Get ready for an unflinching look back at the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic. ITV’s latest drama Breathtaking throws us right into the chaos of an overwhelmed London hospital during that first devastating wave back in early 2020. Man, what a scary time that was.
This three-part series is inspired by an intense memoir written by Dr. Rachel Clarke about working on the NHS frontlines. Clarke teamed up with Jed Mercurio – yeah, the genius behind hits like Line of Duty – to turn her experience into a fictional story following a team of doctors and nurses through those dark days.
At the center of it all is Dr. Abbey Henderson, played by Joanne Froggatt from Downton Abbey. She’s an acute care doctor trying desperately to save lives while dealing with things like equipment shortages and confusing health guidance. As we watch Abbey get slammed by wave after wave of mystery virus patients, it’s a stark reminder of how terrifying and surreal those early pandemic months felt.
Though Breathtaking takes some storytelling liberties, reviews say it captures the raw panic and impossible choices hospital staff confronted back then. So get ready to sweat and shed a few tears as this drama drops us back into the Covid ward. The truth of what our healthcare heroes endured deserves to be seen.
Joining the Battle
Breathtaking throws us right into the trenches as Dr. Abbey Henderson and her medical team confront the swift and terrifying onslaught of the coronavirus. Joanne Froggatt from Downton Abbey gives an incredible performance as Abbey, capturing the rising panic and stress of this frontline doctor.
We meet Abbey a few weeks before the March 2020 lockdown, back when this new virus was still a disturbing mystery. At first, it’s just a handful of patients trickling into the London hospital where Abbey works. But soon that trickle turns into a flood that swiftly overwhelms the wards. I don’t know about you, but I still get chills remembering those frightening early days.
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As the cases skyrocket, Abbey and her exhausted team desperately try to keep up while knowing next to nothing about how to treat this plague-like sickness. Making things worse, they don’t have anywhere near the protective gear, medicines, or breathing equipment needed as more gasping, feverish patients cram the halls.
Man, the feeling of helplessness Abbey and the other doctors and nurses endure is heartbreaking. We watch them make agonizing calls over which patients to prioritize. We see them improvising safety gear, reusing single-use masks, and even getting donations from the community. Meanwhile, the death toll around them climbs relentlessly.
Breathtaking highlights the devastating ripple effects as patients, grieving families, and emotionally drained hospital staff get ravaged by this mysterious contagion. It’s incredibly hard to watch at times but critical for understanding the realities these healthcare heroes faced. Just make sure to have some tissues handy for this one!
Too Real to Ignore
While Breathtaking does take some creative liberties, the horrific realities it depicts closely match most accounts of those early pandemic months inside British hospitals. This ain’t no overly dramatized TV fantasy – it reflects the sheer confusion and trauma that engulfed those Covid battlefronts back then.
The series draws directly from Dr. Rachel Clarke’s brutal memoir about working the NHS wards during the first coronavirus wave. And with powerhouses like Jed Mercurio involved, you know they took recreating the chaotic feel of an overwhelmed hospital seriously.
As soon as Breathtaking starts, you are transported right into those terrifying first days – the lack of protection and testing, the managerial disorganization, the constantly shifting and confusing rules that left staff scrambling. It’s that palpable sense of helplessness in the face of an invisible killer that hits you hardest.
We may never fully comprehend the trauma endured by our incredible healthcare workers during that time. But this drama puts you as close as possible to experiencing it. That makes it essential viewing in my book.
So while Breathtaking has its flaws in the storytelling department, its authentic portrayal of frontline workers drowned by waves of mystery virus patients packs an emotional wallop. By mirroring NHS realities so vividly, the series makes it impossible to ignore the outrageous failures and outrageous bravery witnessed in those dark early pandemic days. It’s TV that demands to be seen.
Nerve-Fraying Visuals
While the story of Breathtaking is powerful on its own, it’s the masterful directing and raw performances that will really get under your skin. Through up-close camera work and skillful scene framing, the sense of confusion and creeping dread experienced by hospital staff is viscerally translated to viewers.
As the outbreak unfolds, the visual style becomes more claustrophobic and chaotic – all shaky cameras, tight shots, and quick cuts between crying patients and fearful doctors. It almost overwhelms your senses and builds a suffocating tension, much like what frontline workers endured.
Anchoring all this nerve-shredding madness is Joanne Froggatt, who is simply outstanding as lead character Dr. Abbey Henderson. The anguish, frustration, and bone-deep exhaustion Abbey experiences feels disturbingly real thanks to Froggatt’s profoundly empathetic performance.
Likewise, the supporting cast delivering gut-wrenching turns as nurses and patients conveys the shared trauma sparked by this horrific, unforeseen pandemic. Some moments are guaranteed to leave your stomach in knots and tears flowing.
So while the writing and plotting maybe falls short at points, the masterful direction and raw acting talent on display totally immerse you inside a hospital system barely coping. It’s this uncensored look that makes Breathtaking impossible to ignore or forget.
Rage Against the Leadership Failures
While watching Breathtaking, prepare to transition from profound sadness to white hot outrage – especially once the show contrasts political spin with pandemic realities. Seeing government officials downplay the crisis even as hospital hallways fill with the sick and dying will make your blood boil.
The series deftly intercuts footage of leaders like Boris Johnson cavalierly boasting about “sending the virus packing” with scenes of frontline staff utterly drowning for lack of basic protective gear and testing capacity. The constant political assurances that “everything is under control” when it so clearly isn’t becomes black comedy in the face of such preventable tragedy.
As case numbers explode, doctors are left begging management for more support, guidance, and resources that never materialize. Health workers are forced to wear trash bags as protective gowns, reuse single-use masks for weeks, and even rely on veterinary medicines just to scrape by. All while bureaucrats and administrators act helpless rather than take responsibility or action.
Ultimately, Breathtaking conveys not just the confusion of those early pandemic days but the sheer outrage at the botched government response that needlessly cost healthcare worker lives. By juxtaposing leadership incompetence with human bravery and sacrifice, the drama stokes a righteous fury in viewers while also paying tribute to the ordinary heroes who held the line when leaders failed. It’s great TV but infuriating viewing.
Unflinching, Essential Viewing
There’s no sugarcoating it – Breathtaking is an emotionally pulverizing viewing experience. By unflinchingly capturing the pandemic’s overwhelming trauma, the series packs a lasting punch that should resonance long after the credits roll.
The rare show that’s both emotionally devastating yet impossible not to watch, Breathtaking confronts you with the realities of overrun hospitals and the failings of unprepared systems. Seeing such widespread suffering and death was a collective trauma most of us experienced from afar back then. This series forces you to directly reckon with the ravages born by patients and healthcare staff on the frontlines of the crisis.
Have plenty of tissues close by, as Breathtaking spares no details about the fear, impossible choices, shattered families and debilitating exhaustion confronted by doctors and nurses. The grief and outrage you’ll feel is intentional. The series rightly pays tribute to the quiet heroism of overwhelmed hospital staff while also triggering justified anger at political leaders who hung them out to dry.
By touring us unfiltered through the pandemic’s most heart-wrenching battles, Breathtaking meaningfully unravels the scale of the tragedy that so many experienced firsthand. It educates viewers on stark realities that statistics alone fail to capture. And it sounds an alarm about the human costs of unprepared systems failing the most vulnerable.
So while the plot and characters may not blow you away, the show’s emotional authenticity ensures it joins the small pantheon of ‘must watch’ pandemic portrayals. Harrowing and humane in equal measure, Breathtaking stands tall as further proof of the outrageous resilience and self-sacrifice displayed by everyday healthcare heroes when crisis hits. That’s a story that demands telling.
Unforgettable, If Imperfect
While Breathtaking has its occasional flaws, it remains a standout drama that fearlessly tackles the nightmarish early days of the pandemic. By throwing viewers onto the frontlines of an overwhelmed NHS hospital, the series captures both the selfless heroism and needless suffering born of that crisis.
There’s no doubt Breathtaking succeeds powerfully in its mission to expose the outrageous conditions and tragic failures that engulfed Britain’s healthcare system. As an emotionally authentic account of that chaotic time, the show hits hard and drives home truths that still reverberate. I mean, we’re all still feeling the pandemic nightmare today.
I’ll admit some episodes can drag a bit plot-wise and character development falls short amidst the breathless pace. But technical shortcomings can’t ultimately detract from the show’s empathetic storytelling and vital message.
So even if it’s an imperfect viewing experience, Breathtaking earns a top recommendation as urgent, uncensored drama about the pandemic’s early fury. Whether you lived it or just want to understand, this series packs an unforgettable gut-punch. Just brace yourself, cause those vivid hospital scenes will haunt you well after the credits roll.
The Review
Breathtaking
Though uneven at times, Breathtaking emerges as essential viewing - unsparingly confronting the failures and selfless heroism on the pandemic’s frontlines. Stay for the emotional authenticity and devastating performances.
PROS
- Powerful performances from talented cast
- Authentic recreation of chaotic hospital conditions
- Emotionally devastating portrayal of pandemic impact
- Sharp political commentary on leadership failures
- Strong direction and cinematography to build tension
- Spotlights heroism and sacrifice of healthcare workers
- Essential viewing to understand pandemic realities
CONS
- Plot and character development feels secondary
- Pacing flags at times between intense scenes
- Some heavy-handed emotional manipulation
- Lacks nuance in depicting bureaucracy
- Can be triggering for viewers who lived through it
