Inside the opening minutes of Sky Atlantic’s legal thriller War, it’s obvious that tech slimeball Morgan Henderson (Dominic West) is a bounder, if not an outright cad. He’s receiving the Pioneer of the Year Award at a self-congratulatory glitz-fest, in recognition of the success of his “positive” networking platform Zephyr. He’s making a speech bemoaning the ways in which social media tears us apart. He appears arrogant yet overflowing with fake humility; sanctimonious but also, habitually untrustworthy. He calls for accountability online. But how about accountability irl? Before long, he’s demonstrating the depth of his commitment to straight-dealing by banging a seemingly random stranger half his age after a chance meeting in a corridor.
As it turns out, his encounter with Flora Monroe (Rose Williams) isn’t so random after all. She’s part of a plan cooked up by Morgan’s wife, famous but on-the-wane actress Carla Duval (Sienna Miller) to prove his faithlessness as she prepares to activate divorce proceedings. Before long, they’re both talking to their legal teams. Morgan is represented by posh, establishment-coded Cathcarts (they do their business in austere, wood-panelled rooms). Carla, meanwhile, has chosen scrappy husband-and-wife fronted Taylor & Byrne (who operate under unforgiving striplights). Let the fireworks begin.
