The lowdown:  'The Life and Loves of a She-Devil' is a four-part BBC telemovie based on the novel of the same name
by Fay Weldon. It stars Dennis Waterman as an accountant named Bobbo and Julie T Wallace as his large and rather
unattractive wife, Ruth. Bobbo has an affair with a famous romance author, Mary Fisher (played by Patricia Hodge), 
and when Ruth finds out Bobbo reveals that he only married her out of pity. Ruth leaves Bobbo and their two children, 
who move into Mary's lighthouse home on a cliff, although Mary is not so enthusiastic about having the children around).
Meanwhile, Ruth vows her revenge on Bobbo and Mary, and declares herself to be a she-devil. She adopts a number of
different guises as part of her vengeance, and sets Bobbo up on a fraud charge after transferring his clients' money into
his account. With Bobbo in prison (she seduces the trial judge to ensure a long sentence), Ruth sets out to gain the 
ultimate revenge, using the immense wealth she has attained via fraud to undergo radical reconstructive and plastic 
surgery, and literally recreates herself as a twin of Mary Fisher. The real Mary dies and Ruth takes her place.

The cast includes Tom Baker in one of his most memorable acting roles, as the amorous Father Ferguson, a priest who
begins to question his faith after developing an intimate relationship with his new housekeeper, Molly (Ruth in one of her
many guises). The scene where Father Ferguson and Ruth make love is certainly hard to forget, particularly as it is such
a departure from the sort of roles Tom Baker is known for (and may not be appropriate for younger viewers). Ferguson also
seduces Mary Fisher, and convinces her to stop writing romance novels in favour of books with a more religious flavour
(under the influence of Ruth, of course). However, her new novel, The Pearly Gates of Love, complete with a nun on the 
cover, does not sell very well. Alas, Tom is only in the fourth episode, but his performance is one of the higlights of the
series.

The verdict:  'The Life and Loves of a She-Devil' is great fun and a wonderful social satire. It also foreshadowed the trend
toward extreme makeovers some years in advance, while the main themes of infidelity, betrayal and a woman scorned
who sets out to get her revenge are timeless. However, the series has not aged well, particularly the 80s fashions.

Video Clips:    New housekeeper   5.9mb         Mary and Ferguson   3.9mb        A seductive priest   4.3mb
 
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