surreal imagery and concepts and it works really well.

People are either going to love it or hate it. I'm 100% across it's vibe. Tories will loathe it of course. They've done something utterly bonkers and ambitious and unique and I want more of it on my telly but I don't know how it'll be received being so niche and left-field.

What a disappointment. Adam Curtis must feel quite dismayed to have his name linked to such a project. It had tremendous potential, yet the execution was disastrously poor. The script is the worst I've seen from the BBC in a long time, and the direction was, frankly, laughable 😂. Day one, Wales is locking down due to a coal mine strike; the next day, the English are shooting the Welsh for crossing border, the timeline is utterly unrealistic which makes the whole show unbelievable.

The first episode briefly explored three intriguing concepts: mob mentality, the rise of industrialized global politics, and the crucial role of industry within a community. These elements clearly show Adam Curtis's influence. However, due to the script and poor execution, I can only give it two stars. Such a shame. Unwatchable 😔

I watched this because I have recently lost my mam who was from Newport and I am feeling 'emotionally Welsh' even though my dad was from Manchester. Part way through (and to be honest having mixed feelings, but 'googling' where the bridge was and the 'town under water' I saw the negative reviews and the reports that 'many' had stopped watching because the dra was so "weird" and "hard to follow". I stayed with it ad I loves anything that Michael Sheen has anything to do with also because I am trying to keep my "Welsh heritage link" and to be honest who can resist Luke Evans even if he is a 'baddie'. But to be more serious now, if you stay right to the end it really is such a clever portrayal of life not just now but also in the past but hopefully not in the future. A truly thoughtful attempt to spotlight a real danger to the existence of humanity by illustrating the weaknesses of mankind while highlighting the past failures through personal experiences - "none of us ever speak about it aloud" . It made me sad in parts but it also has had a profound effect on me - do you have to be Welsh or in my case half Welsh to feel that way. I hope not because "if you get too far away from what's important" you will need help to find your way back and that won't happen if you stopped watching this drama part way through. Well done, Micheal Sheen for producing this drama.