Outrageous Review

I have to confess that, prior to watching Outrageous, the new period drama on BritBox, I had never heard of the Milford sisters. I was familiar with the basics of Britain during the time frame of the series (set mostly in the 1930s in the lead up to World War II) – including how things shook out for King Edward VIII and just who he started cozying up to in that time period – but the goings on in the general aristocratic circles that housed the Mifords were not in my purview. But having watched the series, I can certainly understand just why this particular story is being told at this particular time in our current political moment. Because boy are the comparisons ripe to be made between several of the Milford sisters and some of the other high profile “aristocratic” folk of today.

Just who are the Milfords? Well, the family is perhaps best known for their varying allegiances during the tumultuous decade of the 1930s, with two of the family’s six daughters – Unity and Diana – becoming vocal supporters of the fascist movement throughout Europe, one (Jessica, better known as Decca) becoming a card-carrying communist, one becoming a well-known novelist (Nancy, our narrator in the series, played by Bessie Carter), and one maybe being a lesbian (that would be Pamela, who is absolutely coded as such in the series). There was one additional sister (who wasn’t all that outrageous or noteworthy), and a single brother (you need an heir to the family fortune, after all) who was also a fascist supporter, although less vocal than his two sisters. So, you can see why this family might be worthy of a series.

But even a story this sensationalized doesn’t work if the writing and acting aren’t able to heighten it beyond a simple biographical tale. I’m happy to report that, after a bit of heavy expositional work in the first episode and a half, Outrageous lives up to its title. Carter, as our point of view character, is a strong lead. Nancy, as a character, is the least interesting of the sisters (although Pamela might also qualify for that title until she starts to factor into the action late in the series), but having her be more of a cypher (a writer, struggling with money and her marriage, but lacking much else in the way of a story) allows us to follow her lead when it comes to telling the story of her more out there siblings. And boy is it a hell of a story.

Looking back with our modern lens (and our knowledge of just what the fascist governments of the era were going to do – particularly Hitler’s Germany, which factors heavily into the story), it’s easy to be horrified by how easily characters accept that fascism is the right path forward for Britain and Europe at large. But the series also makes is very clear that the siren song of fascism wasn’t one of scapegoating others and world domination at the expense of those without political power – at least not at first. And you can see how these people, convinced that their lessening power politically, financially, and socially was the result of the action and in action of others – blaming the poor for not wanting to work, politicians for not protecting their rights and their class status, immigrants for existing, basically everyone else but their own shortcomings – sounds a bit similar to what we’re hearing today in the US and other Western nations.

Outrageous makes it clear that Unity and Diana (played by the excellent Shannon Watson and Joanna Vanderham, respectively) are on the wrong side of history – including hints at what is to come once the specter of fascism turns into the true horrors of Nazi Germany – but writer Sarah Williams is careful not to judge them outright. We see Nancy wrestle with her sisters’ spiral into the world of fascism (when Nancy attends a meeting of Britain’s fascist party, she is utterly disgusted not only by the rhetoric but by their call to violence against their communist enemies) while chuckling at Jessica’s growing fascination with communism (which the entire family seems to believe is a wholly laughable political position). And Nancy is constantly torn between her own belief that the rising fascist movement isn’t the right path for Britain and her love for her sisters, especially Diana, who is her close confident until their differing political views shatter their relationship.

It’s amazing that a story from such a key point in history, focused on a single family, could have so many parallels to life today. With the rise of rhetoric that mirrors the language of the fascist characters within the series, families struggling to reconcile their love for each other with seemingly disparate views on the right or wrong direction of countries around the world (and, to be clear, the right direction is clear both in the series as it should be in our modern world – even if some are just as swept away by the hollow promises of a return to “greatness” so long as you eschew your moral center and see others as the enemy), and countries seemingly on the verge of explosion, boy, is this series timely. But, more importantly, it’s also very good. If you’re looking for a historical drama with some absolutely stellar performances – Carter, Watson, and Vanderham are so good – Outrageous is well worth your time.

Outrageous premiers on June 18 on BritBox. All six episodes were provided for review.