There’s nothing quite like a forbidden love story.
And Trespasses is the epitome of that, diving into the tumultuous period in Ireland’s history known as the Troubles, wherein Protestant and Catholic neighbors weren’t just at odds with each other, but actively killing one another due to political and religious division.
PBS is taking on this turbulent period in a four-part drama that adapts Louise Kennedy’s novel of the same name, and the trailer delivers a 70s Irish aesthetic and fashion, and smoldering chemistry between its two leads.
Every country has its conflicts, and Ireland was no exception.
This is particularly the case in Northern Ireland when it comes to the 30-year conflict between its citizens with vastly different ideologies about how their country proceeds and the treatment of all of its people.
The Troubles began in the late ’60s and didn’t resolve itself until a peace treaty in 1998.
But Trespasses drops us right into the thick of it, with a timeline set in 1975, when tensions were likely incredibly high.
It’s the perfect backdrop for a love story that disrupts everything: two individuals with vastly different lives on different sides of all this tension, brought together by an attraction neither of them can ignore.
And that’s exactly what we get with Cushla Lavery and Michael Agnew.
If you have been following Hulu’s dark and cerebral Furious, then you’ve seen Lola Petticrew put forth an impressive, vulnerable, and visceral performance.
Cushla grants her the opportunity to portray something a bit softer and different.
She’s a young Catholic schoolteacher navigating the world around her amid all of the chaos and violence that’s overtaking everything.
It’s only when she meets Michael, played by House of the Dragon‘s Tom Cullen, that her life gets brighter and considerably more complicated.
Meeting and falling in love with someone is one thing, but when that person is older, married, and a Protestant?
Well, speaking of “troubles…”
One of our first glimpses of these two together is Cushla telling Michael how she comes from a long line of Catholics, so being with who she wants is a luxury that she doesn’t have.
Star-crossed lovers, anyone?!
But the love that’s brewing between these two isn’t just a tension-fueled affair that has simple complications like an age gap or the predictability of infidelity.
There’s a danger that lurks beyond all of their stolen moments.
Folks are radicalized on both sides, militarized in some capacity or the other, and the country is rife with pipe bombs, beatings, and more.
The Troubles reportedly resulted in the deaths of roughly 3,600 people, just to put into perspective how dangerous the climate was at that time.
And that’s something that lingers over Cushla and Michael and their every steamy interaction and stolen moment.
Oh, and based on the trailer, things are certainly steamy between them. Petticrew and Cullen’s chemistry may be the biggest selling point for bringing this story to life.
In the brief moments we get of the pairing in the trailer, it’s worth investing fully in a romance that’s most assuredly doomed.
The cast is also a selling point. These two leads are fabulous just based on their previous work, and for good measure, we also have Gillian Anderson.
Trespasses will find Cushla torn between things like duty, love, faith, and family, too.
We see that her mother is constantly worried about the state of Northern Ireland and everything going on around them.
And we also see where, presumably, Cushla’s brother warns her about how she risks more than getting her heart broken with her controversial affair with a married Protestant lawyer, or barrister.
An aptly titled Trespasses (as in, forgive us our trespasses) teases an intoxicating tale of love in a time of violence, destruction, and discord.
Cushla and Michael’s story feels destined for an unhappy ending, but the ride? It may be worth every second.
Trespasses will make its debut here in the States on September 20.
You can stream all four episodes on PBS Passport or PBS Masterpiece via Prime Video.
As for those who want to tune in via broadcast, the series will air weekly starting September 20 at 10/9c on PBS.
Are you intrigued? Sound off below and let us know!
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