White Gold is hitting its stride better in the second series, evolving more into a darker comedy-drama than a straight sitcom.
Ed Westwick very much carries the show. His character is a completely amoral anti-hero, which is working increasingly well as his colleagues/staff are shown to be more human as the second series progresses.
Linzi Cocker is wonderful as his wife, though I wondered why the series creators gave them high school age children? I think the daughter is supposed to be about 15, but Linzi Cocker is only 31 (as is Ed Westwick) and looks even younger. It's an odd point of incongruity - primary school aged children would have been a more realistic fit.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the 1980s soundtrack is fun and nostalgic, as are various references to the era. However, despite a few period costumes - shoulder pads, dropped waists, Thatcher blue - the series somehow feels and looks more like the mid-to-late 1990s (think Men Behaving Badly, or Game On) than the 1980s. This may have something to do with modern filming techniques and technologies as well. Somehow it's a bit too "sharp and clean" to feel like the 80s.
So for me, this is more like a Carry On take on a historic period than something authentic. But that doesn't matter, because at the end of the day it's a comedy - and a great one - not a history documentary.
Ed Westwick very much carries the show. His character is a completely amoral anti-hero, which is working increasingly well as his colleagues/staff are shown to be more human as the second series progresses.
Linzi Cocker is wonderful as his wife, though I wondered why the series creators gave them high school age children? I think the daughter is supposed to be about 15, but Linzi Cocker is only 31 (as is Ed Westwick) and looks even younger. It's an odd point of incongruity - primary school aged children would have been a more realistic fit.
As other reviewers have mentioned, the 1980s soundtrack is fun and nostalgic, as are various references to the era. However, despite a few period costumes - shoulder pads, dropped waists, Thatcher blue - the series somehow feels and looks more like the mid-to-late 1990s (think Men Behaving Badly, or Game On) than the 1980s. This may have something to do with modern filming techniques and technologies as well. Somehow it's a bit too "sharp and clean" to feel like the 80s.
So for me, this is more like a Carry On take on a historic period than something authentic. But that doesn't matter, because at the end of the day it's a comedy - and a great one - not a history documentary.
