The Gathering Season 1 Review – The series had potential but it fails to stick the landing

Episode Guide

Episode 1 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 2 -| Review Score – 2/5
Episode 3 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 4 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 5 -| Review Score – 2.5/5
Episode 6 -| Review Score – 2.5/5

This Liverpool-set drama starts things off in gripping fashion as we witness somebody attempting to drown a teenage girl. We don’t know who the girl is and we don’t know who the perpetrator is either. But this scene hooks our interest due to the savagery of the attack. What could have provoked it? 

The answer to what is going on isn’t revealed until the final episode. By the time you get to that point, your interest may have waned. The Gathering isn’t a series that is short on drama or twists and turns, but with an overabundance of characters and subplots, it’s hard to stay invested in the core mystery when too much is going on to pad out the 6 episodes.

After the dramatic opening, the series flashes back to a month earlier where we are introduced to two gymnasts, Kelly (Eva Morgan) and Jessica (Sadie Soverall). The two are friends but there is tension between them because they are also gym rivals trying out for a major competition.

There’s tension between Jessica and her mother Natalie (Vinette Robinson) too. Jessica has potential as a gymnast but her mother pushes her too far. Natalie is the epitome of a toxic parent caring more about her daughter’s success than her feelings and self-esteem. She’s an aggravating woman who goes to great lengths to protect her daughter’s future but this ultimately backfires on her when Jessica rebels. 

Kelly lives with her dad Paul (Warren Brown) and younger brother. The relationship she has with her father is far more loving as he appears to be somebody who puts her personal welfare over her gymnastics.

The difference between the families is like night and day, not only because of the different levels of care in each relationship but in their class differences too. Kelly is from a working-class background whereas Jessica has had a more privileged upbringing. A loving parent is more important than money, of course, which is something the series demonstrates.

Outside of the parent-child relationships are the relationships between Kelly, Jessica, and their respective friends. What they get up to outside of home and school will surely make many parents worry for their own kids. Drug taking, sexting, illegal raves, free running atop high buildings…such is the life of Liverpudlian teenagers, at least according to this series’ writer, Helen Walsh.

Having said that, it’s not only the teens who get up to no good when away from the earshot of the grown-ups. Their parents also push themselves into dangerous situations, with Paul getting into trouble for physical assault and Natalie meeting strangers for sex in hotel rooms. It’s little wonder their kids are in danger of going off the rails, in gymnastics as well as in life!

The series makes some interesting points about class snobbery and teenage rebellion but these are sometimes muted by the myriad of other themes that wheedle their way into the plot. The show touches upon the refugee crisis, for example, and there’s a subplot about a teenager trying to hide his sexuality too. At times, there’s too much going on, which is why we become distracted from the overarching mystery that kicked off with episode 1’s opening scene. 

Ultimately, this is a show that doesn’t quite know what it wants to be. It’s sometimes a teenage drama about rivalry in the world of elite sports. At other times, it’s a tale that focuses on the secrets and lies that exist within intergenerational relationships. And somewhere within it all is a whodunnit that gets pushed aside in favour of soap opera dramatics. 

A better title for The Gathering could have been The Wearying. I was certainly weary by the time the series ended, due to the preponderance of shouting, sulking, and frowning from the extensive cast of characters. I kept watching, not only so I could write this review but also to find out who the attacker and victim were from the opening episode. Sadly, the final reveal is a little anti-climactic, lost within the rest of the drama that exists around it. 

The Gathering promises much but it fails to live up to its potential, just like those parents and teenagers who end up disappointing one another. There are some good moments in the series but ultimately, it just doesn’t stick the landing! 

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