The Split, episode three, recap: a kiss too far and a confrontation worthy of Dynasty

Writer Abi Morgan’s divorce drama reached its halfway point with rebuffed kisses and explosive revelations. Here are the talking points from episode three…

“He left you. He didn’t leave us”

So said Hannah Stern (Nicola Walker) to her mother Ruth (Deborah Findlay) in that gut-punchingly powerful final scene. The all-female Defoe family had coped for 30 years until the sudden return of father Oscar (Anthony Head) dropped a grenade into the clan’s dynamics. 

First, Oscar met youngest daughter “Rosie-posey” (Fiona Button) and her sniffling fiancé to turn on the charm. Then he dropped in unannounced on Hannah to win over his three grandchildren and, as Hannah’s husband Nathan (Stephen Mangan) put it, “shamelessly corrupt them” with Nerf guns, Maurice Sendak picture books and BeanBoozled - a game of chance involving weird, wild-flavoured jelly beans, if you haven’t had the “pleasure”.

When Hannah reluctantly gave Oscar a lift home, he mentioned that he’d written letters and sent gifts regularly. She, Nina (Annabel Scholey) and Rose never received them, so Hannah put two and two together. She promptly stormed around Ruth’s house and dementedly tore the place apart, calling her mother “Liar!” 

Eventually she found a locked box. Hannah and her sisters (where have we hears that before?), kneeled around it, reading and realising that their mother had been concealing their father's attempts to stay in touch for decades. Ouch. 

Soundtracked by hotly tipped Norwegian singer-songwriter Sigrid’s ballad Dynamite, it was a game-changing discovery to mark this six-part series’ halfway point. Walker, all flashing eyes and vengeful fury, delivered an especially superb performance. She’s long been one of her finest TV actresses but Walker really got to flex her thespy muscles here. 

Nathan’s move on Nina could have repercussions

Beneath the well-appointed surface - all happy families, classy beige interiors and gleaming kitchen fittings - all has not been well in Hannah and Nathan’s marriage. Her head turned by old flame Christie Carmichael (Dutch actor Barry Atsma), she’s been starting to wonder if she made the wrong choice. 

She let slip as much during their row over teenage daughter Liv (Elizabeth Roberts) going on the contraceptive pill: “I don’t want her to rush into her first relationship and make the same mistakes…” “We made,” finished Nathan sadly. Fuelled by booze and self-pity, he later poured his heart out to Nina, confessing: “Hannah barely tolerates me. We never have sex. She doesn’t want it ever.”

However, lunging in for a snog and a clumsy grope of his sister-in-law wasn’t one of his smartest moves. We’d seen it coming, since they’ve been sharing flirtatious banter since the opening episode, but it was all a bit close to home. Literally so, as they were in the back garden with their extended family milling around inside. Nina said it all. “Don’t be weird. Idiot!” 

Frozen embryo case was emotive fare

After last week’s footballer-and-WAG pre-nup, this episode’s “case of the week” was another very-now dilemma. Jaynie Lee (rising star Tamara Lawrance, who you might recognise from BBC crime drama Undercover) was a self-styled “lifestyle guru, activist, columnist and cancer survivor” who made her millions from colonic tea. Whatever that is. 

With the help of fertility specialist Nathan, Hannah took on the highly charged divorce case as Jaynie fought to save the embryos created during her marriage. Hannah found herself caught in the middle as Nathan and Christie clashed - all very significant - before the shattering courtroom revelation that Jaynie’s ex Elliot (Griffin Stevens) had only given consent for the procedure because he didn’t think Jaynie would survive. 

Jaynie eventually agreed to settle for an eye-watering £30m, desperately hoping that slimy Elliot would keep his promise about the embryos and she’d be able to have the family that she longed for. 

It made for an intense and intriguing sub-plot. And I particularly liked the scene where glamorous Jaynie casually removed her itchy wig to scratch her bald post-chemo scalp, much to Christie’s discomfort. 

Surely Rose can’t marry James?

Signs aren’t good for youngest sister Rose and her wet blanket fiancé James (Rudi Dharmalingam). Last week, she started ripping bits off her wedding gown. This week, she seemed to have a minor anxiety attack while discussing the upcoming nuptials. 

When Rose lost her too-big-and-rather-horrible engagement ring, she found herself in a unexpectedly compromising position. Looking for it in church with kindly vicar Glen Peters (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) - cue neat shots of the pair chatting between the legs of pews as they crawled on the floor - she confided that she didn’t like James’ shirts, most of his friends or his sinus problems, let alone his family heirloom jewellery. 

When she found the fateful ring, she hugged the cleric in relief - and even moved in for a kiss. When he stiffened awkwardly, Rose apologised and ran. As Father Glen is soon due to say: if any person present knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage, he or she should declare it now…

Secret son was a sucker punch for poor Goldie

Sportswear chain mogul Davey McKenzie (Stephen Tompkinson) continued to be a boo-worthy villain, refusing to disclose his assets to childhood sweetheart Goldie (Meera Syal) - who instead snuck into his home office and stole his bank statements under the guise of her being “company secretary”. Attagirl.

When Noble & Hale finally got his hands on his full financial records, they discovered that he’d been making annual payments of £1m for the last 10 years to a secret account. With a lurching stomach and a thudding heart, Goldie realised that her godson Danny - son of her former best friend and Davey’s lover Yvonne (Maggie O’Neill) - was about to turn 10. This was no coincidence. Davey had secretly fathered him a decade ago.

Goldie was understandably heartbroken by this latest humiliation. Although we did enjoy her going full Dynasty when she ran into Yvonne in the hair salon: “You can screw my husband but you’re not having my hairdresser as well.” Worthy of Alexis Colby herself. 

Is Oscar secretly dying?

My suspicions grew during this episode that patriarch Oscar’s visit might not all be about money, as most of the Defoe females suspected. Sure, he wants to sell his share in the firm but why now? Why return out of the blue to build bridges and bond with his daughters and grandchildren?

Perhaps a clue lies in his exhaustion after his evening Chez Stern. Sure, a Nerf gun battle around a trampoline can take it out of you, but Oscar suddenly looked washed out, gulping water and barely able to stay upright. I wonder if he’s terminally ill and has come to put his affairs in order.

Christie is turning into a lovesick student

It wasn’t a vintage week for office heart-throb Christie, who he was spurned and admonished by both Defoe sisters. Both Hannah and Nina upbraided him for that drunken booty call to the latter. 

Christie spent subsequent scenes staring meaningfully at Hannah, gazing moodily out of office windows and lurking mournfully in office corridors. When Hannah brushed him off - well, their conversations have become rather circular - Christie looked exasperated.

Presumably Nathan still doesn’t know that Christie slept with Hannah the night before their wedding. With his handsome Dutch nose out of joint, is Christie desperate enough to use this secret as leverage?

Vodka, vodka everywhere

First the swanky Noble & Hale summer drinks party was vodka-themed, with the legal glitterati guzzling Martinis, vodka-tonics and icy shots. Then Nina arrived on the Sterns’ doorstep clutching two bottles of the clear stuff. 

Was this episode secretly sponsored by Grey Goose? It’s the second BBC One drama to heavily feature the spirit this year, following McMafia. Maybe the distiller got a group deal. 

Family firm crying out for sisterly saviour

There’s increasing concern over Defoe’s finances, with Ruth desperate for Nina to drum up new business, poaching clients every chance she gets and palpably relieved when fees are paid. This could be why she’s reluctant to buy Oscar out - because she simply can’t afford to. 

Meanwhile, Hannah isn’t entirely happy at sleek corporate rivals Noble & Hale. Could this all be paving the way for the senior sister’s return to Defoe’s, riding to the rescue of the family business? Don’t rule it out over the next three episodes.