TV Review: Glue

3/5

The latest in E4’s cache of original drama offerings (previous form includes Skins, Misfits and My Mad Fat Diary) is Glue, which tells the story of a murder in the English countryside that looks set to turn the lives of a group of teenagers upside down.

Having watched Glue, though, the supposed similarities with its predecessor are hardly unfounded: a group of drug-taking, thrill-seeking, largely aimless teenagers attempt to cope with situations beyond their control, whilst TWOC-ing cars, worrying about their parents and the future, and (of course) having a whole load of sex with each other.

Skins in the countryside? It might sound like it, but it’s not an entirely correct assumption — there are lots of elements of Glue that, whilst they didn’t fully surface in the first episode, are lingering, ready to emerge later. Murder as a focal point, marginalised communities (the Romany, a group rarely seen on serious television) and the individuals within them, the rural non-ideal — these are things that Glue is taking head-on, and hopefully they will be what make it unique.

The young cast are undoubtedly talented, although from episode one their characters seen slightly clichéd — central character Tina (Charlotte Spencer), for example, is currently fitting the mould of slightly wild, sometimes sad, largely desirable female perfectly. Jessie Cave (you might recognise her as Harry Potter’s Lavender Brown) is the quirky one, in dungarees.

Watching Glue, we very much hope that these characters are extended beyond the obvious surface, because the actors behind them are clearly capable of much, much more.

Standout performances (so far) come from Submarine’s Yasmin Paige, who plays rookie police officer Ruth, and one half of Rizzle Kicks, 22-year-old Jordan Stevens, who is making his acting debut. It is Stevens’ character Rob that lifts Glue from being too dark too early, and offers much needed moments of humour.

The script, courtesy of This is England and Skins writer Jack Thorne, who himself grew up in a countryside locale very similar to that seen in Glue, is also quick-witted and lively — although with the intense melodrama at work here it’s going to have to work hard not to slip into moments of self-indulgence.

Glue could be great — it certainly has the potential to be, and with an eight episode run hopefully we’ll see its themes develop into a drama that is as involving as it promises.

Glue is on E4 on Mondays at 10pm.

Originally published at https://www.thenationalstudent.com.