Juliet Stevenson is "The Politician's Wife" in this British three-part series that also stars Trevor Eve, Ian Bannen, and Minnie Driver. Written by Paula Milne, it's the story of a Flora Matlock married to a very ambitious man (Trevor Eve) in England's conservative party. She helps him by doing public speaking and handling requests from his constituents. They have two beautiful children, and her husband is on his way up. Then a scandal breaks -- he's had an affair with a young woman (Minnie Driver) who was working in the government as a researcher.
Flora is devastated. Her husband begs her to stay with him, swearing it was a one-night stand, never happened before and will never happen again. For the moment, she stays. Then someone leaves her some cassette tapes and she finds out that this was hardly a one-night stand - it was a full blown, wildly sexual affair that went on for almost a year, and everyone, including her father, also in the party, knew it. To the surprise of the associate of her husband's who left her the tapes, Flora still stands by her man...sort of.
This is a fantastic story of a woman who learns her own power and worth as she watches her husband manipulate her, his associates, and his constituents. Juliet Stevenson is marvelous - at first, she's an attractive but not particularly glamorous woman -- as she gains self-esteem she becomes very stylish and confident in her look. Trevor Eve as her husband gives a great performance as well as an unlikeable man who is obsessed with his career.
Totally worth seeing.
