A messy divorce, two rival law firms, and a mole who could change everything.
Spoiler Warning: The following section discusses a major twist from the episode’s ending.
HBO’s War gets off to an intriguing start with a story about two high-profile professionals whose marriage is pretty much dead in the water. One is a Hollywood actress, the other is a powerful tech billionaire, and now they’re heading toward what looks like a very ugly divorce. The big question is whether Morgan and Carla can end things peacefully or if they’re going to destroy each other in the process. My money is on the latter.
The premiere, “It’s Done,” introduces us to Morgan Henderson (Dominic West) and Carla Duval (Sienna Miller), a couple whose ten-year marriage has been plagued by infidelity and mistrust. After years of Morgan gaslighting her about his affairs, Carla decides she’s had enough and takes matters into her own hands. She arranges for her friend Flora to seduce Morgan and secretly photograph them together, giving her the proof she needs to challenge their restrictive prenuptial agreement.
From there, the divorce becomes a battle between two of London’s biggest legal teams. Nicholas Taylor (James McArdle) and Serena Byrne (Phoebe Fox) represent Carla, while Morgan’s lawyers are determined to make sure their client stays in control. Both sides are playing a game of strategy, and nobody seems particularly interested in making this separation easy.
Things get especially petty when Morgan’s team serves Carla with divorce papers at the premiere of her new film, Milliner. Nothing says a marriage has gone off the rails quite like being handed legal paperwork at your own movie premiere. It’s a great example of how this divorce is about more than just two people splitting up. Money, power, and public image are all part of the fight.
Dominic West and Sienna Miller are the main attractions here, and they give the series plenty of star power. Their characters are clearly heading for a fight, and I’m interested to see just how far each of them is willing to go. The legal side of the story is intriguing, too, although I do hope the show digs a little deeper into the emotional fallout rather than letting the courtroom maneuvering do all the work.
But the character who really caught my attention was Johnny Warren, played by Archie Renaux.
Johnny is a qualified legal applicant who keeps getting rejected by London’s elite firms. Stuck working a miserable restaurant job, he finally snaps after being humiliated by an obnoxious customer. When he returns home to his wealthy girlfriend, Bella (Honor Swinton Byrne), he lies about having an interview with Taylor & Byrne. Somehow, he ends up getting offered a job there anyway.
At first, it looks like Johnny has finally caught a break. Then comes the twist: he’s a mole planted by the rival firm, Cathcarts & Sons. His job is to feed information from Carla’s legal team straight back to Morgan’s side.
That reveal immediately makes Johnny someone to watch. Renaux gives him an interesting mix of frustration, ambition, and vulnerability, and I’m curious to see how he handles being caught between two worlds. He may have landed the job he wanted, but he’s also walking into a situation that could blow up in his face.
Overall, War has made a promising start. West and Miller bring plenty of star power, the divorce battle has the potential to get seriously nasty, and Johnny’s secret gives the story another layer beyond the usual rich-people legal drama. The premiere does spend a fair amount of time setting everything up, so I’m hoping the next episode starts delivering even more twists and consequences.
Still, I’m intrigued enough to keep watching, especially after that Johnny reveal. If this divorce is already getting this messy, I can only imagine what’s coming next.
Overall Grade: 8/10
Are you watching War? Do you think Carla and Morgan’s divorce will get even uglier, and what do you make of Johnny’s secret? Let me know in the comments!
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