'Cheat' spoiler-free review: Two women warring over a cheating scandal that takes a turn for the worst
No spoilers for 'Cheat'
'Cheat' tells the story of university lecturer Dr. Leah Dale who calls out her final year student Rose Vaughn (Molly Windsor) for submitting a suspiciously top-grade paper. As someone who has prided herself in her academic integrity, Dr. Dale is confident since the very beginning that Rose cheated on her paper. And so begins the terrifying saga of the psychological thriller that is 'Cheat.'
Rose continues to maintain her innocence, mind you. She reiterates that she didn't cheat and questions Dr. Dale's refusal to believe her. But there is a lot about Rose that doesn't meet the eye yet. Her arrogance and overall demeanor don't help her either as she continues to evade Dr. Dale's inquiries and her proposed investigations into the plagiarism.
Refusing to be proved wrong, Dr. Dale is immediately on top of the cheating incident. But Rose is not quite the one to back down. As tensions between them continue to rise, the stakes also get higher and there comes a time when you want to rush to the end and just find out what happened - like reading the last page of a book. And perhaps you should; for the ending of the series is not easily palatable. But bear in mind that 'Cheat' is a journey and not a destination.
At some point during 'Cheat', you begin to think of Katherine Kelly's Dr Dale as the tragic heroine of the story. That is perhaps facilitated by the fact that throughout the series, you know who the bad guy of the story is.
At the end of the series, there is a bitter aftertaste in your mouth. Not because 'Cheat' is not well-done. It is because you cannot fathom a certain Rose Vaughn in your own life - you are terrified of the thought of having to ever confront someone along the lines of Rose. Even more terrified about having to pay a hefty price for someone else's bad decisions.
Summing up, 'Cheat' is an immensely well-crafted project by newcomer Gaby Hull. And we put out the disclaimer again: 'Cheat' is a lot about the journey and less about the destination.
'Cheat' is currently streaming on AMC Network's streaming service Sundance Now.