Resistance(miniseries)
| Resistance | |
|---|---|
 Title card | |
| Also known as | RebellionSeason 2 |
| Genre | Historical fiction Spy fiction |
| Created by | Colin Teevan |
| Written by | Colin Teevan |
| Directed by | Catherine Morshead |
| Starring | Brian Gleeson Aoife Duffin Simone Kirby Natasha O'Keeffe Gavin Drea |
| Composer | Vince Pope |
| Country of origin | Ireland |
| Original language | English |
| No.of episodes | 5 |
| Production | |
| Producers | Catherine Magee Catherine Dunne |
| Cinematography | David Marsh |
| Editor | Justin Krish |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 52 minutes per episode |
| Production companies | Zodiak Media Ireland Touchpaper TV RTÉ |
| Original release | |
| Network | RTÉ One |
| Release | 6 January– 3 February 2019 |
| Related | |
| Rebellion | |
Resistance(released asRebellionSeason 2onNetflix) is a 2019 television miniseries written byColin Teevanfor Irish broadcasterRTÉ,dramatising the events surrounding theIrish War of Independence.[1][2]
Set during the time ofBloody Sundayin 1920, it is a sequel to the 2016 mini-series,Rebellion,which was set during the 1916Easter Rising.[3]
Production
[edit]Filming began in October 2016.[4]
Cast
[edit]Characters returning fromRebellion
[edit]- Brian Gleeson– Jimmy Mahon, a 1916 veteran now serving with the IRA.
- Jordanne Jones– Minnie Mahon
- Jaeylynne Wallace Ruane– Sadie Mahon
- Millie Donnelly– Gracie Mahon
- Michael Ford-FitzGerald– Harry Butler, wealthy banker from whom the rebel government seek funds.
- Gavin Drea–Michael Collins,IRA Director of Intelligence, a charismatic and headstrong leader. (Collins was played bySebastian ThommeninRebellion)
New characters
[edit]- David Wilmot– Patrick (Paddy) Mahon, Jimmy's brother, a member of theRoyal Irish Constabulary(RIC).
- Stanley Townsend– Daniel Shea, anIrish-AmericanUS Senator,sympathetic to the independence movement.
- Simone Kirby– Ursula Sweeney,Dublin Castlecodebreaker
- Conall Keating– Joey Bradley, IRA gunman.
- Aoife Duffin– Éithne Drury, republican journalist
- Natasha O'Keeffe– Agnes Moore, Ursula's sister, a lawyer working in theDáil Courts
- Catherine Walker– Constance Butler, republican sympathiser; wife of Harry
- Fergal McElherron– Maurice Jacobs, solicitor and agent for the rebel government.
- Ben Smith– Robbie Lennox, English journalist and socialist. Based on the historicalF. Digby Hardy.
- Andrew Bennet–Arthur Griffith,Minister for Home Affairsand vice-president of Sinn Féin
- Craig Parkinson– Captain David McLeod, British soldier.
- Conor MacNeill– Diarmuid McWilliams, republican journalist.
- Aoibhínn McGinnity– Josephine Carmichael, cabaret singer and Harry Butler's mistress.
- Matthew Hopkinson– Albert Finlay, a hot-headedBlack and Tan
- Paul Ritter– GeneralOrmonde Winter,Chief of Intelligence inDublin Castle
- Tom Bennett–Mark Sturgis,Winter's opposite number in the British civil service.
- Hugh O'Conor– Dr. Lawrence Moore, doctor with republican sympathies. Husband to Agnes.
- Imogen Doel– Lily Lawlor, typist in Dublin Castle
- Barbara Bergin– Mrs. Lyons, landlady
- Brian Doherty– Frank Brogan, IRA leader
Episode list
[edit]| No. | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | 6 January 2019 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | 13 January 2019 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | 20 January 2019 |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | 27 January 2019 |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | 3 February 2019 |
Reception
[edit]The first episode was criticised for departure from historical fact; Teevan had already resigned himself to such, he admitted in an interview withThe Irish Times.[5][6]
The Irish Catholiccriticised what they called the "nasty nuns" subplot; in the historical event that the adoption storyline was based on, Josephine Marchment Brown, a widow working inVictoria BarracksinCork,lost custody of her son to her in-laws who took the boy toWales.The IRA kidnapped the boy back for her in return for her passing information to them.[7]Foreign adoptions frommother-and-baby homes,of the kind depicted inResistance,did not begin until the 1940s.[8][9]
Chris Wasser of theIrish Independentawarded the first episode three stars, saying "What we have here is a reasonably capable and competent drama that, though rough around the edges, suggests we may be in for a stronger and tighter run than last time. […] It isn’t nearly as vital or as thrilling as it needs to be, and Catherine Morshead’s flat direction doesn’t help. But there is something here."[10]
Website IrishCentral was more positive, saying "The first episode ofResistanceis deliciously plotted with loyalty, betrayal, irony, but most of all, the bravery of ordinary Dubliners taking on the greatest intelligence service in the world and, as history tells us, eventually winning.Resistanceis not to be missed. "[11]
References
[edit]- ^Stacey, Sarah (4 January 2019)."RTE Drama 'Resistance' Looks At Ireland During The War Of Independence".TodayFM.com.
- ^"Resistance".RTÉ.ie.17 December 2018 – via www.RTÉ.ie.
- ^Barry, Aoife (6 January 2019)."'Sometimes being true to history you get as much flack': Historical drama Resistance's creator on annoying Twitter ".TheJournal.ie.
- ^"Resistance sequel to Rebellion from RT to begin filming next week – The Irish Film & Television Network".www.iftn.ie.
- ^Clarke, Donald."'Resistance': Let the arguments about historical truths begin ".The Irish Times.
- ^"There was a mixed reaction to RTÉ's new War of Independence drama, Resistance".JOE.ie.
- ^Duffy, Rónán (7 January 2019)."What is the truth behind Resistance's forced adoption storyline that really got people talking?".TheJournal.ie.
- ^Bracken, Amy (29 June 2014)."Opinion: Adoption, illegitimate children and 'the bogey of proselytism' in Catholic Ireland".TheJournal.ie.
- ^"The Irish babies adopted to the US, now adults in a legal limbo".irishtimes.com.Retrieved11 January2019.
- ^"Resistance review: 'It isn't nearly as vital or as thrilling as it needs to be – but there is something here'".Independent.ie.6 January 2019.
- ^"Irish War of Independence drama" Resistance "opens with a bang".IrishCentral.com.7 January 2019.
External links
[edit]- 2019 Irish television series debuts
- 2019 Irish television series endings
- RTÉ original programming
- Irish television miniseries
- Television shows set in Dublin (city)
- Television shows set in Ireland
- Television series based on actual events
- Television series set in the 1920s
- Cultural depictions of Michael Collins (Irish leader)
- Works about the Irish War of Independence
- Television series by Banijay
- Films directed by Catherine Morshead