TRUELOVE. Friendship Under Control [REVIEW]

“Tell me who your friends are, and I’ll tell you who you are.” This famous quote by Ernest Hemingway can be interpreted, depending on the context, either as a celebration of friendship—one that uplifts and complements us through another person’s personality, tenderness, and care—or as a serious warning: don’t make decisions too hastily, don’t get involved too quickly, because just one wrong move or a misread intention can land you in deep trouble. For the five main characters in BBC First’s new production TrueLove, however, friendship was never insincere or superficial. A turbulent adolescence, shared classroom memories, and common values brought them together—permanently, it seems, for better or worse. Supporting a close friend who stood by them in both triumphant and difficult moments is second nature to them—even if that support puts them in great danger. Even if that support quite literally means… taking a life.

Phillipa (Lindsay Duncan), Ken (Clarke Peters), Tom (Karl Johnson), David (Peter Egan), and Marion (Sue Johnston) form an unusual friendship pact that obliges them to set aside their moral codes and support each other if any one of them decides to leave this world before fate determines their time.

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On the day of an old friend’s funeral, after a few rounds of strong drinks, the now-retired friends make a promise: that in their final moments, they’ll be together, hand in hand, and will not allow disease or misfortune to rob them of the joy of their last days.

Phil and Ken—former lovers, now living like Shakespearean characters haunted by an unfulfilled youthful love—don’t anticipate that this emotionally charged, alcohol-fueled vow will turn their quiet twilight years upside down. They will actually be forced to kill their closest friends.

Though assisted suicide is illegal in the UK and many European countries (including Poland), the characters can’t just stand by while Tom loses his battle with cancer, and Marion fades into dementia. What was meant to be a one-time “favor,” carefully orchestrated to avoid police suspicion, soon spirals out of control. Within months, more members of their tight-knit group start dying, and a sharp, ambitious local detective begins to look closely into the circumstances of these “suicides.”

Don’t look for any hidden meanings in the title of this new BBC First production —TrueLove is uttered by the characters more frequently and passionately than any other phrase. It’s the simplest way to sum up their shared decades and the sacrifices they’re willing to make in the name of platonic love.

Ken, a retired soldier, and Phil, a former police chief now seen as a legend among younger officers, have both suffered deeply in the past. Perhaps it’s because they understand loss so intimately—and have become emotionally resilient—that Tom, and later others, come to them for help with assisted suicide. For Ken and Phil, it’s a painful but necessary act of compassion. For young and driven officer Ayesha (Kiran Sonia Sawar), it’s plain murder, and one she’s determined to solve—grieving or not.

The theme of death as both mercy and violence weaves through TrueLove, alongside a broader conversation about societal stigma around aging and stereotypes that paint older people as frail and useless. “With retirement, you permanently lose the best parts of yourself.” “Love after seventy is less important than love born in your prime.”

Phil, brilliantly portrayed by Lindsay Duncan, silences such skeptics with her sharp wit and fierce boundary-setting. She refuses to believe that her age leaves her with only downsizing, hospice care, and quietly fading away. That’s not her style. Instead, she inspires women to change their lives at any stage, regardless of cost or judgmental looks.

TrueLove restores faith in short-form television with its exceptional dialogue, classic yet gripping tension-building, and the gradual reveal of the characters’ darkest secrets. The crime thriller “cat and mouse” game is seamlessly blended with family drama, suspense, and a moving love story between two mature souls, broken by past relationships.

We never learn exactly what happened between Phil and Ken in the past. Would they have ever rekindled their bond if not for the funeral and the ill-fated TrueLove pact? What matters to them is the present moment—regardless of what others think, or how much their morally ambiguous choices might reshape their lives. For them, love and care are stronger than death. And that’s why they’re willing to fulfill the final wishes—not only of their friends but of themselves.

The screenwriting debut of Iain Weatherby is one of the best things currently streaming. Deeply moving and socially impactful, this story of breaking taboos, moral conflict, and the ethics of death hits emotional nerves without relying on melodrama or tragedy-for-tragedy’s-sake. The takeaway from this remarkable tale of friendship is entirely up to the viewer. Because in the end, it is friendship that powers even the riskiest of actions.

TrueLove offers a moral introspection, brilliant acting, and an edge-of-your-seat finale—delivering top-tier television that will linger in your heart long after the credits roll.