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MOTHER LOVE
Simon Langton, BBC TV, 1989
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Helena Vesey loves her son with a passion verging on the demonic. When he announces his engagement to Angela, it's clear that she's not losing a son, only her sanity. She's soon dusting off her books on lethal poisons and begins a ruthless killing spree, elegantly disposing of anyone she sees as opposition. Everyone and everything, from her ex-husband's new wife to the family pet represents a target for this malicious and vengeful woman.
Mother Love received strong reviews in the UK where Diana Rigg won a Bafta for her lead performance. It was shortly after broadcast in the US as part of PBS's Mystery! strand with Stateside critics unanimous in their praise for the piece. However, most missed the fact that this is a black comedy, and although Rigg is superb as the woman scorned, her performance brings to mind the wicked stepmother in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. There's a macabre sense of fun about her adventures which echoes dark classics such as Kind Hearts and Coronets, and the relish with which she strikes down her enemies makes her a compelling, larger than life character.
Andrew Davies's screenplay is based on a novel by Domini Taylor, but he injects more wit into the proceedings and streamlines the action. Thankfully, a number of the book's more terrifying moments survive, with several scenes borrowed straight from the horror genre. Co-star David McCallum may have been overstating the case, however, when he called the series "Quite terrifying," adding, "It is the most frightening thing I've ever seen".
Mother Love zips along with pace and panache, strengthened by an effective cast, several neat twists and some memorable one-liners are darkly enjoyable.
Gavin Collinson
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The score to Mother Love was written by Patrick Gower who had achieved success earlier in the 80s with his music for Granada's The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.
