This Is England 86 Episode 3 Review

On the comic-relief side, Gadge wants out of his increasingly oedipal relationship with the matriarchal Trudy, and Smell convinces Shaun to make amends with his mother, only for them both to find themselves rekindling the relationship of their youth. While there are no spoilers in this article, people in your life will be talking about This Is England ’86. Admittedly, the series is not the most widely- watched of dramas, but what it may lack in viewings figures it will most certainly make up for with the breadth of debate around it and the profound desire amongst its viewers to talk about it. People who have watched the third episode of ’86 will be talking about it. They can’t not. This is, of course, not necessarily a bad thing. To be responsible for inspiring debate is a great accolade, and one that Shane Meadows has always courted in his envelope-pushing, hard-hitting dramas. The question is not how proficiently or even tastefully the ‘event’ (as it will here-in be referred to) is dealt with. This being a Meadows’ drama it is ruthless in its poignancy and ability to evoke emotion. Rather, the issue that will split the opinion of its audience is how unexpectedly unpleasant the episode’s third act was, and whether it had any place in this series. To speak (finally) about the less controversial first two acts, Meadows allows longer scenes in this episode, which showcases the young stars’ skill in natural dialogue but, unfortunately, can sometimes lead to the seams showing as the interchanges drag on. Lol is also becoming a problematic protagonist, too difficult to defend in her treatment of others, too damaged to genuinely hate. This series may have been promoted as the first Meadows project to have a female lead as the focal character, but it’s hard not to feel the true hero of this story is diminutive nice guy, Woody, and with the way tensions are building, there’s the definite worry that he will go the same way as the series, acting out of character and giving us all a nasty shock. For now, it’s only clear that the final episode will be explosive, highly charged television, for better or for worse. Read our review of episode 2 here.

title: “This Is England 86 Episode 3 Review” ShowToc: true date: “2025-08-13” author: “Ashley Potter”

On the comic-relief side, Gadge wants out of his increasingly oedipal relationship with the matriarchal Trudy, and Smell convinces Shaun to make amends with his mother, only for them both to find themselves rekindling the relationship of their youth. While there are no spoilers in this article, people in your life will be talking about This Is England ’86. Admittedly, the series is not the most widely- watched of dramas, but what it may lack in viewings figures it will most certainly make up for with the breadth of debate around it and the profound desire amongst its viewers to talk about it. People who have watched the third episode of ’86 will be talking about it. They can’t not. This is, of course, not necessarily a bad thing. To be responsible for inspiring debate is a great accolade, and one that Shane Meadows has always courted in his envelope-pushing, hard-hitting dramas. The question is not how proficiently or even tastefully the ‘event’ (as it will here-in be referred to) is dealt with. This being a Meadows’ drama it is ruthless in its poignancy and ability to evoke emotion. Rather, the issue that will split the opinion of its audience is how unexpectedly unpleasant the episode’s third act was, and whether it had any place in this series. To speak (finally) about the less controversial first two acts, Meadows allows longer scenes in this episode, which showcases the young stars’ skill in natural dialogue but, unfortunately, can sometimes lead to the seams showing as the interchanges drag on. Lol is also becoming a problematic protagonist, too difficult to defend in her treatment of others, too damaged to genuinely hate. This series may have been promoted as the first Meadows project to have a female lead as the focal character, but it’s hard not to feel the true hero of this story is diminutive nice guy, Woody, and with the way tensions are building, there’s the definite worry that he will go the same way as the series, acting out of character and giving us all a nasty shock. For now, it’s only clear that the final episode will be explosive, highly charged television, for better or for worse. Read our review of episode 2 here.