Friday, May 13, 2022

Round Two: Ridley Road

Ridley Road: Season 1, Episode 2 (B+)

Since this show is only four episodes long, things have to move fast, and so we got to see Vivien already meeting with Colin Jordan, not needing to do much to look for him and gaining relatively easy access. While he initially seemed wary of her, he grew close very quickly, and was ready to commit adultery with his children in the next room. She’s doing a phenomenal job of acting and making sure to keep her cover, and, though Jack was concerned to see her at first, he too seems impressed by her ability to convince Jordan that, like him, she’s a true believer, and that she should absolutely be trusted. It’s unfortunate, therefore, that Vivien has two people who know more about her than they should, with Stevie seeing her with Jordan and wondering what her true allegiances are and her bigoted landlord finding her prayer book that she tried to keep hidden. Given the meetings she goes to and how she’s being radicalized, she’s likely to try to turn her in, which could put her in the crosshairs of the same people who tried to interrupt the funeral and ended up getting sent to a different location where they still managed to desecrate a grave but did no bodily harm to anyone, despite the terrified man hiding behind another nearby grave. Back home, Vivien’s absence is having miserable consequences for her parents, who were expressly told that they would have to pay crippling rates if Vivien’s husband-to-be didn’t officially join the family.

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