Screw Episode One Review

Screw is a prison drama Channel 4 has been promoting heavily. The first episode of the series focuses on the day of the life of the prison guards and the prisoners at Long Marsh Prison’s C Block.

The first episode has three major storylines. The first focuses on Rose Gill (Jamie-Lee O’Donnell), a young woman who embarks on her first day on the job and the stresses and strains that involves. Leigh Henry (Nina Sosanya) is the supervising officer who has to manage the guards and the prisoners, handle the arrival of two new prisoners, and meet one of the prison governors. One of the inmates tries to take drastic action when he realises who one of the new inmates is.

The first episode was a solid opener that introduced audiences to the main characters and some of the storylines that are going to follow. This was illustrated through the role of Rose. She was the audience stand-in. Rose was new to the world inside the prison and had many things explained to her. She gets told what type of prisoners were in Long Marsh, that prisoners used food as currency, and warned that 50% of new prison staff quit within two years. The episode stated that prison was understaffed, and the staff had low pay, poor work conditions, and have no qualifications.

Rose was thrown into the deep end. She was made to observe the prisoners and when things kicked off Rose resorted to getting her baton out. It was a move Rose was chastised for because Leigh says if she had to draw her baton then she has lost control.  Rose was made the caseworker for one of the new prisoners and the senior prison officers gave her contradictory advice. Leigh condemned Rose despite the young woman having no training or support. It was easy to sympathise with Rose because she wasn’t ready for the job.

Rose saw the issues affecting the prison system. She was in the middle of an ideological clash between Leigh and Gary Campbell (Stephen Wight). Leigh described the prisoners as ‘not bad men, just men who did bad things’ and she acted in a more supportive role. Campbell’s view was the men were in the prison for a reason and deserved what they get. The prison was an aging facility and the makeup of the prison population included men with drug addiction, mental health issues, and the men were from different backgrounds.

One of the reasons I was interested in the series was Jamie-Lee O’Donnell. I am a Derry Girls fan and I want to see what the cast members can do outside that show. The marketing for Screw did show Rose being brassy because she said she likes telling people to shut up and whacking out her baton. But this was misleading because she was nervous entering the prison, overwhelmed in the prison, and exhausted afterward. O’Donnell showed she can handle more dramatic material and it was fun to hear her speak with an English accent instead of her natural Northern Irish accent.

Campbell stated his dislike for Rose because he said she was a ‘PC hire.’ She’s clearly a character who’s from a less-privileged background. It’s led me to think Rose might be a care leaver which would explain why she was a ‘PC hire,’ why she had few qualifications, and working as a prison guard would allow her to get qualifications. One of the prisoners asked if they knew Rose which hints, she may have been with unsavoury people or at least from a rough area, and the episode did end with a twist.

The other storyline that’s set to be a major part of the series was Leigh’s promotion. She had a rapport with the prisoners and acted more like a teacher or a parent. Leigh joked with the prisoners and tried to intervene before trouble could brew. She believed prisoners can be reformed. Leigh wanted the promotion because she felt it could make more of a difference as a manager, but her current job was going to be obsolete, so it was all or nothing.

The governor did ask Leigh about her background and needing her birth certificate, something Leigh didn’t want to give up. Leigh didn’t know who her dad was and only knew her mother’s name. Leigh’s obviously hiding something and if my theory about Rose being a care leaver, Leigh might have more in common with Rose than first thought.

The storyline involving Childs (Jake Davies) and Dolby (Christopher Fulford) who gave the episode more of an Oz vibe, if not as dark as the American show. Childs had a past with Dolby that shocked him to his core, and he went from a well-behaved prisoner to someone taking desperate action. It gave the series a grittier feel.

Screw has been classed as a comedy-drama. The most overt and absurd moment came from the discovery of an African Bullfrog in one of the cells. It was a strange plot point for an episode that was mostly grounded with its look and tone.

The first episode of Screw does a fine job starting out the series. It works as a standalone story, introducing the characters and set up some of the storylines for the rest of the series. This was no mean feat.