‘Anatomy of a Scandal’ review: Netflix court drama tackles difficult conversations on consent

Based on Sarah Vaughn’s novel, the show spends time on issues rarely addressed on television. However, it falls short of conveying these in a sensitive manner

In his latest miniseries, Anatomy of a Scandal, David E. Kelley takes his successful formula of zooming in on the problems of the privileged, to shine a light on conversations around consent, in a post-MeToo world.

When James Whitehouse (Rupert Friend), a Member of the British Parliament, is exposed as having an affair with his subordinate, his marital life gets caught in what his wife Sophie Whitehouse (Sienna Miller) describes as the “fishbowl of politics”.

The story of the affair, already an item of media frenzy, takes a new turn when the subordinate, Olivia Lytton (Naomi Scott) accuses James of raping her.

Anatomy of a Scandal reflects on the issue of consent within relationships by weaving its narrative around the gossip-filled corridors of the U.K. Parliament, the confining chambers of the courtroom, and the awkward silences permeating the Whitehouse residence.

Consent in the dynamic of established relationships and marriages has been a difficult conversation to navigate for most societies. In a 2017 submission, opposing pleas to criminalise marital rape in India, the Centre had said that it cannot be criminalised as it “may destabilise the institution of marriage.” The Centre has since then expressed that it wants to revise its stand. 

Kate Woodcroft (Michelle Dockery), who leads the prosecution against James Whitehouse, reminds her junior at one point, “Lest we forget, we live in a country where raping your wife wasn’t legally considered rape until 1991.”

In order to put its point across on such a delicate issue, the show makes the choice to shift its focus from the accused James Whitehouse, and turns his wife into the narrative protagonist. As the scandal unfolds from Sophie’s perspective, the overreaching effects of James’ actions expand to envelop other women in the miniseries.