I re-watched the last scene and I am positive Martha didn't kill herself. Billy saw her on the edge of the road. So unless she literally spun round and took a flying leap over the quite high river wall within seconds then she couldn't possibly have had time to jump. She clearly just walked off down the street with the passing bus covering her exit. When Billy looked up it was only back to the same spot as before, he didn't turn his head left down the street ;-)
But why would Martha walk away from her friend who is dying? Again, pointlessly out of character.
I'm sure you are right in what you've summarised - the trouble is, there's no emotional or character-driven logic to it (which is directed at Peter Moffat and Hilary Salmon, not you! ;-)) …
She was frustrated, frustrated that chambers was going down the prosecution route, frustrated that due to her being distracted with Sean she missed a vital piece of evidence, saddened that billy was going and saddened that clive was betraying her. She spoke of her being homesick and I guess a change would allow her to continue with defense. Not all drama needs a "and then we went home and went to bed, it was a very good day" ending. Let it be partly ambiguous, let us all draw our own conclusions.
But why would Martha walk away from her friend who is dying? Again, pointlessly out of character.
I'm sure you are right in what you've summarised - the trouble is, there's no emotional or character-driven logic to it (which is directed at Peter Moffat and Hilary Salmon, not you! ;-)) …
Because Mickey told her to run. She'd obviously had enough of it all. Billy dying just offered the last reason for why she shouldn't stay. Her and Clive were about to end, she didn't like where the law firm was heading, and she was homesick. She had no reason to stay anymore. She didn't kill herself. There's no way she had the time to get over that river wall. It's not believable. Her walking off down the street is. The bus passed by so we couldn't see her doing it. Billy didn't turn his head. Re-watching the scene makes it more obvious what it all meant.
I never for a second thought of suicide last night before reading the theory on here. Having seen the scene more than once, I'm now convinced she walked away. It was my first impression and it's definitely my impression now.
Except, she wasn't sexually propositioned by Bily. Billy wanted her vote, thats all. He had no libido due to the drugs
His behaviour was inappropriate. It could have been seen as sexual harassment. His dying isn't an excuse to touch a colleague in a uninvited and out of line way.
He could have explained himself sooner but chose not to. He's lucky he still had a job by the end.
You misunderstood me, was talking about betrayal in the romantic sense, betrayal in the professional sense in that he was the one that provided the jacket, he was the one that was going to guide shoe lane to prosecutions.
I think we were meant to see Martha at the end of her tether after a series of cases where she had made misjudgements and behaved in an irregular manner. More so than normal, as Clive was always on hand to remind her. Her 'breakdown' began when the Court of Appeal rejected Johnny Foster's (?) appeal and he committed suicide. During this episode, she constantly rejected Billy's calls and ended the call when Billy told her his cancer was getting worse without any kind of comment. These are signs of someone at the end of their tether. Add to this, the knowledge that if she had followed the evidence properly she might have helped Shaun, but instead, her increasingly anti police cross examinations and statements probably got him convicted. I'm assuming she walked out without continuing to make her case for Head of Chambers. She 'disappeared' when faced with a dying Billy as she couldn't cope. Normally no-one would be allowed to reach that point, but the cosy closed world of Shoe Lane (prosecuting and defending in all the cases, the prosecuting v defending arguments, no head of chambers, an ineffectual Clive and a clerk who had his own problems etc ) meant she slipped through the net.
I don't think she ended up in the river - she seemed to be on Embankment and Billy and John would surely have heard a splash? I think the message was metaphorical - she disappeared as she could no longer cope.
Overall, I'm not sure about the final episode. Why so much emphasis on Phil Davis's character who just reappeared? I love PD as an actor but his return and pivotal role in this episode seemed odd.
I'm not disappointed the series has finished. It always promised more than it delivered imo.
Because Mickey told her to run. She'd obviously had enough of it all. Billy dying just offered the last reason for why she shouldn't stay. Her and Clive were about to end, she didn't like where the law firm was heading, and she was homesick. She had no reason to stay anymore. She didn't kill herself. There's no way she had the time to get over that river wall. It's not believable. Her walking off down the street is. The bus passed by so we couldn't see her doing it. Billy didn't turn his head. Re-watching the scene makes it more obvious what it all meant.
I never for a second thought of suicide last night before reading the theory on here. Having seen the scene more than once, I'm now convinced she walked away. It was my first impression and it's definitely my impression now.
Why on earth would she do what Mickey told her when she had nothing but contempt for him? If Billy was her friend and he was dying, why would she abandon him? She and Clive weren't about to end - they weren't actually together, despite him inexplicably mooning over her throughout this series.
I don't dispute your theory of what happened to Martha - but the rationale behind it doesn't stand up to much scrutiny and certainly isn't true to the character that was established in the first two series … before someone pressed the reset button and lost the plot.
His behaviour was inappropriate. It could have been seen as sexual harassment. His dying isn't an excuse to touch a colleague in a uninvited and out of line way.
He could have explained himself sooner but chose not to. He's lucky he still had a job by the end.
I re-watched the last scene and I am positive Martha didn't kill herself. Billy saw her on the edge of the road. So unless she literally spun round and took a flying leap over the quite high river wall within seconds then she couldn't possibly have had time to jump. She clearly just walked off down the street with the passing bus covering her exit. When Billy looked up it was only back to the same spot as before, he didn't turn his head left down the street ;-)
She must have been wearing rollerblades then because that bus passed her really fast.
She must have been wearing rollerblades then because that bus passed her really fast.
She must also have been a first class hurdler to have got from the edge of the road, to the wall, then leapt over it into the river...:):)
I still think she jumped onto the moving bus....
I found the ending lacking myself which was a shame. Now I am assuming that when the writer was on breakfast TV saying they had decided to end it on a high they knew that when filming, so in which case it would have been nice if they had made it final, tied up the loose ends so we all knew rather than leaving it hanging which they have done. Yes we can say it was obvious what happened but if you decide a programme will not return then let us see the end rather than leave us to wonder .
She must also have been a first class hurdler to have got from the edge of the road, to the wall, then leapt over it into the river...:):)
I still think she jumped onto the moving bus....
I suspect someone will look closely at the bus and point out that it isn't one with an open platform (there are very few of these now) so she could only jumped on it if the doors were open...
I assumed that because we saw Micky being threatened he would be going into the river, so that when Martha disappeared she was the one that went in.
Let's face it - we will never know as it was the last episode (unless the author tells us).
I suspect someone will look closely at the bus and point out that it isn't one with an open platform (there are very few of these now) so she could only jumped on it if the doors were open...
I assumed that because we saw Micky being threatened he would be going into the river, so that when Martha disappeared she was the one that went in.
Let's face it - we will never know as it was the last episode (unless the author tells us).
My goodness, I never thought of that....it has been many years since I was on a London bus...definitely showing my age here....:):):)
Actually, the bus we saw was on the same side of the road as Billy, so there would have had to be another one for Martha to leap on. Quite why she would do that when Billy needed her is a mystery to me.
Of course, even if she went backwards (very quickly) into the river, there is no guarantee that she would have died. I remember Dynasty was famous for its season's finales - in one everyone appeared to have been machine-gunned by terrorists (I can't remember whether anyone at all died) and another where a car was driven off a bridge into the river.
Except, she wasn't sexually propositioned by Bily. Billy wanted her vote, thats all. He had no libido due to the drugs
Wasn't Billy's defence he did it because he didnt want to accept the effects of the treatment and hence to show he still had it in him?
Besides, in these scenarios, it is about how the victim understood the actions, not what the perpetrator intended.
About Clive's agreement with Nicola that Shoe Lane will get all the prosecution work, all of it, even though loads of their barristers may not have the inclination or the experience, I thought that the CPS had their own in-house barristers to do most of the prosecuting?
She must also have been a first class hurdler to have got from the edge of the road, to the wall, then leapt over it into the river...:):)
I still think she jumped onto the moving bus....
She walked out of chambers without her bag, how did she pay the bus fare?
I don't think she jumped at all. She probably just walked off or ran quickly in another direction.
I liked this series in general, it wasn't too bad, but I love courtroom TV of most kinds. The older female silk, the water and vodka drinker was excellent!
I didn't like the ending either btw. Innocent man found guilty, Martha's future left in the air, smug, totally non intuitive, Clive left to make a fresh mess. Ah well.
Her lover was now shagging the new girl, she'd failed to save an innocent man as a result of said lover finding the evidence used against her which proved her colleagues were in cahoots against her, she'd had her faith in her profession shaken and had came to realise the good guys at the top end were just as bad as the scum at the bottom, that justice and fairness are irrelevant when politics, sexual and professional, come into play?
It was a bit of a bizarre open ending but the parallel between her and Mickey Joy on bridges, him about to be pushed or shot and dumped in the river having accepted his role, and her not being their when they look again suggests she jumped.
Nice summing up on all the things that would be likely to make Martha feel in despair, on top of that now the chambers will be solely prosecuting, she would have to work with the same police that she has accused to be liars or cursed at a few times in this series alone! And of course her missing her home town and that Billy wasn't going to be around either. But considering the crap end the viewer were given, there's nothing to confirm how she left that spot she was last seen standing at, so I reckon these were all just reasons as to why it is likely that she didn't want to return to Shoe Lane.
I don't mind open endings, but there are good open endings and crap open endings, and this is definitely in the latter category.
I remember when Silk began it was supposed to be a fairly realistic portrayal of a chambers. The last episode was so far beyond anything that could ever happen in a court of law that it could have been filmed on another planet. How could we take seriously a trial that was carried out like that?
All court drama scenes are different from the real thing, but they still follow certain conventions - this last episode threw all those away. Pathetic story and worse execution. No wonder the BBC are not going to make any more.
Agreed. There was quite a few errors shown throughout the series in regards to procedure that artistic license would be really stretched to cover them, but this last episode would have broken that excuse, such as the way the evidence was brought into that trial, the trial itself, the witnesses, etc. The ending was silly; as you say an open ending is fair enough as long as it can make some sense, but this was bizarre as if it would be more suited to a character ending in Doctor Who. Even all the searching beforehand for her as if she hasn't walked out on her own before was a bit 'urgh' like she was a little girl.
For me, this confirms what I thought last week about the announcement of the last series. Had this been the idea from the outset, it would have been announced from the start and I think there would have been a better ending; to me the way it ended was as if there was going to be fourth (possibly the last) series with explanation as to what happened to her and to Shoe Lane under its new head, most likely going into crisis with Super-Marth coming back from where she went or some work she did to save the day. ;-)
I can believe that Amy would have chosen Clive, even though I don't think it was a good choice. Apart from being a bit ditzy herself, she was probably following the person who initially supported her in her sexual harassment claim, Harriet.
I re-watched the last scene and I am positive Martha didn't kill herself. Billy saw her on the edge of the road. So unless she literally spun round and took a flying leap over the quite high river wall within seconds then she couldn't possibly have had time to jump. She clearly just walked off down the street with the passing bus covering her exit. When Billy looked up it was only back to the same spot as before, he didn't turn his head left down the street ;-)
I don't think so unless in past episodes it showed Martha being trained by Usain Bolt. Personally I think the only answer is that she didn't return back to Shoe Lane or to those who were looking for her regardless which way she left that spot on Embankment.
I was expecting someone to bring up Clive's relationship with his pupil from series 1 during the sexual harassement hearing; that would surely have swayed some of them from voting for him as head of chambers.
Well I loved it. Sad to see it finish.
As far as the naysayers, for what it is worth Neil Stuke was the star of the show for me, a brilliant performance.
Comments
Except, she wasn't sexually propositioned by Bily. Billy wanted her vote, thats all. He had no libido due to the drugs
But why would Martha walk away from her friend who is dying? Again, pointlessly out of character.
I'm sure you are right in what you've summarised - the trouble is, there's no emotional or character-driven logic to it (which is directed at Peter Moffat and Hilary Salmon, not you! ;-)) …
Clive and Martha had not been lovers for years.
Because Mickey told her to run. She'd obviously had enough of it all. Billy dying just offered the last reason for why she shouldn't stay. Her and Clive were about to end, she didn't like where the law firm was heading, and she was homesick. She had no reason to stay anymore. She didn't kill herself. There's no way she had the time to get over that river wall. It's not believable. Her walking off down the street is. The bus passed by so we couldn't see her doing it. Billy didn't turn his head. Re-watching the scene makes it more obvious what it all meant.
I never for a second thought of suicide last night before reading the theory on here. Having seen the scene more than once, I'm now convinced she walked away. It was my first impression and it's definitely my impression now.
His behaviour was inappropriate. It could have been seen as sexual harassment. His dying isn't an excuse to touch a colleague in a uninvited and out of line way.
He could have explained himself sooner but chose not to. He's lucky he still had a job by the end.
You misunderstood me, was talking about betrayal in the romantic sense, betrayal in the professional sense in that he was the one that provided the jacket, he was the one that was going to guide shoe lane to prosecutions.
I don't think she ended up in the river - she seemed to be on Embankment and Billy and John would surely have heard a splash? I think the message was metaphorical - she disappeared as she could no longer cope.
Overall, I'm not sure about the final episode. Why so much emphasis on Phil Davis's character who just reappeared? I love PD as an actor but his return and pivotal role in this episode seemed odd.
I'm not disappointed the series has finished. It always promised more than it delivered imo.
Why on earth would she do what Mickey told her when she had nothing but contempt for him? If Billy was her friend and he was dying, why would she abandon him? She and Clive weren't about to end - they weren't actually together, despite him inexplicably mooning over her throughout this series.
I don't dispute your theory of what happened to Martha - but the rationale behind it doesn't stand up to much scrutiny and certainly isn't true to the character that was established in the first two series … before someone pressed the reset button and lost the plot.
Yes. Billy was very lucky:)
She must have been wearing rollerblades then because that bus passed her really fast.
She must also have been a first class hurdler to have got from the edge of the road, to the wall, then leapt over it into the river...:):)
I still think she jumped onto the moving bus....
I suspect someone will look closely at the bus and point out that it isn't one with an open platform (there are very few of these now) so she could only jumped on it if the doors were open...
I assumed that because we saw Micky being threatened he would be going into the river, so that when Martha disappeared she was the one that went in.
Let's face it - we will never know as it was the last episode (unless the author tells us).
My goodness, I never thought of that....it has been many years since I was on a London bus...definitely showing my age here....:):):)
Of course, even if she went backwards (very quickly) into the river, there is no guarantee that she would have died. I remember Dynasty was famous for its season's finales - in one everyone appeared to have been machine-gunned by terrorists (I can't remember whether anyone at all died) and another where a car was driven off a bridge into the river.
Besides, in these scenarios, it is about how the victim understood the actions, not what the perpetrator intended.
From the comments the result is similar to on here - which is "Not A Lot!"
http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2014-03-31/what-did-you-think-of-the-last-episode-of-silk
She walked out of chambers without her bag, how did she pay the bus fare?
I don't think she jumped at all. She probably just walked off or ran quickly in another direction.
I liked this series in general, it wasn't too bad, but I love courtroom TV of most kinds. The older female silk, the water and vodka drinker was excellent!
I didn't like the ending either btw. Innocent man found guilty, Martha's future left in the air, smug, totally non intuitive, Clive left to make a fresh mess. Ah well.
Agreed. There was quite a few errors shown throughout the series in regards to procedure that artistic license would be really stretched to cover them, but this last episode would have broken that excuse, such as the way the evidence was brought into that trial, the trial itself, the witnesses, etc. The ending was silly; as you say an open ending is fair enough as long as it can make some sense, but this was bizarre as if it would be more suited to a character ending in Doctor Who. Even all the searching beforehand for her as if she hasn't walked out on her own before was a bit 'urgh' like she was a little girl.
For me, this confirms what I thought last week about the announcement of the last series. Had this been the idea from the outset, it would have been announced from the start and I think there would have been a better ending; to me the way it ended was as if there was going to be fourth (possibly the last) series with explanation as to what happened to her and to Shoe Lane under its new head, most likely going into crisis with Super-Marth coming back from where she went or some work she did to save the day. ;-)
I can believe that Amy would have chosen Clive, even though I don't think it was a good choice. Apart from being a bit ditzy herself, she was probably following the person who initially supported her in her sexual harassment claim, Harriet.
I don't think so unless in past episodes it showed Martha being trained by Usain Bolt. Personally I think the only answer is that she didn't return back to Shoe Lane or to those who were looking for her regardless which way she left that spot on Embankment.
As far as the naysayers, for what it is worth Neil Stuke was the star of the show for me, a brilliant performance.