‘Angela Black’, ITV’s gripping psychological thriller, delves into the harrowing realities of domestic abuse. It steers away from the typical portrayals of physical violence and brings to light the more insidious forms of psychological manipulation.
Starring Joanne Froggatt, celebrated for her performance in ‘Downton Abbey’, in the lead role as Angela, the series reveals the life of a woman who, to the outside world, seems to have it all: a beautiful home in London, a charismatic husband named Olivier (played by Michael Huisman), two adoring sons, and a busy social calendar. Yet beneath this flawless façade lies a darker reality where Angela is subjected to both physical and emotional abuse by her husband. Olivier, with his wealth, polished appearance, and charm, epitomizes the duality of a man whose sinister nature is only revealed behind closed doors.
Olivier’s Reign of Control
While the series does contain violence, the producers deliberately avoid any unnecessary or excessive portrayal of it. Instead, they focus on the subtler, more insidious elements of emotional abuse and coercive control, a pattern of behavior that includes manipulation, intimidation, and restrictions on personal freedom, aimed at dominating and subjugating the victim.
In their commitment to authenticity, the production team collaborated closely with Women’s Aid, leveraging the charity’s expertise and real-life abuse cases to accurately portray the experiences of victims and the characteristics of perpetrators.
Olivier exerts control over every aspect of Angela’s life, from dictating how much butter she puts on her toast to deciding what she should wear. He manipulates her into cutting off communication with her mother, gaslights her into believing she is forgetting things, and falsely accuses her of cheating, when he’s the one being unfaithful. He also strategically uses their children to emotionally manipulate Angela whenever she considers leaving him.
“We know from our work with thousands of women every year, that women throughout England experience coercive control every day,” writes Farah Nazeer, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid, who commented on the film series. “Coercive control is behaviour designed to make a person dependent by isolating them from support, exploiting them, depriving them of independence and regulating their everyday actions.”
Angela’s Fight for Truth
The series’ tension escalates when Ed Harrison (played by Samuel Adewunmi), a private investigator employed by Olivier to collect incriminating evidence against Angela to secure full custody of their children, turns the tables. Harrison, upon uncovering the true extent of Olivier’s malicious plans, decides to inform Angela about her husband’s sinister motives and she is forced to confront shocking truths about the man she thought she knew.
Viewers watch as Olivier’s manipulation intensifies into extreme gaslighting, pushing Angela to the brink of her sanity and resulting in her involuntary commitment to a psychiatric facility. Viewers are drawn into Angela’s harrowing journey, teetering on the edge of reality and delusion, as she strives to untangle the web of lies spun by her husband.
“What Olivier does is so disturbing; it’s the gaslighting, the mind games… And being the victim of those facets of abuse, which not everyone has understanding of, that makes the victim question who they are and gives them this sense of persistent self-doubt, which again is the type of abuse that is so common,” said Director Craig Viveiros [via Harper’s Bazaar UK].
Nazeer highlights that numerous women endure similar forms of abuse, both from their partners and from the very systems designed to safeguard them: “Just as it happens on screen, women are made to believe that they are going ‘crazy’ by perpetrators, with previous experiences of mental ill health, such as post-natal depression, being used against them. They can be branded as mentally unstable by the police, healthcare professionals and the legal system. Mental health is weaponised by social services and in the family courts – causing women to be separated from their children, just as Angela is.”
Despite its twists, melodramatic moments, and occasional overreach, ‘Angela Black’ offers a powerful exploration of a survivor’s fight against coercive control, largely due to Joanne Froggatt’s outstanding portrayal of Angela. Her performance keeps the series grounded, steering clear of trivializing or sensationalizing the topic. The series comes to a very satisfying end, and we are left cheering Angela on and all other women facing similar challenges
References
Gordon, N. (2021). Joanne Froggatt’s new drama is changing how domestic abuse is depicted on screen. Harper’s Bazaar UK.
Nazeer, F. (2021). Angela Black: The harsh reality of domestic abuse off screen. Women’s Aid.
Featured image: Joanne Froggatt as Angela. Source: YouTube Screenshot / Spectrum Originals.
