Acorn Video is offering a series most here are not aware of,
at least I know I wasn’t, that presents an interesting situation that deserves
consideration. THE GOVERNOR is about a woman placed in charge of a maximum
security prison housing all man. Some would say this was no place for a woman.
The series sets out to prove them wrong and does so admirably.
The series opens with a riot in Barfield Prison, the end
result being the death of an inmate and the removal of the warden in charge. A
believer in new ways of dealing with prisoners this warden had gone so far as
to allow prisoners their own key to their cells. His removal leaves an opening
that few want to take. So the board offers it to Helen Hewitt (Janet McTeer),
deputy of a women's prison in London, who was part of the team investigating
the incident.
The intent of the board, or at least several members, is to
place her in charge with the expectation to fail. That result is pretty much
guaranteed for whoever takes the position. It is paying lip service to
promoting a woman to this position so they can claim they did so before
inserting the person they actually want without their bias being apparent.
But Helen proves them wrong. The inmate’s death had been
ruled a suicide but Helen saw numerous signs to make her believe he was
murdered. Once she takes to her office she begins her own investigation into
the inmate’s death. What she discovers is a cover up and involvement of several
guards alongside several prisoners. Revealing all of this will end up one of
two ways, her taking command admirably of the prison or her death.
Since that first episode ended up followed by more you can
guess what the outcome is. But that is just the kick off point for the series
which remained interesting throughout. The trials and tribulations of Helen
Hewitt as the first female governor of an institution like this are vast. All
of them involve different storylines that have a way of coming together in
different ways than one would expect.
The initial riot at the prison left much of it in tatters. A
project to rebuild much of what was destroyed is ongoing from that first
episode forward. A revamping of the methods used in the prison is also in order
after the actions of various guards from that episode. Prisoner’s reactions to
new rules are shown. Escapes happen. Protocol is either followed or not and the
results are shown. Items big and small create havoc or control. All of this
works to make a series that’s interesting and unpredictable.
McTeer has always provided solid performances and this
series, airing in 1995-96, should have been a breakout role for her. Why that
never happened I’ll never know. But she shows an ability here to present a
character in control on the surface while unsure of herself in private that was
fascinating to watch. That we have this to view now thanks to Acorn is
something to be treasured.
The series though complete here is only two seasons long and
just 12 episodes altogether. That makes it one of those series that can be
binged watched in a weekend and my guess is that those who take the chance will
do so. Once you get started watching the odds are good that you won’t want to
stop.
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