Channel 4's latest drama offering, Summerwater, a six-part adaptation of Sarah Moss's novel, has landed with a disappointing thud, leaving critics and viewers bewildered by its confused tone and melodramatic execution.
A Confused Adaptation
Written by John Donnelly, the series attempts to explore the festering tensions within six uniquely unhappy households holidaying in rain-lashed cabins by a Scottish loch. The central premise hinges on a day of reckoning, foreshadowed by a police investigation into a fatal fire, the details of which remain a mystery until the final episode.
The narrative structure is an interlinked anthology, relentlessly revisiting the same day from the perspective of a different cabin each episode. We begin with Justine, portrayed by Valene Kane, a wife and mother whose distant behaviour and obsessive running hint at a severe mental health episode triggered by workplace injustice.
Flawed Execution and Melodrama
The drama's fundamental flaw lies in its inability to translate the novel's detailed inner monologues and state-of-the-nation commentary to the screen. Instead, it opts for a vague psychodrama filled with baleful stares, threatening landscape shots, and a shimmering, whining score.
Subsequent episodes introduce other miserable characters, including empty nesters played by Dougray Scott and Shirley Henderson, a humiliated teenage boy, and a young Eastern European couple facing discrimination. Their backstories are often basic and implausible, leaving audiences questioning their motivations.
The acting is frequently melodramatic, stifling any genuine connection with the characters, who are trapped in what feel like cartoonishly grim situations.
Genre Confusion and Loose Ends
Summerwater further confuses matters with occasional, fleeting tilts towards other genres. A brief Lynchian horror vibe suggested by the use of Roy Orbison's 'In Dreams' quickly dissipates. An element of the supernatural, involving a mysterious hut in the woods, is introduced but underdeveloped, becoming just another annoying loose end.
While the series deserves some credit for attempting to move beyond the standard crime mystery template, its execution is deeply flawed. The plot is riddled with implausibilities, and the tone remains bewildering throughout, despite a slight improvement as the series progresses.
Ultimately, Summerwater is a drama that feels like a bad trip. The universal experience of hard truths emerging on a tense holiday is lost in a mess of confused storytelling and unconvincing characterisation. Summerwater is available to watch on Channel 4 now.
