"Time."

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“Time” (BritBox on Amazon Prime) Series 2, British anthology drama series, follows the lives of inmates and staff in His Majesty's Prison Service. 



       Series 1 focuses on a newly imprisoned schoolteacher, who is consumed by guilt for his crime. And a prison officer doing his best to protect those in his charge, as well as his own demons. 

       Sean Bean is Mark Cobden, the prisoner; Stephen Graham is Eric McNally, the prison officer. Both deliver a sterling performance that is forceful in their restraint, touching in their vulnerability. They deservedly won BAFTA awards in 2022 for their acting.

       However, it is Series 2 that the drama elevates into a powerful theater of heart-tugging pain. I almost cried, quite honestly.

       The storyline: Orla, a single mother serving her first sentence, Abi, who is incarcerated for life, and Kelsey, a pregnant heroin addict and repeat offender, begin their respective sentences at a women's prison.

       Jodie Whittaker is Orla; Tamara Lawrance is Abi; and Bella Ramsey is Kelsey. Hard to say who gave awards-worthy moments but I'd say all of them did, with special mention to the young Bella Ramsey (yes, of “The Last of Us”). 

       “Time” really has a flimsy plot point and I bet you already had too much of the same stuff. But this series’ performers manage to bring the show to another higher level of entertainment albeit in the tear-jerky version. Best drama so far that I've seen this year. 🎥📺📽

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