Warning: the following contains SPOILERS for Anatomy of a Scandal.
Anatomy of a Scandal is a legal drama and political thriller that takes a long, hard look at how wealthy men bend the truth to secure high-ranking positions in government and avoid accountability for their past actions. From Olivia Lytton's rape case against Tory MP James Whitehouse to the unraveling of the secret that threatens the career of Prime Minister Tom Southern, Anatomy of a Scandal is true to its name, dissecting the root causes and unexpected effects of speaking truth to power. Apart from contributing to the recent wave of strong feminist messages in modern entertainment, the ending of Anatomy of a Scandal also confronts the legal repercussions of the systemic nepotism and corruption in the upper echelons of the British Parliament.
Anatomy of a Scandal was adapted from a 2018 novel of the same name. The book Anatomy of a Scandal was written by former political correspondent Sarah Vaughan, who developed the plot from her own experiences working in courtrooms. Moreover, Vaughan was also inspired by the global rise of the #MeToo movement in 2017 and how it emboldened many women to come forward against their abusers. In the real world, the #MeToo movement has since led to over 50 members of the British Parliament facing allegations of sexual misconduct.
Anatomy of a Scandal, from beginning to end, is a reflection of this ongoing social movement against abusive men in positions of power. Considering how Anatomy of a Scandal is the most successful release from Netflix's roster of April 2022 series, there's no question that the show's progressive feminist commentary remains highly relevant to today's audiences. Here's everything that viewers might have missed in the finale of Netflix's Anatomy of a Scandal.
The very last scene of Anatomy of a Scandal season 1 shows Kate back at work in the courtroom, cheekily smirking at the camera before the end credits roll. While Kate fails to put her rapist James Whitehouse in prison for the rape of Olivia Lytton, Kate gets a second chance at pursuing justice when Sophie tells her about the existence of more evidence that could take down not just James but British PM Tom Southern as well. Although it's unclear who Kate is facing in the courtroom in the last scene, it's implied that she's about to prosecute either James or Tom for the death of Alec Fisher, which could eventually lead to the other members of Anatomy of a Scandal's Libertines Club to get exposed and kicked out of parliament. This is a somewhat bittersweet ending for Kate Woodcroft. Even though Kate's own lies and her emotional connection to James' case prevented Kate from putting her and Olivia's rapist in prison, Sophie's evidence gives Kate everything she needs to shake the very foundations of institutional corruption in the UK, which itself is a huge step for protecting women against abusive and powerful men.
One of Anatomy of a Scandal's biggest twists is that Holly Berry, Sophie Whitehouse's former study partner at Oxford, is actually Kate Woodcroft. Holly left Oxford and changed her identity after she was raped by James Whitehouse. As Kate herself explains to Sophie, Kate couldn't go to the police because she knew that the authorities would've undoubtedly sided with James, as the Whitehouses are a rich and powerful family. Moreover, Holly's transformation into Kate underscores how Anatomy of a Scandal reflects the true stories of women who have been raped or abused, as it shows the effects that extreme trauma can have on rape victims. Seeing no way to fight back against her rapist, Holly's last resort was to completely change her identity as a way of trying to erase the trauma that James caused by forcing himself on Holly.
Another huge twist in Anatomy of a Scandal is the reveal that James helped Prime Minister Tom Southern hide that Tom supplied the heroin that led to Alec Fisher's death back when they were still in Oxford. This is a much larger scandal than Olivia's rape case against James because, instead of just one MP, the investigation into Alec's death could lead to the downfall of the Tories, the dominant political party in the British Parliament. Like other problematic fictional politicians like House of Cards' Frank Underwood and Don't Look Up's President Orlean, Tom Southern represents the deeply-rooted systemic nepotism in modern public service institutions. Moreover, apart from James and Tom, Alec's death could also lead to more investigations into the lives of other Libertines in high-ranking government positions. Although Anatomy of a Scandal isn't based on any specific true story, these events reflect how several corrupt members of the real British Parliament are facing career-ending scandals today.
Anatomy of a Scandal's Libertines Club is an entirely fictional creation by author Sarah Vaughan. That said, the Libertines are based on a real-life Oxford fraternity called the Bullingdon Club. Much like how the Libertines raise young, posh, and ivy league-educated boys into power-hungry, two-faced politicians, so has the Bullingdon Club been accused of doing the same for its members in the real world. While the roots of political corruption in fiction are often attributed to shady secret societies that may or may not exist, Anatomy of a Scandal takes its inspiration from a real cabal, whose members include British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former PM David Cameron, and even actual kings from various European countries. In short, although the Libertines are not real, they represent the reality of how nepotism persists in the British Parliament, unraveling how men in positions of power protect one another from prosecution.
Anatomy of a Scandal author Sarah Vaughan was directly involved in the development of the Netflix series. In interviews for the show, Vaughan herself explains that there's only one major difference between the series and the book. While Sophie Whitehouse was more of a minor character in the novel, she has a much larger role in the screen adaptation. This allows Sophie to function as the audience surrogate in the series, the only person who has access to both sides of the story. Similar to how Apple TV+'s Roar was developed, the direct involvement of the original author in fleshing out the adaptation of Anatomy of a Scandal led to changes that actually improved the source material. By putting Sophie Whitehouse in the spotlight, Anatomy of a Scandal succeeds at dissecting the male-dominated world of British politics and offers an inside look into how a single scandal can snowball into a strategic victory for all women.
Anatomy of a Scandal is streaming now on Netflix.
Comments
Post a Comment