An emotionally wrenching, sometimes hilarious drama: A Very English Scandal

The Amazon Prime three-part series A Very English Scandal, with Hugh Grant in the lead, is a terrific drama in the mode that we have come to expect from the best of British TV, with terrific writing, acting, and production values (not only the period settings, in Parliament and Old Bailey in the 1970s) but also in some surprisingly effective against-the-grain decisions, such as the use of a jaunty, upbeat score that at times is so jarringly at odds with the emotional subtext of this series that it brings the project into sharp relief. This series is based closely on actual historical events: the arrest and trial of a British MP,  Liberal Party head Jeremy Thorpe, charged with initiating a plot to kill his former homosexual lover, Norman Scott (Ben Whishaw) whom Thorpe believes is blackmailing him. The director (Stephen Frears) does a fantastic job balancing and juxtaposing the range of modes and moods in this drama: One the one hand, the smarmy Thorpe is an evil guy, exploiting his social status and position of authority to exorcise and eventually to eliminate his former lover, all to protect his social standing and his family honor. On the other hand, there may well be an element of blackmail, as Scott willing accepts regular hush-money payments from Thorpe (of course via an intermediary) but keeps popping up and asking for more. But by and large we are sympathetic to Scott, who becomes, against his will, a spokesman for the rights of homosexuals and a champion of the underdog. We see plenty of horrible, prejudiced behavior - from the police, from the judge who presides over Thorpe's trial - yet the writers and directors never let us lose sight of Thorpe's humanity, either. So in the end, this series is about the horrible choices and decisions people were forced to make in that era, when coming out as a homosexual would have immediately ended a career and a marriage - the tragedy is neither Thorpe's nor Scott's alone, but of their whole generation(s) or men (and women) leading secret or repressed (or both) lives. This series is thought-provoking and moving (the sorrow of both Scott and Thorpe, and the anguish of Thorpe's best friend who served as the intermediary and confidante) are painful, beautifully written, conveyed to perfection, and it's also, at times, surprisingly funny, particularly regarding the gang of misfits engaged to murder Scott and Scott's hilarious testimony as a prosecution witness. A postscript brings us up to date on all of the personages.