In my previous reviews, I felt there was little doubt that Charles Ingram (Matthew Macfadyen, Ripper Street) and his wife Diana (Sian Clifford, A Serial Killer’s Guide to Life) were guilty of cheating on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. We’d seen Diana’s brother Adrian’s (Trystan Gravelle, Exile) ties to the Syndicate, we’d seen their Fastest Finger First button, and we heard the coughing. It should be obvious, right? After the finale, I’m no longer sure.
Quiz Episode 3 begins with the defense bringing the reliability of memory into question. The evidence might have been misremembered because recalling things is like taking a photograph of a photograph. Each time we recall something, it’s a little less sharp. The defense goes as far as to say that because of this effect, we’re living in a world constructed of lies. I have to say that I was not expecting this miniseries to have me questioning the nature of my reality.
It’s around this time that I actually started feeling bad for the Ingrams. The scandal makes their home life a nightmare. Besides all the ridicule from neighbors, someone even kills their dog with a pellet gun. Regardless of whether or not they are guilty, to take it out on the family dog is just evil.
What makes the Ingrams’ guilt even less certain is that Tecwen Whittock (Michael Jibson, 1917) has a diagnosed cough and that similar coughing was found during another winner’s show. It becomes apparent Quiz constructed events to look a certain way to make us confident we knew the truth, just to tear that all down in the final installment. I have to give the makers of the show credit, though, since it is based on real events, some of that should just be credited to the dubious nature of the case. But I will say though that the circumstances do make it suspicious that Diana would call four different pagers belonging to her brother.
I might no longer be sure if the Charles and Diana cheated, but the jury is sure enough to convict them. I’m thankful I wasn’t on the jury. The whole affair leaves a lingering sense of something unfinished. Ironically, the documentary on the scandal is a hit for ITV. The world is just funny like that.
The court of public opinion leans towards guilty until proven innocent, even if that’s the reverse of the legal system. But regardless of which side you’re on for this case, legal dramas like this will continue to captivate audiences and this show has me curious to check out more legal mysteries.
