Mrs Wilson - General Discussion

[dcalley]

Quote

Starring Ruth Wilson (The Affair, Jane Eyre), Mrs. Wilson is a powerful three-part drama inspired by the memoir of Ruth Wilson’s grandmother and family history.

Set in 1940s and 1960s London and 1930s India, the series follows Alison Wilson, who thinks she is happily married until her husband, Alec, dies and a woman turns up on the doorstep claiming that she is the real Mrs. Wilson. Alison is determined to prove the validity of her own marriage – and Alec’s love for her – but is instead led into a world of disturbing secrets.

Mrs. Wilson premieres on MASTERPIECE on PBS Sunday, March 31, 2019, 9/8c.

This aired in the UK on BBC One in November and December 2018.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/shows/mrs-wilson/

[sadiegirl]

Just finished watching part 1 and 2. This is amazing! Can't wait for the rest.

[howiveaddict]

Wow! Ruth Wilson is actually playing her grandmother. Great series.

[CarpeDiem54]

Fascinating!  I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Can anyone tell me what was written on the card Allison found in Alec's wallet?  I couldn't see it.  Thanks.

[Brattinella]

Oh this is so good!  Can't wait til the next one!

[rhys]

1 hour ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

Fascinating!  I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Can anyone tell me what was written on the card Allison found in Alec's wallet?  I couldn't see it.  Thanks.

It was a business card from a pawn shop but I didn't notice any writing. Sorry

[voiceover]

Ha!  I saw the DirecTV summary -- not having read about the series previously -- and thought, "Wow look at that; Ruth Wilson is playing a character with the same name!!!"   

Then after it was over I ambled through reviews, and found out why.  Well: duh.

I hope they rerun 1&2 before they screen the conclusion, because I missed bits.  But really, one of those "If this was a movie, people would call it contrived!"...uh, movies. 

But I'll generally watch Ruth in anything, and she's so good here.  And Keeley Hawes, so perfectly cast; the woman was born to wear red lipstick & smoke a defiant cig. 

[CarpeDiem54]

1 hour ago, rhys said:

It was a business card from a pawn shop but I didn't notice any writing. Sorry

Thanks!  I could tell it was a business card, but couldn't read it.  Maybe someday I'll be able to afford a 60" TV.  Ha!

[JudyObscure]

The true test of compelling drama?  I stayed awake until eleven!

Ruth Wilson, or as we affectionately call her, Marge Simpson, is so good at whatever she does. 

So far my heart is broken for all four sons.

  I hope the mothers will soon  be able to direct their anger where it belongs, rather than each other.   Grrr.  The lie about ownership of the big house was the last straw for me.

[leighdear]

I swear, Ruth Wilson looks like she could be related to actress Melissa Gilbert.  

3 hours ago, JudyObscure said:

The true test of compelling drama?  I stayed awake until eleven!

Me too.  I get up at 4:45 am, so it was a sacrifice.  But definitely worth it. 

Altering official documents was obviously a lot different back then.  Was there a 1940's version of "Wite-Out"?  It looked like she was painting right over the original names on the divorce certificate.  

I'm definitely looking forward to next week. 

[sadiegirl]

There are 5 sons, no? 2 with Gladys, 2 with Alison and 1 with Dorothy. Men who go around fathering children like it's no big deal ... I want to strangle them.

I want to know what he told Gladys and Alison while he was visiting the other one. 20 years is a long time to believe and accept that your husband was so busy and had to be away so often.

[bythelake]

Wilson was really a scoundrel. He lied,cheated and deceived for years.

Gladys and Dorothy  found out about Alison from the obituary in the paper, but I don’t think Gladys  about Dorothy beforehand.

Then when Alison started peeling back the layers, she found her marriage was a sham,yet she forged records to protect him and the children even after his death.

Despite his deceit, they all loved him, and his children adored him.

What I didn’t understand was, where did all his money go? He wrote over 20 novels, had been a college professor as well as government intel.Was he spreading it around to house the different families? Dorothy said she got very little money.

But when these wives found out about each other they did nothing to rectify the situation. They let the lie perpetuate for generations, and only within the last 15 or so years have brought it out into the open. Alison would not even let her sons meet their half siblings. I guess in 1960 England it would have been a terrible scandal.

If you read the Wiki article, it gives more info, and more surprises to come. 

Alison’s boys are getting suspicious, can’t wait for the next episodes.

[Mindthinkr]

9 hours ago, CarpeDiem54 said:

Fascinating!  I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Can anyone tell me what was written on the card Allison found in Alec's wallet?  I couldn't see it.  Thanks.

The business card came from a pawn shop. I’m wondering if Capt Wilson stored something there that ties his wives together. Gosh, what a legal and emotional mess this must have been to live through. 

[kassygreene]

Can't rectify without exposure, and the kids would have been stigmatized while their mothers would have been bigamists (if the law held both parties guilty then, which in the culture and mores of the times seems likely).  

Parts 1 & 2 are up on the PBS website for two weeks; part 3 is available now on PBS Passport, and it does "finish" the story, in as much as the British secret services let you finish any story.

[leighdear]

Everything should have belonged to Gladys, as she was the original wife with legitimate children and no legal divorce.  They married in 1919, so every relationship after was just adultery and subsequent children were technically bastards. 

They never referred to him having a will or there being a reading.  I imagine Brit law then was simple spousal survivorship.  

Everything was so quashed and buttoned down back then, the scandal would have humiliated all of them if it had been revealed.  

8 hours ago, voiceover said:

 And Keeley Hawes, so perfectly cast; the woman was born to wear red lipstick & smoke a defiant cig. 

Absolutely!  She was fabulously fierce.  

[sadiegirl]

When Dorothy's son said he only knew his father through his books, I wondered how did he not figure out his father was still alive (because I assumed Alec was still writing/publishing into the 60s, as we saw him at his desk) but according to Wiki, his last novel was published in 1940.  So what the hell did he do for the next 20 years?  How did he help support any of these families? Man, what a jerk.

[Brattinella]

I think the boys will keep digging, how could they not?  My hubby says  Alison and her boys would all be prosecuted if they persisted! 

I think at the very least Alison should have a heart-to-heart with her sons, with a FIRM vow never to approach a govt official about it.  And none of it is THEIR fault.

Wilson truly was a wretched man; I could not continue to love him after this discovery.

[Brattinella]

Also, I've adored Ruth Wilson for years!  She has the most unusual face, too.  Her upper lip when it curls she looks like CindyLou Who. :)

[leighdear]

Did anybody else notice the number of times royal blue, and all of it's tones were used throughout both episodes? 

Alison wore the color a lot, but so many rooms seemed to be painted blue, blue accessories, and paintings with a lot of blue.  It really stood out to me.  

[bythelake]

3 hours ago, Brattinella said:

I think the boys will keep digging, how could they not?  My hubby says  Alison and her boys would all be prosecuted if they persisted! 

I think at the very least Alison should have a heart-to-heart with her sons, with a FIRM vow never to approach a govt official about it.  And none of it is THEIR fault.

Wilson truly was a wretched man; I could not continue to love him after this discovery.

She was very firm with Dennis that she wanted no contact with her boys.

I wonder how she is going to support herself, now. He was always short on money. Dorothy even said she had only received money once and the son was already grown.

After the war, something went on that he was disgraced, Coleman (was that her name?)knows more than she’s telling, and why did Alison call her before anyone else when he died?

He really was a deceitful person. With Alison, there were red flags all over the place, but she never questioned him.

There are more articles on line, but don’t read them if you want to be surprised. There’s more to come.

The BBC has some great programs, and this is a double treat, it comes on right after Call the Midwife, my fav.

[rhys]

Yep I'm trying to remain unspoiled. Is Dennis the eldest son? I never caught his name. Who is in the photo that got broken? I'm like some of the other posters: if Alex wrote 21 books, where's the money? Also, not for nothing, it stinks that Alison is worried about being a bigamist. How was she supposed to know she committed fraud 20+ years ago?

[sagittarius sue]

The business card had the name "Urquhart's."  

[Brattinella]

1 hour ago, rhys said:

Yep I'm trying to remain unspoiled. Is Dennis the eldest son? I never caught his name. Who is in the photo that got broken? I'm like some of the other posters: if Alex wrote 21 books, where's the money? Also, not for nothing, it stinks that Alison is worried about being a bigamist. How was she supposed to know she committed fraud 20+ years ago?

SHE didn't commit fraud, HE did.  She was lied to and misled.

[rhys]

I know that. But if you watch her face & body language when it's mentioned, she's petrified. She seems guilty & she has no reason to be.

[Brattinella]

I know, and it pisses me off no end.  She didn't go off and marry multiple people.  I feel so bad for her and her kids.

[bythelake]

For anyone who missed it, the first 2 episodes are being repeated tonight at 9pm est. on PBS.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

21 hours ago, voiceover said:

Ha!  I saw the DirecTV summary -- not having read about the series previously -- and thought, "Wow look at that; Ruth Wilson is playing a character with the same name!!!"   

Then after it was over I ambled through reviews, and found out why.  Well: duh.

I hope they rerun 1&2 before they screen the conclusion, because I missed bits.  But really, one of those "If this was a movie, people would call it contrived!"...uh, movies. 

But I'll generally watch Ruth in anything, and she's so good here.  And Keeley Hawes, so perfectly cast; the woman was born to wear red lipstick & smoke a defiant cig. 

OMG, I LOVE__ Keeley Hawes, she's great in all her roles. 

[SusanSunflower]

don't forget that current Masterpiece and other pbs shows are available streaming ..... without Passport (current shows are also usually available on Roku) 

https://www.pbs.org/show/mrs-wilson/

[Melina22]

On 4/1/2019 at 2:19 AM, voiceover said:

Ha!  I saw the DirecTV summary -- not having read about the series previously -- and thought, "Wow look at that; Ruth Wilson is playing a character with the same name!!!"   

I loved the first 2 parts but never made this connection at all! Wow, that's surprising! 

I can understand her desire to keep everything secret. I imagine how I would feel if it came to light, even nowadays, that my first husband, father of my 4 children, had actually been legally married to someone else, rendering my own marriage nonexistent. Illegitimacy doesn't carry a fraction of the stigma it used to, yet I can still think of lots of reasons to keep it all a secret, and to keep the grown children from finding out what a jerk their beloved father was. 

I was dying for Alison to say as she walked out of Dorothy's house, "Oh and by the way, Gladys was his wife, not his sister. Bye." 

Edited April 2, 2019 by Melina22

[SunnyBeBe]

I'm so glad that I stumbled on this show Sunday night. I look forward to the resolution, though, suspect it won't be satisfying.  

[palmaire]

31 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

I can understand her desire to keep everything secret.

I can understand too, but when does the lying, forging, anger, grief and hurt become too much to bear? Just the shenanigans at the funeral would have done me in. Her older son was already digging up some of the truth, and both boys became resentful of and slightly estranged from her due to her deceit.

I'm with the rest of you who can't figure out how Alec supported any of his families, or when/how he became financially secure in later years. 

If I were one of Alec's first two sons, I'd have trouble adoring a father who spent all his time in the city and only came home for a few hours at a time on birthdays.

Allison's mother would rather see her grandchild adopted out than give her daughter some money? Even Candy Spelling provides for her grandkids!

[Melina22]

3 minutes ago, palmaire said:

Allison's mother would rather see her grandchild adopted out than give her daughter some money? Even Candy Spelling provides for her grandkids!

Yes! That was horrifying! 

[Popples]

2 hours ago, Melina22 said:

I was dying for Alison to say as she walked out of Dorothy's house, "Oh and by the way, Gladys was his wife, not his sister. Bye." 

Yes, exactly! Especially when Alison asked her if Alec had been lying to her, and Dorothy said "not at first" but clearly he was. I held my breath when she encountered Michael leaving Dorothy's house; I thought for sure she was going to spill the beans.

I hope they explain about the house Alec lied about. He was in the military and it was a convalescent home for injured soldiers so he probably did visit with people knew which answers how the nurse knew him, but why would he encourage his sons to try to reclaim it for inheritance when he died.

It's a riveting show, but as someone mentioned earlier, I'm afraid the ending might be anti-climatic. 

[retiredviewer]

On 4/1/2019 at 9:32 AM, bythelake said:

Wilson was really a scoundrel. He lied,cheated and deceived for years.

Gladys and Dorothy  found out about Alison from the obituary in the paper, but I don’t think Gladys  about Dorothy beforehand.

Then when Alison started peeling back the layers, she found her marriage was a sham,yet she forged records to protect him and the children even after his death.

Despite his deceit, they all loved him, and his children adored him.

What I didn’t understand was, where did all his money go? He wrote over 20 novels, had been a college professor as well as government intel.Was he spreading it around to house the different families? Dorothy said she got very little money.

But when these wives found out about each other they did nothing to rectify the situation. They let the lie perpetuate for generations, and only within the last 15 or so years have brought it out into the open. Alison would not even let her sons meet their half siblings. I guess in 1960 England it would have been a terrible scandal.

If you read the Wiki article, it gives more info, and more surprises to come. 

Alison’s boys are getting suspicious, can’t wait for the next episodes.

There's only one more.

[SusanSunflower]

Watched part I last night.  Very impressed how this "small" true story successfully filled the screen and the time alloted without making it a soap opera or history lesson.  Well done.  Even the sons were distinctly sympathetic in their own way. 

I did keep wondering who knew what and when given the husband was obviously a valuable asset who likely relied on some logistical support to fulfill his role as stellar husband and father and eventually author. 

Appreciate the hell out of the period middle-class production values and wardrobe(s) and wondered how well off both families were relatively speaking -- big houses on nice streets, sons in or anticipating college, etc.  Looking forward to part II

[SusanSunflower]

I've sort of lost track of time in episode II. It appears that it's only a month or six weeks after Alec's death and yet I found myself wanting Alison to realize that she did have 20 fairly stable comfortable years as his wife and that while Gladys had more years, that may have made the shock of another wife worse .... or perhaps not.  These women all dealt with a husband who "accountability" was undermined by the official secrets act and national service and patriotism. 

I was startled at how quickly Alison's sons leapt into action/investigation with results!!!  Did Alec intend to just leave a mess behind, counting on dropping dead and not having to deal with consequences.  (He was 30 years older than Alison) 

In many ways, imho, Alec treated Dorothy with the least respect ... I wonder if that's because she was an actress/escort and he preferred his women conventional and prim ... dumping Dorothy for the prim Alison and holding onto the very prim Gladys.   Or was he punishing Dorothy for aggressively stalking/spying on him (and Alison)?  She of all three had the spine to get angry and sever the relationship, painful though that was. 

I've been avoiding reading too much and getting spoiled, but the TV drama departs significantly from the documented reality and "reality" even at this late date has many holes, contradictions and mysteries and timelines.

I'll post a great link after the conclusion on Sunday.  

[zillabreeze]

13 minutes ago, SusanSunflower said:

I'll post a great link after the conclusion on Sunday.

Thank you!!!  I'm dying here while refraining from The Google.

This story is brand new to me and so much better than I expected!

On 4/1/2019 at 5:11 AM, JudyObscure said:

Ruth Wilson, or as we affectionately call her, Marge Simpson,

I wasn't familiar with her until this film and now I can't unsee Marge- especially in profile!

[SusanSunflower]

I always think of her as the 2006 Jane Eyre opposite Toby Stephens ... well-cast, she successfully embodied the intelligent and independent (and oh so scarred) Jane Eyre who would fall in love with the equally intelligent and independent (and also quite scarred) Mr. Rodchester... 

(Fassbender / Wasikowska version is very very good too)

[Ms Lark]

Alice the sociopath in Luther season 1, opposite Idris Elba! I hated her character at first, but then she became my favorite. Returned/returning in Season 5, depending which side of the pond you're on.

Enjoying Mrs. Wilson, who knew Ruth came from such a strange background! Can't wait for the ending, am also trying to stay away from spoilers.

[NoThyme]

So much blue everywhere. Clothes, walls, curtains all over the place. I wonder why.

[JudyObscure]

Yep, I kept thinking some Mrs. Wilson or other  would say something about pale blue being his favorite color.

[SusanSunflower]

I suspect Alec may have been a bit of a control freak ... the interiors of his homes had similarities, most obviously his spartan writing desk and a lack of ornament or "pretty" except his war years lair which had an exotic air and uncertain about where he and Dorothy resided, but her home was artistic. Everything was "nice enough" but there was no sense of particular ease much less luxury. The sons too --physically and in almost military demeanor -- could be cookie cutter replicas of each other.  I'm growing more curious about Gladys' life during his long absences and what Alison and sons will live on if Gladys gets his pension (such as it is assuming there is one --- or two ?)

Did Alison stop working with the arrival of sons? (two incomes versus his uncertain income after the disgrace and income from the books?)  I wondered too about the person (at HQ maybe) who said he came from a good family, good schools ... did they know or were they just repeating a cover-story, made up by whom for whom? 

[2727]

On 4/5/2019 at 12:55 PM, SusanSunflower said:

I wondered too about the person (at HQ maybe) who said he came from a good family, good schools ... did they know or were they just repeating a cover-story, made up by whom for whom? 

That's a good point. Alec was significantly older than Alison and perhaps both his parents were deceased, but did he have no extended family at all?

If people are enjoying this, I'd recommend London Spy, available on Netflix. It's a similar-ish story of a man hellbent on investigating what really caused the death of his partner who worked for British intelligence. Or did he? Lies and spies.

Edited April 7, 2019 by 2727

[dcalley]

On 4/1/2019 at 9:29 AM, leighdear said:

Altering official documents was obviously a lot different back then.  Was there a 1940's version of "Wite-Out"?  It looked like she was painting right over the original names on the divorce certificate. 

I think she was washing out the ink with acetone or isopropanol, as in check washing.

On 4/1/2019 at 5:20 PM, rhys said:

Who is in the photo that got broken?

It was a very recent photo of Alec with Gladys and their son (and some other guy--no idea).

13 hours ago, SusanSunflower said:

Did Alison stop working with the arrival of sons? (two incomes versus his uncertain income after the disgrace and income from the books?) 

She stopped working for Coleman with the pregnancy/baby. At the beginning of the first episode she's in a typing pool, goes home for her lunch hour, and Alec dies, so she has a job in 1963.

11 hours ago, 2727 said:

If people are enjoying this, I'd recommend London Spy, available on Netflix. It's a similar-ish story of a man hellbent on investigating what really caused the death of his partner who worked for British intelligence. Lies and spies.

Thanks, I've added it to my list!

I really don't get why Dorothy couldn't have been told Alec was married from the get-go. She agreed to pretend to be in a relationship with him. Would she have refused to pretend if she knew he was married? I don't entirely trust Mr. Karim's version of events.

[SusanSunflower]

Thank you -- yes, of course Alison came home from work to make Alec lunch.  Alison has aged a little bit in the 20 years but I knew my chronology had gotten scattered. 

I was not inclined to feel sympathy for Dorothy until I realized that part of my own "mythology" of Alec was that he was a good guy who married and took care of the women he got pregnant ... His aggressive courtship of Alison destroyed Dorothy's marriage (which was a fraud) but was pretty in-your-face.  Was he besotted by Alison or did he have another reason to complicate his life since his "I can't get a divorce" excuse was pretty iron clad. 

Mr. Karim seems to consider Alec a hero --- saved thousands of lives -- tell me more. 

[chitowngirl]

I’m always amused by “he’s a devout Catholic and can’t get divorced “, but sees no problem with affairs and fake marriages. 

[Brattinella]

7 hours ago, SusanSunflower said:

Mr. Karim seems to consider Alec a hero --- saved thousands of lives -- tell me more. 

Seriously.  Just HOW did he save thousands of lives? 

[festivus]

On 4/1/2019 at 8:30 AM, sadiegirl said:

There are 5 sons, no? 2 with Gladys, 2 with Alison and 1 with Dorothy. Men who go around fathering children like it's no big deal ... I want to strangle them.

I thought there were too, it was just that only the one son of Gladys who knew what was going on. I wish it was more clear. Anyway I felt so bad for him. He seemed genuine in his desire to know his brothers and it's not his fault that Dad is a cad. I know Alison is only doing the best she can though after such a shock. I can't imagine what I would do. Things are different now and most people would probably tell their sons about having brothers but this was 1963. I will say I was proud of Alison for not telling Dorothy about Gladys even though I know how angry she was. I think she did at least connect with this woman's desire to protect her son.

Didn't even know there was a forum for this show. I would have had so much more to say last Sunday. Looking forward to seeing the end tonight.

[bythelake]

6 hours ago, festivus said:

I thought there were too, it was just that only the one son of Gladys who knew what was going on. I wish it was more clear. Anyway I felt so bad for him. He seemed genuine in his desire to know his brothers and it's not his fault that Dad is a cad. I know Alison is only doing the best she can though after such a shock. I can't imagine what I would do. Things are different now and most people would probably tell their sons about having brothers but this was 1963. I will say I was proud of Alison for not telling Dorothy about Gladys even though I know how angry she was. I think she did at least connect with this woman's desire to protect her son.

Didn't even know there was a forum for this show. I would have had so much more to say last Sunday. Looking forward to seeing the end tonight.

According to Wiki, he had 2 sons and a daughter with Gladys, 1 son with Dorothy and 2 sons with Alison. I imagine to condense the story they haven't mentioned the other children.

I think in 1963, Alison would have been looked down upon even though it wasn’t her fault. After all, the only legitimate children were the ones with Gladys. The other boys were considered bastards. I would imagine that’s part of why she wants to keep the secret.

Can’t wait for the finale tonight.

[festivus]

Thanks. I'm going to stay away from Wiki until after I've seen tonight's conclusion. Then I plan to look up info about this because I'm finding it very interesting.