Roadkill Episode 4 Review: Peter Laurence is Prime Minister at last, almost going scot-free and fans are upset
Spoilers for season finale of 'Roadkill'
The four-part British political thriller 'Roadkill' arrived to a sombre conclusion. Peter Laurence (Hugh Laurie), after being dragged through the mud and whatnot, finally did become Prime Minister of Britain. But as someone who is surrounded by controversies, scandals, rivals and quite the sordid past, Peter Laurence walked scot-free — not a scratch on him and his career that he toiled hard for.
Or is that true?
Peter very expertly managed to change the tides in his favour — he knows exactly how to do it. When he meets Rose Dietl (Shalom Brune-Franklin), he is a man filled with remorse for his past. "I was a different man," he responds when she asks him about his past. This conversation is a particularly important one for the to-be-Prime Minister who is desperate to ensure that nothing threatens his ambition. All he has to do is seem like he is the man she wants him to be. Simple.
At home, however, he can't play this game. No sir. His daughter Lily (Millie Brady) knows him far too well to fall into this trap. Her confrontations with him do not spark any remorse from his end — only excuses, explanations and lies. The truth is, Lily doesn't stand anywhere in his big plan. Sure she has aggressive queries about his whereabouts, but she is already in trouble — perhaps more if not less. The Prime Minister's daughter doing cocaine in a pub — that's not a good color on anyone. So it doesn't matter if she is pissed with him. It's a problem he can take care of later.
His mistress Madeleine Halle (Sidse Babett Knudsen) also doesn't have many or any expectations with him either. She calls their affair off and states, for Peter's benefit because he kept professing his love for her, that it was her who used him and not the other way round. This, although embarrassing at first, eventually works in his favor as even Madeleine carves the way out for a successful future.
'Roadkill' follows an ambitious working man's journey to the top as he refuses to have anyone stand in his way. And somehow, nobody does — everything just happens to work out in his favor. And this is exactly why the show received criticism in its homeland. British viewers criticizes the show for a cop-out ending. In addition to that, for a political thriller, Peter did not have to bear the consequences of his past actions. If anything, he was excused of everything because of his overzealous attitude. In the real world, this is completely plausible and while we like watching television for escapism, once in a while comes a story like 'Roadkill' that depicts all the dangerous possibilities of the real world.
In the end, creator David Hare leaves room for the endless possibilities that can take the career of Peter Laurence down. Will his rivals and enemies find another chance to take him down? Or will he manage to escape public trials once again? The government might not function in the same way as 'Roadkill', but ministers like Peter Laurence come dime and dozen.